By Angela Lim and Lauren Rosenblatt
Seattle Times staff reporters
Alaska Airlines says it plans to boost its passenger capacity at Paine Field Airport by 50% this fall through next summer.
“Paine Field is an important part of our Puget Sound network, giving guests a simpler, more convenient way to access Alaska’s West Coast flying,” said Andrew Harrison, chief commercial officer at Alaska Airlines, in a news release. “As we grow, we’re strengthening our presence across the region with more seats, more frequency and more convenient travel options for guests in Snohomish County, North Seattle and beyond.”
As part of that effort, it will launch a new nonstop route to San Jose from Paine Field Airport next year. The nonstop service will operate twice daily, year-round, on Horizon Air — a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group alongside Alaska Airlines — beginning April 14, and is intended to give North Puget Sound region travelers more convenient access to California’s South Bay region, according to Alaska Airlines. Passengers will board the narrowbody Embraer E175 jet.
In addition, Alaska is ramping up its existing flights to in-demand West Coast destinations by next summer, with flights from Everett to Los Angeles and Portland set to operate twice daily, up from once daily. The Los Angeles service will also be operated on a larger aircraft — Alaska’s Boeing 737 — which offers between 161 and 178 seats depending on the variant, according to an airline spokesperson. That’s up from its current Embraer E175 regional jet that seats 76 passengers. Alaska is also working to increase seats on its San Francisco and San Diego flights.
Also on Thursday, Alaska announced it had increased the number of new long-haul international routes it would add from Seattle to destinations in Asia and Europe, upping its target from 12 to 15 new routes by 2030. Those long-haul routes take off and land at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Alaska first laid out its international expansion plans in December 2024, fueled in part by its recent acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines and the new aircraft and airport infrastructure that came with that deal.
Since then, it has announced seven new international routes from Seattle, including Tokyo-Narita, Seoul, London, Rome and Reykjavik. Starting in May, Alaska will offer seasonal routes from Seattle to Paris and Athens.
On Thursday, Alaska’s chief operating officer, Jason Berry, said Alaska now plans to add a total of 15 international long-haul routes from Seattle in the next few years. Berry was speaking at a conference hosted by the Aerospace Futures Alliance, a group that focuses on advocating for Washington’s aerospace industry.
Berry did not disclose what international routes Alaska will announce next, but told the room to “get ready.”
Angela Lim: anlim@seattletimes.com: Angela Lim is a general assignment reporter for The Seattle Times features department where she covers breaking and trending news, consumer travel, local media, communities and other topics.
Lauren Rosenblatt: 206-464-2927 or lrosenblatt@seattletimes.com: Lauren Rosenblatt is a Seattle Times business reporter covering Boeing and the aerospace industry.