Alaska adds San Jose, expands LA from Paine Field near Seattle
Alaska Airlines fliers will soon have more flight options from Paine Field (PAE) in Everett, Washington — north of Seattle.
The hometown carrier plans to boost seats from PAE by half through next spring through a combination of new routes, additional flights and larger planes to destinations in California and Oregon.
“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,” Andrew Harrison, the chief commercial officer of Alaska, said in a statement. “As we grow, we’re strengthening our presence across the region.”
Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards program: How to earn and redeem points, elite status and more
Alaska is the only airline at PAE. Frontier Airlines served the airport briefly in 2025 and United Airlines from 2019 through 2021.
New Silicon Valley route
Alaska will connect PAE to San José Mineta International Airport (SJC) in California from April 14, 2027. The airline will offer two daily flights on an Embraer E175 with 76 seats.
SJC is in the heart of Silicon Valley and the preferred airport for the southern Bay Area. Alaska is the second largest carrier at the airport after Southwest Airlines, schedule data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows.
Alaska last flew the PAE-SJC route in 2019 and 2020.
More: Alaska Airlines to remove earning on basic economy tickets, increase ticketing fees
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts
Expanded West Coast service
Alaska will also expand options for travelers to four West Coast destinations: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Portland International Airport (PDX) in Oregon, San Diego International Airport (SAN) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
The airline will add a second daily flight to both LAX and PDX from PAE next spring. In addition, the PAE-LAX route will shift to all-Boeing 737s from the smaller E175s, an at least 63% seating increase per flight.
Alaska’s daily SAN flight will shift to a 737 from an E175 on Nov. 1, Cirium schedules show.
The airline has not said when its up to three daily PAE-SFO flights will shift to a larger plane.
Why expand at PAE?
Alaska’s expansion at PAE expands its utility for Seattle-area travelers where the airline already has a large and deep base of Atmos Rewards members. More seats from Seattle’s second airport helps solidify its position as the ubiquitous airline choice in the Puget Sound region.
More flights from PAE also give Alaska another edge over Delta Air Lines that operates a competing hub at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). The Atlanta-based carrier does not serve PAE and is about half the size of Alaska at SEA, Cirium schedules show.
SEA, Seattle’s main airport, is also constrained with limited room to grow. The recently opened Concourse C Expansion takes advantage of the only option the airport really has to add square footage: go up. A similar vertical expansion is planned for the South Satellite.
A proposed north terminal at SEA is being studied but not expected to open before the early- to mid-2030s.
Related reading:
