Alaska Airlines to offer direct flights from Spokane to Everett

If you hate flying to Seattle, Alaska Airlines has a workaround.

Beginning Nov. 4, Alaska will begin nonstop service to Paine Field-Snohomish County Airport in Everett. Fares will start at $49 for a one-way ticket to the airport, which began serving commercial flights in March when Alaska and United Airlines began operating there.

The current schedule lists two daily flights. A flight from Spokane will leave at 7:40 a.m. and arrive in Everett at 8:55 a.m. A return flight will leave Everett at 7:55 p.m. and arrive in Spokane at 9:10 p.m.

The airport connects to eight destinations, including San Francisco, Portland, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver and Phoenix.

“This new service to Paine Field will directly benefit the aerospace industry sector as it continues to expand in our region and create time-saving efficiencies for our business community overall,” Spokane airport CEO Larry Krauter said in a statement.

The airport won approval for commercial flights from the Federal Aviation Administration in 2012. The airport’s opening was delayed three weeks by the government shutdown at the beginning of the year.

The airport will see 1.4 million passengers a year, according to a statement from Snohomish County. About $40 million in private funds built the terminal, which is owned and operated by Propeller Airports on land leased from Snohomish County.

According to the Seattle Times, Paine Field is a “workhorse” that provides a runway for Boeing to test its wide body jets. The airport also serves private small-plane owners and a flight school.

More than 292,000 people had flown on Alaska Airlines out of Paine Field by the end of July.