Jet service lands for first time at Pullman

Alaska Airlines’ Embraer 175 jetliners have landed on the Palouse and are here to stay.

The Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport started offering jet services for the first time Thursday. Alaska Airlines has replaced its Q400 turboprops with the new Embraer 175, offering a range of amenities including first-class seating, said Tony Bean, executive director of the airport. Scheduled jet service became available for Boise flights Thursday and will take over Seattle flights in November.

This is a big deal, Bean said, since the airport has never had scheduled jet service and has always operated with propeller aircrafts. Scheduled jet service, according to Bean, is an agreement between the FAA and airlines to consistently fly in and out at agreed upon times. He added that unscheduled services, or charters, are flights not a part of the airport’s schedule and can be used for flexibility in travel time.

Bean said the airport is not losing flights with this decision, it’s just rebooting. The Embraer 175 offers 76 seats, the same amount the Q400 offered, but in a wider configuration. Bean said patrons will have the option to choose which cabin to fly in. Typically, when passengers buy a specific class ticket, they won’t be able to fly in that class until getting to a more established airport. But patrons will now have the ability to fly their preferred class all the way through, Bean said.

The new jets will make for a quieter, quicker ride, Bean said. He added many people will not fly in a propeller plane because it’s noisy and uncomfortable, but some have said they will now consider flying on a jet.

Expansion of services would not be made possible without a major construction project, according to Bean. The airport has spent $150 million extending the runway and remodeling infrastructure over the past seven years, as well as moving 9 million cubic yards of earth during the process. The result was an additional 600 feet in length to the runway, making it 7,100 feet long and 150 feet wide, with a matching taxiway the same length and 75 feet wide.

The airport has also increased its capability for landing an aircraft in inclement weather, which has significantly reduced cancellations, Bean said. This was achieved by adding an instrument landing system that allows planes to land at night or in bad weather.

Bean said the jet flights will change carry-on size limits and baggage because of less overhead space on the Embraer 175. Bags, including the handle and wheels, that are more than 22 inches, by 14 inches, by 9 inches now must be checked. He added passengers will be allowed to bring a small bag or personal item on the plane that can fit under the seat. Bean said patrons should arrive an hour or more before their flights in case of baggage checking or plane capacity issues.

The jet made its first Boise flight at 4:35 p.m. Thursday and is scheduled to fly every day at that time except Tuesdays or Saturdays, according to Bean. The airport will provide jet flights to Seattle beginning Nov. 4.