One of the more unique destinations Alaska flies to from its hub in Los Angeles is Everett, Washington, just north of Seattle. Given that much of Paine Field is devoted to the production and maintenance of Boeing’s 767, 777, and 787 families of aircraft, it is somewhat odd that commercial airline operations would be taking place here, when Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is relatively nearby. Yet Alaska Airlines flies from the smaller passenger terminal to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orange County, Phoenix, San Diego, and San Francisco, along with seasonal service to Honolulu and Palm Springs. While most Alaska flights from PAE are operated by Horizon Air’s Embraer E175s, the airline does sometimes augment them with mainline 737s. This is another flight I saw departing from the south side of LAX while getting lunch and the uniqueness of the destination inspired me to fly this route yesterday.
Server: Solo
Airline: Alaska Airlines (Operated by Horizon Air)
Aircraft: Embraer E175
Origin: Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California (LAX)
Destination: Seattle Paine Field Airport, Everett, Washington (PAE)
Flight Number: AS2279
Route: KLAX-KPAE
Seat: 17D (Main Cabin)
Time En Route: 2 Hours 44 Minutes
Boarding at Gate 61 in a break in the rain. Terminal 5 stands abandoned in the background in preparation for its imminent demolition and reconstruction in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Taxiing out of the alleyway
Holding short of Runway 25R as an Air Canada 737 MAX 8 departs for Vancouver as AC555
Taking off into some forbidding-looking skies
Climbing over Calabasas at the western end of the San Fernando Valley. Bracketed between the flap track fairings is the 101 and Ventura Boulevard.
Cruising over the cloud-blanketed Sierra Nevada. This cold front we’ve been experiencing is expected to bring more rain and several inches of snow to the mountains.
Got a good view of Mount Saint Helens, Mount Adams, and Mount Ranier as we descend into Washington
Landing at Paine Field in the Golden Hour. Besides Boeing, Everett also has a significant general aviation operation, with the south end of the field being studded with Cessnas, Beechcrafts, Pipers, a few Mooneys and Grummans, and even what looks like a Navion Rangemaster H tied down next to a Learjet 60.
Taxiing to PAE’s 3-gate passenger terminal
Deplaned at Gate 2B, the one gate without a jetbridge at Paine Field. It was a nice flight up here on Horizon, and we’ll be flying with them again in the not-too-distant future.