Northwest Aerospace News October | November Issue No. 11 | Page 15

Looking ahead
But when the terminal finally opened
— with Alaska and United Airlines
combining on 24 flights a day — the
response proved proponents right.
More than 300,000 passengers passed
through the airport in the first three
months.
“The start of service,” said Alaska’s
Lane, “has been very good.”
For the near future, Smith says he’s
focused on running the Paine terminal
and making it a success. (Focused may
be an understatement, in fact. On Mon-
days, he goes himself to a wholesale
market to pick up fresh flowers for the
tables in the departure lounge, and he’s
been known to drive home passengers
he feels have had to wait too long for a
taxi or Uber driver.)
“I need to understand what works and
what doesn’t work with every aspect
of the operation,” Smith said during an
interview in his office, a few minutes
before he walked around the termi-
nal straightening chairs and clearing
tables.
The Paine terminal has been designed
for potential future expansion — al-
though Smith is quick to note that that
will not happen without clear commu-
nity support. And Propeller Airports
too is carefully evaluating possible
future projects.
But getting this particular project off
the ground has been satisfying, Smith
said. “We’ve created jobs and conve-
nience,” he said, “and left something
that’s going to benefit generations to
come.”
Paine Field Airport
3220 100th St SW
Everett, WA 98204
Phone: [phone]
http://painefield.com
Photos provided by Alaska Airlines.
OCTOBER | NOVEMBER 2019 ISSUE NO. 11
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