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With 37 airlines serving 94 non-stop domestic destinations and 35 international cities, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) will get you where you want to go. But it might not be easy.
SEA set a record with over 52.6 million passengers in 2024 — with a forecast to grow further in 2025. Navigating our local airport isn’t exactly a walk in the park. But what’s the alternative?
For families living in the North end and traveling to select Western U.S. destinations, Snohomish County’s Seattle Paine Field International Airport (Paine Field) could provide some very handy travel pain relief.
Ready for takeoff — again
Paine Field was built in 1936. Today it’s the manufacturing center for Boeing’s widebody aircraft and a major tourist attraction housing the Boeing Future of Flight visitor center, as well as the Boeing Factory Tour, the Museum of Flight Restoration Center, and the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum.
After years of planning, commercial passenger flights finally cleared for takeoff at Paine Field in early 2019. One year and more than a million passengers later, Seattle Paine Field International Airport was living up to its tagline of “bringing civility back to airports.”
But then the pandemic disrupted travel and Paine Field’s passenger terminal closed for maintenance and repairs — for more than two months. Ouch.
But now, with air travel busy once again, it’s worth considering whether flying out of Seattle Paine Field International Airport makes sense for your family. Here’s how our two Puget Sound-area airports compare on five common travel pain points:
1. Small and cozy
Seattle Paine Field International Airport's single terminal can’t offer 1,000 daily flights like SEA. But you won’t need to make an appointment or arrive hours early for a short flight just to get through security. With only two gates, you won’t have to worry about finding your way or losing your toddler in the crowd. Compared to navigating SEA, Paine Field is practically a living room, featuring mid-century design centered on a stone fireplace under a wooden ceiling. Paine Field’s biggest advantage is perhaps just how easy it is.
2. Comfort food
With presumably shorter lines and virtually no distance between security and the gates, airport food may not be as big a part of the flying experience at Paine Field as it is at larger airports. But kids and families will still be happy to know that Beecher’s Handmade Cheese operates the terminal’s food concessions, offering kid favorites like grilled-to-order sandwiches, hot soups, and mac and cheese. Parents might take turns hitting up the wine bar Upper Case, which offers wine, cocktails and selections from Caffe Vita.
3. Cheap and not-so-cheap seats
Alaska Airlines offered $39 promotional flights when the terminal first opened in 2019. Those were way too good to last. Smaller airports are usually more expensive than major hubs.
An unscientific sample of fares put nonstop flights out of Paine Field at sometimes double the cost of flights out of SEA. A mid-June weekend round-trip to Las Vegas cost less than $200 out of SEA, whereas a round-trip out of Paine Field on the same weekend cost more than $300.
A round-trip flight for a week in San Diego in July was $257 out of SEA and $312 out of Paine Field. A week in Phoenix around the holidays was about $188 on Alaska out of SEA, compared to Paine Field’s $312 on Alaska. If you’re on a tight budget, SEA is still your best bet.
4. Popular destinations
If you’re looking for non-stop flights to the East Coast or international destinations, SEA is still your only choice. Paine Field offers departures to only a handful of airports in the Western states. But among them are six of SEA’s 10 most popular U.S. destinations, and many of them are important connection hubs for destinations further afield.
For now, Alaska is the only airline operating out of Paine Field, currently offering direct flights to Honolulu, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orange County, Palm Springs, Phoenix, San Diego and San Francisco. These are popular destinations for Seattle-area families.
In June, Frontier Airlines is scheduled to begin service from Paine Field to Denver, Las Vegas and Phoenix.
5. Traffic and parking
Whether getting to Paine Field will be easier than getting to SEA will depend on where you live. Paine Field could save you a chunk of travel time if you live closer to Everett than to SEA, or many points north of that.
Parking in one of Paine Field’s almost 250 spaces is free for the first 15 minutes. After that, premium rates ($6/hour; $34/day; $204/week) apply at two uncovered lots directly adjacent to the terminal. A cheaper lot farther away charges $24/day. No shuttle is available, but at a five-minute walk from the terminal, it’s still closer than some of the premium parking spaces at SEA. There is also a cell phone lot and curbside zone for picking up visitors.
In contrast, SEA has more than 12,000 on-site parking spaces, but on busy days you may not be able to find one. Their new automated parking guide may provide some help. Parking rates are surprisingly similar. General/premium hourly rates at SEA cost $8; daily rates are $37/$47 and weekly costs are $222.
Editor’s note: This article was first published in 2023 and has been most recently updated on April 22, 2025, by ParentMap’s associate editor, Kari Hanson, with current information for your travel plans.
