How Are the Paine Field (PAE) Flights? Will Mainline AS Ever Fly There?
Oct 14, 2019, 12:03 pm
#61
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: Alaska Airlines
Posts: 658
I'd like to hope that the airport was designed with growth in mind. I doubt anyone thought they'd be tearing down walls within the first 5 years - but they had to know it couldn't stay a 2 gate airport forever.
Oct 14, 2019, 12:12 pm
#62
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,378
It actually was initially planned as a "well, the FAA says we HAVE to offer commercial flights at Paine Field, but it doesn't require us to offer a LOT of commercial flights, so we'll make a small terminal that can only do so much" in mind, due to local community blowback. That's why the change to "we love the airport" is a bit of a U-turn.
Oct 14, 2019, 3:25 pm
#63
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: Alaska Airlines
Posts: 658
Ah, well hopefully the builders realized that, for example, the wall at the edge of gate 2B might need to eventually come down some day to extend outward and maybe they didn't run a bunch of critical wiring/plumbing or make it a load bearing wall 
Oct 14, 2019, 3:47 pm
#64
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Kirkland, WA
Programs: AS 75K,UA Gold 1.6MM, Hilton Dia, Marriott LT Plat, Hyatt Glb, Natl Exec, Hertz 5*
Posts: 3,657
Yeah, it is really 3 gates including the walk-out 2B. Not too much additional to build. Imagine a layout like the regional gates at Seatac where you walk out to a ramp line up of planes, or some other airports' regional gates with a big room and a bunch of doors. The problem is the FAA approval was for a limited number of flights and getting that approval was tough.
Oct 15, 2019, 9:01 am
#65
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS - MVP75k, Marriott - Titanium, Hertz - PC
Posts: 225
Flew out of PAE again yesterday. I forgot about limited precheck and had to open my hard sided carry on (no biggie). The TSA agent remembered me from a conversation we had last month! I asked about PRE and was told it is ONLY staffed from 5-6am, then they go on break and don't have enough staff to open PRE. That's the one negative I have with PAE. However, 21 minutes from my front door to the GATE is pretty damn nice.
Oct 15, 2019, 10:03 am
#66
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: San Francisco
Programs: Alaska 75K (RIP VX), Hyatt Globalist, BonVoy Plat, National Exec
Posts: 197
Thanks for the info.
So does anyone know what time(s) of day TSA Precheck is available at PAE? Is it only 5am-6am, or are there additional staffed times?
Thanks again!
So does anyone know what time(s) of day TSA Precheck is available at PAE? Is it only 5am-6am, or are there additional staffed times?
Thanks again!
Oct 15, 2019, 10:35 am
#67
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Kirkland, WA
Programs: AS 75K,UA Gold 1.6MM, Hilton Dia, Marriott LT Plat, Hyatt Glb, Natl Exec, Hertz 5*
Posts: 3,657
Here is what Paine Field says:
https://flypainefield.com/about/security
Not exactly clear...
5am-6am?? really? how are they upstaffed only for that hour? When I go through at 630a there is only one general line. Usually a couple local cops helping out as well...
As I previously mentioned, TSA doesn't even have PAE in the drop down in the Contact Us page to voice your opinion....
https://flypainefield.com/about/security
We are able to offer up to two TSA Pre✓® lanes at any given time depending on the demand. TSA and the airlines operating from the terminal will coordinate on a continual basis about the anticipated flow of TSA Pre✓® travelers, and have the ability to open and close lanes for TSA Pre✓® to ensure the most expeditious use of the security lines.
Not exactly clear...
5am-6am?? really? how are they upstaffed only for that hour? When I go through at 630a there is only one general line. Usually a couple local cops helping out as well...
As I previously mentioned, TSA doesn't even have PAE in the drop down in the Contact Us page to voice your opinion....
Last edited by dmodemd; Oct 15, 2019 at 10:46 am
Oct 15, 2019, 10:53 am
#68
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Snohomish, WA
Programs: AS MVP Gold, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 2,793
As far as I can tell it's never real PreCheck. There's always a dedicated line, but you just wind up back in the regular lane after ID verification with the fake PreCheck card (you don't have to take your shoes off).
Oct 15, 2019, 11:25 am
#69
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: Alaska Airlines
Posts: 658
When I went through there it was about 6am, albiet on a Saturday, and the precheck line wasn't open. Separate queue and got the card to permit shoes, but that was it. They were also only running 1 xray, but it was a short line and pretty empty terminal at that time. It started picking up quite a bit by the time my flight was ready to board, but I didn't think to peek at security to see if they had ramped up.
Oct 21, 2019, 12:53 pm
#70
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Kirkland, WA
Programs: AS 75K,UA Gold 1.6MM, Hilton Dia, Marriott LT Plat, Hyatt Glb, Natl Exec, Hertz 5*
Posts: 3,657
Yay! This morning (Mon. 10/21 at 6am) they had a dedicated pre-check screening line running! They must have reacted to the complaint I submitted (or read FlyerTalk) 
!
[Don't laugh..., I once complained that DFW magnetometers in pre-check were too sensitive, they responded to me, checked, and re-calibrated them!]
![Don't laugh..., I once complained that DFW magnetometers in pre-check were too sensitive, they responded to me, checked, and re-calibrated them!]
Oct 28, 2019, 8:12 am
#72
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Snohomish, WA
Programs: AS MVP Gold, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 2,793
Jan 13, 2020, 7:04 am
#74
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 4,960
Got caught in PAE’s first snow and it was a disaster. SeaTac running delays around 1.5 hours but PAE basically shut down last night. Airport wasn’t prepare at all and didn’t plow the runway or prepare it until well after planes couldn’t use it anymore. They only had one deicer ready at first and then by the time the second one was ready hours later they couldn’t keep up. Clearly the airport operations aren’t prepare for snow. Most flights from 5pm onward cancelled after hours of delays. Airport closed around midnight but the bar / restaurant were closed by 9-10pmz
Alaska agents were pretty unprepared too. Just had slips for tell people to call reservations. They claimed SeaTac fared much worse but a quick search proved them wrong. Sadly handling for elites was just like a LCC - “please find an alternative flight and let us know what you want us to do” along with no helpful information on hotels or how to get to them other than use google.
Alaska agents were pretty unprepared too. Just had slips for tell people to call reservations. They claimed SeaTac fared much worse but a quick search proved them wrong. Sadly handling for elites was just like a LCC - “please find an alternative flight and let us know what you want us to do” along with no helpful information on hotels or how to get to them other than use google.
Jan 13, 2020, 7:29 am
#75
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Portland, Oregon
Programs: Hilton Platinum, Alaska MVP Gold
Posts: 2,363
No doubt; they do not have the volume of flights, nor the equipment. Plus, these events are not that common, so who is going to pay to invest in this equipment at a station serving about 10 flights a day? It is not a 24 hour airport, so there will be no services. Just kind of what it is.
Got caught in PAE’s first snow and it was a disaster. SeaTac running delays around 1.5 hours but PAE basically shut down last night. Airport wasn’t prepare at all and didn’t plow the runway or prepare it until well after planes couldn’t use it anymore. They only had one deicer ready at first and then by the time the second one was ready hours later they couldn’t keep up. Clearly the airport operations aren’t prepare for snow. Most flights from 5pm onward cancelled after hours of delays. Airport closed around midnight but the bar / restaurant were closed by 9-10pmz
Alaska agents were pretty unprepared too. Just had slips for tell people to call reservations. They claimed SeaTac fared much worse but a quick search proved them wrong. Sadly handling for elites was just like a LCC - “please find an alternative flight and let us know what you want us to do” along with no helpful information on hotels or how to get to them other than use google.
Alaska agents were pretty unprepared too. Just had slips for tell people to call reservations. They claimed SeaTac fared much worse but a quick search proved them wrong. Sadly handling for elites was just like a LCC - “please find an alternative flight and let us know what you want us to do” along with no helpful information on hotels or how to get to them other than use google.
