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CONTACT SCBJ John Wolcott, Editor jwolcott@scbj.com Dave Clark, Assistant Editor dclark@scbj.com

Paine Field airline service strongly supported by 71 percent of web survey’s respondents

By John Wolcott
SCBJ Editor

For the first time, the hotly-debated question of whether commercial airline service should be allowed at Paine Field is getting county-wide Internet survey responses from citizens, showing 71 percent in favor of being able to fly from Snohomish County Airport.
Citizens Right to Fly From Paine Field, a newly formed nonprofit organization, began offering an Internet survey on its Web site – www.flypainefield.com — in late August. That effort is providing the first countywide forum for people to oppose or support airline service. So far, with nearly 900 responses by Sept. 19, the numbers show 71 percent favor airline service.
So far, only Allegiant Airlines has announced interest in operating from Paine Field, and flights would only go to Las Vegas. However, in other parts of the country Allegiant flies to multiple airports, including many that are hub airfields where county passengers could connect with other flights.
That option may come to Paine Field, too, if Allegiant opens service in Snohomish County. That possibility is seen as a threat by opponents and more opportunity for county travelers by supporters.
The Web survey may be small so far, and is not a scientific analysis, supporters agree, but it offers the first tangible indication of general citizen support or opposition to airline services at the airport.
Until now, public views on the issue have been limited to news media coverage of a support group (the business-based Private Enterprise Coalition), an opposition group of Mukilteo citizens (Save Our Communities) and the opposition efforts of elected officials (Mayor Joe Marine and the Mukilteo City Council; Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon and the Snohomish County Council, except for Councilman John Koster, who favors the issue).
“The convenience of flying from Paine Field is popular with the public in every area of Snohomish County (according to the survey),” said Greg Tisdel in Everett, co-chair of Fly Paine Field, along with Todd Brunner of Lynnwood, both Snohomish County business owners.
The survey was posted online Aug. 29, with current tallies through Sept. 19. Along with the voting, Fly Paine Field has 67 pages of pro-and-con comments from respondents to the survey.
Brunner said the survey showed the greatest issue with travelers is not knowing how long it will take to drive from Snohomish County to Sea-Tac airport.
“People tell us they arrive too early or they miss their flights,” he said. “It can take anywhere from an hour to more than two hours to get to Sea-Tac. You just never know.”
Brunner said flying from Paine Field is about more than traffic congestion.
“Flying from Paine Field would be so much easier for senior citizens, handicapped people and young families,” he noted.
“We’re confident there is broad public support for passenger air service at Paine Field,” Tisdel said. “We encourage Snohomish County to follow up our survey with a telephone poll of a representative sample of all citizens in the county.”
Paine Field already has approximately 400 take-offs and landings a day, Brunner said, “we would just like to see a few of those flights carrying passengers. Paine Field is never going to be another Sea-Tac or even a major secondary airport, but it could easily accommodate a few daily passenger flights. It would also create jobs, benefit current airport users and improve our transportation system.”
Tisdel said the county has “one of the finest airports in the Pacific Northwest … even with about 400 take-offs and landings a day, Paine Field has plenty of capacity to handle a few daily passenger flights, which would offer tremendous benefits to the traveling public with only minimal impacts.”
Those who are backing flights from Paine Field also are emphasizing the urgency of the situation.
“It’s not an Everett deal or a Mukilteo deal, it’s an opportunity for all the taxpayers of Snohomish County,” Tisdel said, adding that Federal Aviation Administration regulations require a prompt response to Allegiant’s inquiry and the same fair negotiations the country provided for other tenants such as Korry Electronics’ new production plant and the new Castle & Cooke jet charter service.