This Edmonds traveler prefers flying out of Paine Field

Published 1:30 am Sunday, April 7, 2019

Have you been to the new Paine Field terminal? The rumors are true. It’s amazing.

I never thought I’d say this, but even the airport security line is awesome. No, I’m not drunk, but I am impressed. I breezed through the Transportation Security Administration line in 10 minutes. Ten minutes! Can you believe it? There were three people in line and two dozen TSA agents to help.

I didn’t take a picture because I was worried that might violate some sort of national security code, but if I did, the caption would have said: “Look, Mom, no line!

“OK, wait a second,” you might be thinking. “When were you flying, 3 a.m.?”

Nope. I departed from Paine Field on a Tuesday afternoon. Sure, it wasn’t Friday evening or Monday morning, but even when I arrived home on a Sunday night the airport was calm.

By contrast, the last two times I flew out of Sea-Tac it took me over an hour to get through the TSA line. You’d think that would have motivated me to apply for TSA pre-check status, but no, I’m too lazy (and cheap). Plus, none of the other airports I’ve visited in the past year have been as intense as Sea-Tac. San Jose, Kahului and Salt Lake City were mellow by comparison.

At Sea-Tac, sometimes arriving two hours before your flight isn’t enough time to print your boarding pass, navigate the TSA line, and trek to your boarding gate. Add kids in to the mix, and the lines seem twice as long. But Paine Field is a breeze. You won’t get much exercise walking to your terminal, but you won’t get lost either.

Need to work on your computer? Want to charge your phone? No problem. At Paine Field their are charging stations at every seat by the boarding gate. There’s also a living room-type space with fireplaces and couches.

Paine Field can’t do anything about me choosing the cheapest tickets and being wedged into the economy section like a crumpled aluminum can, but it was pretty cool to fly over my house.

Taking off and landing at Paine Field means seeing Puget Sound in all its glory. Whidbey Island stretches out before you. The Mukilteo ferry sails to the lighthouse. Everything looks small, like you’re viewing the region in miniature.

“I don’t care if it’s convenient,” some people might be thinking. “Paine Field will ruin housing values.”

So far, airplane noise hasn’t bothered me one bit. True, I grew up in San Diego under the flight path of “Top Gun” and am used to noise, but at the moment, flights from Paine Field haven’t impacted me, even though they fly over my house. Train noise in Edmonds can be loud, too, but they haven’t hurt our real estate market.

Is it possible? Can flying be fun again? It sure can be. Take a seat, Sea-Tac. Paine Field is ready for take off.

Jennifer Bardsley publishes books under her own name and the pseudonym Louise Cypress. Find her online on Instagram @the_ya_gal, on Twitter @jennbardsley or on Facebook as The YA Gal. Email her at teachingmybabytoread@gmail.com.