One Of America's Best Small Airports Is 30 Minutes From Seattle With A Private Feel And Cozy Lounge

Imagine what it would be like to fly in and out of a private airport. You get the best of everything. You don't have to wait in long security lines. You can sit back and relax in the airport lounge without having to rack up frequent flier miles or have just the right credit card. You don't have to be rich and famous to get that sort of experience if you're in the Seattle area. One of America's best small airports has exactly what you need, without the private plane and expense account. Paine Field Airport in Washington sits around 25 miles from Seattle, in the lovely waterfront city of Everett, with its snowy mountains and funky charm. Paine Field was voted one of the top 10 in Newsweek's Reader's Choice poll for the best small airports in 2025. It also nabbed a nod from Monocle's Travel Top 50 Awards in 2019, and made USA Today's list of the 10 Best Small Airports in 2021. 

One reviewer on Yelp said, "[Paine Field] is my favorite place to fly out whenever possible. Everything is so cool about this place ... walk in and drop your bag if needed; otherwise, straight to security. And you are immune to long security lines. Casually walk-in, a lot [of] smiling faces." They also mentioned that the lounge area is free and full of "classy amenities." 

To use Paine Field Airport, however, you have to be traveling to or from a few specific areas. The location has service with Alaska Airlines, with Frontier Airlines launching in June 2025. Those airlines fly from Paine Field to San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Palm Springs, and Orange County in California; Denver, Colorado; Las Vegas, Nevada; Phoenix, Arizona; and Honolulu, Hawaii. 

Paine Field Airport opened in 2019 and has concierge services, a plush lounge area with fireplaces and leather furniture, and locally-sourced food and drink. There are floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of the Olympic Mountains to enjoy, as well as glass jet bridges and outlets, USB, and USB-C ports in every seat. This small airport gets you through the terminal quickly, and once you're inside, you'll also have high-speed Wi-Fi and complimentary morning newspapers. You can track real-time parking lot info on their website here, and you can park in the cell phone waiting lot for free for an hour. (Their valet service is currently temporarily unavailable.) They have rental car companies Avis and Budget on site, though you're encouraged to make a reservation. 

If you're feeling snacky as you enjoy your luxury experience, you can stop by Beecher's Handmade Cheese which offers breakfast and lunch, with grilled sandwiches, soup, and mac and cheese, or grab some local Pacific Northwest wines or signature cocktails, as well as coffee, espresso, and pastries from Upper Case Bar. It's the perfect landing spot if you're visiting Seattle's charming Capitol Hill neighborhood or any of the surrounding areas. However, if Everett is your destination, it's the beginning of the Great Northern U.S. Highway 2 that runs across the northern United States to Maine's Acadia National Park. Not a bad start to an epic road trip filled with national parks and charming towns.