One of the new Alaska Airlines jets touches down at the Walla Walla Regional Airport on April 13, 2023. Port of Walla Walla officials on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, announced details of a second round-trip flight between Walla Walla and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

WALLA WALLA — Details of the second round-trip flight between Walla Walla Regional Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport were announced Tuesday, May 23, by Port of Walla Walla officials.

The flight schedule was released at the port’s Economic Development Informational Meeting and it offers a better chance for flyers to make connections in Seattle or spend a whole day in Walla Walla or vice versa.

Starting Sept. 6, the flight schedule will be:

• 5 a.m. departure from Walla Walla and arriving in Seattle at 6:08 a.m.

• Noon departure from Seattle and arriving in Walla Walla at 1:05 p.m.

• 1:45 p.m. departure from Walla Walla and arriving at 2:55 p.m.

• 10:45 p.m. departure from Seattle and arriving at 11:50 p.m.

Bookings for flights on the new schedule are available for dates after Sept. 7.

Economic indicators

At the meeting, Paul Gerola, economic development director for the Port of Walla Walla, presented the economic profile of Walla Walla County, including unemployment rates, population projections and where Walla Walla County employees work and live.

In April, the Monthly Employment report for Washington State was published by the Employment Security Department. The data shows the state’s unemployment rate, adjusted for seasonal variations, stands at 4.3%, indicating a decrease from the 4.5% rate recorded in March. From April 2022 to April 2023 an increase of 116,700 jobs occurred across the state. The national unemployment rate is 3.4%.

Walla Walla County reported a not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.5% coming in as the fifth lowest rate of the 39 counties in the state, while Columbia County had an unemployment rate of 4.1%.

At the meeting, Gerola said the outlook for population growth in the county was “kind of scary,” from his perspective.

The Washington Office of Financial Managment projects Walla Walla County’s population will increase by 1.74% by 2025 with the city of Walla Walla being home to about 33,870 people and College Place having 9,027 people. What worries Gerola is that the data, prepared by the Port of Walla Walla, indicates a decrease in population growth from 2030 to 2050.

“The number keeps going down, which is not a good thing in reference to population growth,” Gerola said.

He said over a five-year period, the projections are very low, all coming in below 3%. “Franklin County and Benton County are showing growths of somewhere between 5% and 6% over a five-year period average.”

Gerola said one good thing for the county is the surplus of people who commute to Walla Walla County. The most recent data available from the U.S. Census Bureau and then prepared by the port said that from 2011 to 2015 there were 3,655 people coming to the county for work.

Packaging Corp. of America

Earlier this month Packaging Corporation of America, or PCA, notified employees that its Wallula paper mill will be idled and that between 300 and 450 employees will be laid off.

PCA, based in Lake Forest, Ill., released a statement that said, “Due to economic conditions, we have notified employees that we will temporarily idle our Wallula mill, and workers will be laid off while the mill is down. We expect to resume operations at the mill later this year. Our corrugated products facilities in Richland and Wallula are not affected and are continuing to operate with normal staffing.”

A PCA official did not discuss the matter beyond the statement.

The Washington State Department of Ecology reports there are about 400 workers at the pulp and paper mill.

According to the Washington Employment Security Department Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification notice portal, PCA did not file a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification — or WARN — which requires companies with 100 employees or more to give 60 days of advanced notice before layoffs start.

WARN notices are also required for temporary shutdowns lasting six months or longer. It remains unclear how many workers from Walla Walla and the surrounding cities were employed at the plant.

Gerola said the port has asked PCA for more information about the plant’s idling but has not received any. Walla Walla County commissioners also have reached out to PCA and have not received any additional information.

The next Port of Walla Walla Economic Development meeting will be noon to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 25, at Walla Walla Regional Airport Terminal in the Terminal Conference Room, 45 Terminal Loop Road.