The Snohomish County Council's grudging approval to begin negotiations with airlines over construction of a new terminal building at Paine Field last week could bring new airline service to Everett.

Two airlines, Horizon Air and Allegiant Airlines, have made inquiries to the county-operated airport to make preparations for service.

Horizon wants to fly to Portland and Spokane. Allegiant could fly from Everett to Las Vegas.

The airlines' flights could save Snohomish County residents a long and sometimes arduous commute to Sea-Tac Airport south of Seattle.

But airport neighbors are strongly opposed to the beginning of commercial flights.

The former Air Force base is home to the world's largest aircraft plant, Boeing's wide-body aircraft construction facility as well as to a major aircraft overhaul facility. Boeing jets regularly use the Paine Field runway for testing and delivery flights.

The council had opposed the idea of opening the field to airline use, but the Federal Aviation Administration told the council it faced the cutoff of federal aid for airport repair and construction if it refused to negotiate with airlines.

The field would need a new or expanded terminal to handle regular airline flights and the security screening that would accompany them.

Boeing Chief Financial Officer James Bell says the company may make "modest cuts" in airliner production rates in the Puget Sound area next year because of the ill health of the world economy.

Bell, speaking at a Cowen & Company conference in New York, said the production pace will depend on how well the economy is performing.

The company is predicting production 480 to 490 jetliners this year at Boeing final assembly plants in Renton and Everett.

The company produced 375 aircraft last year, a total reduced by a two-month strike at the company last fall. That Machinists Union strike halted all airliner production for 58 days.

You know you are in a recession when... Starbucks has a value menu.

Starbucks announced today that it will offer a selection of pairings that cost $3.95. The meals include either a tall latte and an oatmeal or coffee cake; or a tall drip coffee paired with a breakfast sandwich.

Two of the breakfast sandwiches will be new menu items: a bacon and egg sandwich with gouda cheese and a ham sandwich with egg and cheddar cheese.

"During these tough times, customers need to know that they are making a smart choice when they come to Starbucks," said Michelle Gass, executive vice president of marketing and category.

At regular prices a tall latte and oatmeal can cost as much as $5. The value meal like options will save people an average of $1.20, the Associated Press reports. The meals will be available beginning March 3.

The rest from The Associated Press:

Seattle-based Starbucks has struggled to keep its customers as the recession has deepened and has been promoting loyalty cards and other options to give customers more value without hurting its premium brand status.

The company first mentioned the pairings last month after it released fiscal first-quarter results that showed same-store sales — or sales at stores open at least a year — fell 10 percent in the U.S. The sales drop was the biggest yet for the company.

Starbucks also has had to make room for a new lower-priced competitor in the specialty-coffee industry since McDonald’s Corp. introduced espresso-based coffee drinks in its U.S. stores.

Earlier Monday, McDonald’s said its same-store sales in January jumped 7.1 percent worldwide and 5.4 percent in the U.S.

Aerolineas Argentinas has agreed to order a dozen 737-700 aircraft from Boeing, an Argentine goverment official says

Argentine's planning minister, Julio De Vido, said the state-owned airline had signed the purchase agreement last week for the new twin-engine aircraft.

The first of those new planes, built in Renton, will be added to the airline's fleet in April, he said.

Argentina's government expropriated Aerolineas Argentina from the Spanish airline holding company Marsans recently claiming the Spanish company had operated the airline badly.

I’m working on a story for this Sunday concerning South Sound restaurants. I’m wondering how they’re handling the recession – and what customers are finding.

So - have you noticed any great deals at cafes and restaurants hereabouts? Good specials? Happier happy hours? More casseroles and fewer prime tenderloins?

And have you changed your own restaurant habits because of the recession? Are you eating out less, or are you perhaps ordering from the appetizer menu where you once ordered a full meal ala carte?

Please send me an e-mail (with a daytime phone number) at c.r.roberts@thenewstribune.com.

Thanks, and bon appetite.

On Sunday, I wrote a story about recession resistant industries and jobs that are relatively safe bets for people looking for new and stable career paths.

Here's two boxes that were inadvertently left out of the story. The first lists the Top 15 jobs for growth over the next eight years and the second lists 11 recession proof industries for the state.

Jobs expected to grow
These the top 15 jobs for growth through 2016, according to the state Employment Security Department.

Recession resistant industries
The Employment Security Department provided a list of the top 11 recession resistant industries from the last recession, 2001 to 2002. Though government and finance and insurance industries are on the list, they are unlikely to remain recession resistant through this year and next.

- Hospitals
- State government and educational services
- Total local government
- Credit Intermediation and Related Activities
- Local government Educational Services
- Federal Government
- Total State Government
- Ambulatory Health Care Services
- Nursing and Residential Care Facilities
- Finance and Insurance
- Management of Companies and Enterprises

SeaPort Airlines begins service to the two Oregon coastal cities of Astoria and Newport March 15 with three daily trips to Astoria and two daily trips to Newport.

The airline, which flies from Seattle's Boeing Field to Portland, will provide connecting service to the two cities. From Boeing Field, the one-way fare will be $179.

The two cities will subsidize the service with $4.5 million in state and federal grants.

Sea-Tac Airport has passed its annual Federal Aviation Administration inspection with no deficiencies for the sixth time in the last 10 years.

The 4-day inspection included all elements of the airport's training, safety and wildlife control programs including the airport's newly opened third runway.

"We're all proud of Sea-Tac's staff and their consistent safety record," said Port of Seattle commission president Bill Bryant.

"In the post-inspection briefing, the FAA reported that we continue to be a 'leading edge airport' when it comes to safety," said aviation director Mark Reis.