First Green Airline Flies From Seattle To Portland

SeaPort Airlines is the first green scheduled commercial air service in the United States. Unlike its ambiguous name, SeaPort does not fly out of a... seaport. It is a slightly confusing combinations of its two destinations: Portland International Airport (PDX) and Boeing Field/King County Municipal Airport (BFI) in Seattle.

SeaPort is the first new Oregon based airline in over 20 years, and is headed by some forward thinking entrepreneurs. While it may seem crazy to open an airline in this economic climate, their business plan is quite solid.

SeaPort is filling a much needed niche. Before its existence it would take at least three hours to get from Portland to Seattle - no matter how you traveled. Bus, Train, Car, and Commercial Planes all took at least three hours.

But SeaPort has found a way to cut the travel time in half.

A downtown to downtown 90 minute travel time is accomplished by utilizing one of the most efficient turbo-prop jets on the market, the Pilatus PC-12. This plane sips only 51 gallons of fuel per leg. And because the Pilatus is only a nine seater, Seaport airlines is able to circumvent TSA security hassles.

When the Pilatus is flying at capacity it only uses about 9 gallons of fuel per passenger. This fuel consumption is comparable to driving. It is also low enough that it allows Seaport the ability to mitigate their carbon emissions by donating money to a land trust. Instead of investing money in carbon offsets, Seaport is making a tangible difference by donating money to support Columbia land Trust’s Working Forest Initiative.

Not only is it green and speedy, it is also cheaper than flying with its competitors. A one way fare from PDX to BFI starts at $99 (Its competitors' fares range from $112 to $166).

SeaPort Airlines