doing business as
SeaPort Airlines
employer: SeaPort Airlines founded: 2025 location: Seattle employees: 40 website: www. flyseaportair. com
On May 20, SeaPort Airlines relaunched daily commuter flights between Seattle and Portland, marking a fresh start under new leadership after closing its doors in 2016. Passengers board a nine-seat Pilatus PC-12 plane, with flights departing Boeing Field in Seattle and PDX Business Aviation in Portland every 45 minutes during peak times. The result is a fast, stress-free trip with no I-5 traffic jams or security lines.
Jacqueline Allison
back in the air: When Kent Craford co-founded the original SeaPort Airlines in 2008, his vision was to provide quick and easy flights between Seattle and Portland. After a year, he left due to a disagreement over the company’ s direction. In 2011, Craford and two partners purchased Alaska Seaplanes and grew it into a successful commuter airline serving Southeast Alaska.( The original SeaPort Airlines went out of business in 2016.) Craford had always hoped to revive the route connecting the Pacific Northwest’ s two largest cities. In May, SeaPort Airlines – under a new leadership team with the same name – took flight again, offering 24 daily flights between Seattle and Portland. Fares start at $ 270 one-way or $ 540 round trip.
‘ conveyor belt in the sky’: SeaPort’ s customers are busy people who value their time. They want to get their business done and be back in time for dinner or kids’ soccer games. That’ s possible thanks to the airline’ s“ magic carpet conveyor belt in the sky,” Craford says. SeaPort aims to make the travel experience fast and hassle-free – the least significant part of your day. Passengers arrive at Boeing Field or PDX Business Aviation 20 minutes before flight time. Parking is free at both locations. There are no security screenings. After a 45-minute flight, passengers are on the ground and can take a rental car or Uber or Lyft to their destination. From downtown to downtown, the trip should take about 90 minutes, the company says, saving travelers three hours of roundtrip travel time on I-5.
flying swiss army knife: SeaPort Airlines flies the Pilatus PC-12, a single-engine turboprop plane that carries nine passengers. The Swiss-built, high-performance plane is dubbed the Swiss Army Knife of the skies, flying search-and-rescue missions, medical transports and more. The original SeaPort was the first to use the plane for scheduled commercial service. The aircraft falls outside of the stringent TSA regulations governing larger aircraft, allowing the airline to operate from smaller terminals with no security checkpoints. SeaPort has a fleet of four PC-12s, with three flying the route and a spare. After several months in operation, the airline was proud to have zero cancellations and a 97 % on-time rate.
revolutionizing business travel: Demand for the Seattle-Portland flights is steadily growing. In the future, the airline aims to offer more frequent flights to serve its core business customers. For someone who has to frequently commute between the two cities, or even a few times a month, flying with SeaPort gives them back a precious commodity— time.
“ It’ s effectively a magic carpet conveyor belt in the sky.”
— SeaPort Airlines CEO Kent Craford