SeaPort Airlines was a US-based

regional airline A regional airline is a general classification of airline which typically operates scheduled passenger air service, using regional aircraft, between communities lacking sufficient demand or infrastructure to attract mainline flights. In North ...

with its headquarters at

Portland International Airport Portland International Airport is a joint civil–military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of the state's passenger air travel and more than 95% of its air cargo. It is within Portland's city li ...

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. It operated scheduled service from its bases at

Memphis International Airport Memphis International Airport is a civil-military airport located southeast of downtown Memphis in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States. It is the primary international airport serving Memphis. It covers and has four runways., effective A ...

San Diego International Airport San Diego International Airport is the primary international airport serving San Diego and its surrounding metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of California. The airport is located northwest of downtown San Diego. It is the busiest single- ...

, and

Hollywood Burbank Airport Hollywood Burbank Airport is a public airport northwest of downtown Burbank, in Los Angeles County, California, United States.. Federal Aviation Administration. effective November 9, 2017 The airport serves Burbank, Hollywood, and the norther ...

, as well as international service to

San Felipe International Airport San Felipe International Airport () () is a small international airport located south of San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico. It handles the air traffic for San Felipe. Operated by the state-owned ''Patronato para la Administración del Aeropue ...

. For most of its history, the airline focused on federally subsidized

Essential Air Service Essential Air Service (EAS) is a U.S. government program enacted to guarantee that small communities in the United States, which had been served by certificated airlines prior to deregulation in 1978, maintain commercial service. Its aim is ...

flights to rural airports. SeaPort Airlines pilots used the

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...

Sasquatch Bigfoot (), also commonly referred to as Sasquatch (), is a large, hairy Mythic humanoids, mythical creature said to inhabit forests in North America, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.Example definitions include: *"A large, hairy, manlike ...

" to communicate with

air traffic controllers An Air traffic controller (ATC) is a person responsible for the coordination of traffic in their assigned airspace. Typically stationed in area control centers or control towers, they monitor the position, speed, and altitude of aircraft and c ...

. The carrier played off this in early 2013 when it introduced "Roger, The SeaPort Airlines Sasquatch" as its mascot.

History

The airline began in 2008 as a provider of commuter flights between

(PDX) and

King County International Airport King County International Airport , commonly Boeing Field, is a public airport owned and operated by King County, south of downtown Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington. The airport is sometimes referred to as KCIA (King County International ...

(Boeing Field) in Seattle, but later changed its business model to emphasize federally subsidized

(EAS) flights to various rural airports. SeaPort operated scheduled service from its bases at PDX (Pacific Northwest region) and

(MEM) (Mid-South region). It also operated a Southwest region from

(SAN) and

(BUR), as well as international service to

(SFH), the airport's most recent commercial service, from 2013 to January 2016. As of November 2013, SeaPort Airlines received $13,879,930 in annual federal EAS subsidies. On February 5, 2016, the airline announced it had filed for voluntary

Chapter 11 bankruptcy Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...

after being forced to reduce its route network. Normal day-to-day operations were set to continue during the company reorganization. The company filed a plan to emerge from Chapter 11 on July 12, 2016. However, on September 20, 2016, the company went out of business after its Chapter 11 bankruptcy was converted to a

Chapter 7 liquidation Chapter 7 of Title 11 U.S. Code is the bankruptcy code that governs the process of liquidation under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. This is in contrast to bankruptcy under Chapter 11 and Chapter 13, which govern the process of ''reor ...

. In 2025, co-founder Kent Craford—who left the airline in 2009—attributed its eventual collapse to the decision to focus on EAS flights, which he characterized as "notoriously unprofitable".

Regional operations

SeaPort Airlines operated scheduled commuter service in two distinct geographical areas connecting rural communities to the national transportation network: the Pacific Northwest with destinations in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

and

Eastern Oregon Regional Airport Eastern Oregon Regional Airport (Eastern Oregon Regional Airport at Pendleton) is a public airport three miles northwest of Pendleton, in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. Commercial service is provided by Boutique Air to Portland, subsi ...

Pendleton, Oregon Pendleton is a city in and the county seat of Umatilla County, Oregon, Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. The population was 17,107 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, which includes approximately 1,600 people who are ...

and the Mid-South including

South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Field South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Field is nine miles west of El Dorado, in Union County, Arkansas, United States. It was served by SeaPort Airlines, a service subsidized by the federal government's Essential Air Service program at a c ...

El Dorado El Dorado () is a mythical city of gold supposedly located somewhere in South America. The king of this city was said to be so rich that he would cover himself from head to foot in gold dust – either daily or on certain ceremonial occasions � ...

, Boone County Airport in

Harrison Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places Australia * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin Canada * Inukjuak, Quebec, or "Port H ...

, and

Memorial Field Airport Memorial Field Airport is located in Hot Springs, Arkansas, United States, southwest of Downtown Hot Springs. It serves nearby Hot Springs National Park. The airport is used for general aviation; airline flights are subsidized by the federal go ...

Hot Springs A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...

, Arkansas as well as

George Bush Intercontinental Airport George Bush Intercontinental Airport is an international airport in Houston, Texas, United States, serving the Greater Houston metropolitan area. Initially named Houston Intercontinental Airport upon its opening in 1969, it was renamed in ho ...

(IAH) in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. Until January 2016 the airline also had a Southwest region with destinations in California and Mexico.

Pacific Northwest service

SeaPort's Pacific Northwest Service at its

(PDX) hub was historically targeted at commuters between Seattle and Portland wishing to avoid congestion at the larger Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and the main commercial terminal at Portland International Airport. In late 2011, SeaPort began to reinvent its business model and the carrier ended its namesake route between Seattle (Boeing Field) and Portland on January 27, 2012. As part of this business shift, on January 15, 2012, SeaPort Airlines began nonstop flights between Portland International Airport and North Bend/Coos Bay utilizing

Cessna 208 Caravan The Cessna 208 Caravan is a utility aircraft produced by Cessna. The project was commenced on November 20, 1981, and the prototype first flew on December 9, 1982. The production model was certified by the FAA in October 1984 and its Cargoma ...

single turboprop engine aircraft. On October 21, 2008, SeaPort Airlines was awarded a two-year EAS grant to provide commercial service from Portland to

, beginning December 1, 2008, replacing subsidized service by

Horizon Air Horizon Air is an American regional airline headquartered in SeaTac, Washington, within the Seattle metropolitan area. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Alaska Air Group and it is paid by fellow group member Alaska Airlines to staff, ope ...

. On March 20, 2016, SeaPort Airlines ceased service to North Bend/Coos Bay, and

PenAir Peninsula Airways, operated as PenAir, was a U.S.-based regional airline headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska. It was Alaska's second-largest commuter airline operating scheduled passenger service, as well as charter and medevac services througho ...

began service on March 21.

Mid-South service

All of SeaPort's Mid-South service based at

was federally subsidized under EAS. On March 12, 2010, SeaPort won a two-year EAS contract to provide three daily flights Sunday through Friday between

Salina, Kansas Salina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,889. In the early 1800s, the Kanza tribal land reached eastward from the middle of the Kansas Territory. In 1858 ...

and

Kansas City International Airport Kansas City International Airport (originally Mid-Continent International Airport) is a public airport in Kansas City, Missouri, located northwest of Downtown Kansas City in Platte County, Missouri., effective May 15, 2025. The airport was ...

and between

Hot Springs, Arkansas Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County, Arkansas, Garland County. The city is located in the Ouachita Mountains among the U.S. Interior Highlands, and is set among several natural hot springs ...

and

. As part of this growth SeaPort secured Department of Transportation approval to add daily flights between

and

Harrison, Arkansas The city of Harrison is the county seat of Boone County, Arkansas, United States. It is named after Marcus LaRue Harrison, a surveyor who laid out the city along Crooked Creek (Arkansas), Crooked Creek at Stifler Springs. According to 2019 Cen ...

. In July 2011, SeaPort began service to

Dallas Love Field Dallas Love Field is a city-owned public airport in the neighborhood of Love Field, Dallas, Love Field, northwest of downtown Dallas, Texas., effective April 17, 2025. It was Dallas' main airport until 1974 when Dallas Fort Worth Internation ...

from

and

.route map
/ref> In February 2013, SeaPort Airlines announced that its EAS contract for service to

McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport Jackson Regional Airport (formerly McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport) is a public use airport located four nautical miles (7 km) west of the central business district of Jackson, a city in Madison County, Tennessee, United States. I ...

in Jackson, Tennessee, had been extended by the U.S. Department of Transportation through January 31, 2014. The carrier had been awarded a one-year (rather than the typical two-year) contract due to the low number of passengers that used the flights operated by the previous carrier providing EAS, which had put Jackson's continued eligibility for subsidized air service at risk. Service was extended but ended on June 26, 2015. By July, 2014, EAS service began to

Great Bend, Kansas Great Bend is a city in and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States. It is named for its location at the point where the course of the Arkansas River bends east then southeast. As of the 2020 census, the population of the c ...

with flights to Kansas City and

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...

. The Wichita flights ended by April, 2015. In November, 2014, Seaport began service from Memphis and Nashville to

Tupelo, Mississippi Tupelo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1860, the population was 37,923 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, 7th-most populous ...

and on January 12, 2015 service began from Nashville to

Muscle Shoals, Alabama Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located on the left bank of the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 census, its population was 13,146. The estimated popula ...

, both under EAS contracts. Both had ended in late 2015. Following the 2014 phaseout of the

Wright Amendment The Wright Amendment of 1979 was a United States federal law that governed traffic at Dallas Love Field, an airport in Dallas, Texas, to protect Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) from competition. The amendment—enacted in reaction t ...

and the opening of a new terminal at Dallas Love Field, SeaPort had to share a single gate with

Virgin America Virgin America Inc. was a low-cost airline headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Burlingame, California. It primarily focused on operating low-fare, higher-quality service between cities on the West Coast of the United States a ...

and lost its access to a permanent ticket counter; the resulting inconvenience and flight delays prompted SeaPort to transfer the Texas–Arkansas flights from Love Field to

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

in September 2015. On January 16, 2016, SeaPort ceased service to Salina, Great Bend, and Kansas City, citing a nationwide shortage of regional airline pilots.

Southwest service

On May 1, 2013, the airline began service connecting Imperial/El Centro to San Diego and Burbank. The EAS contract was awarded to SeaPort in January 2013, replacing the incumbent carrier

SkyWest Airlines SkyWest Airlines is an American regional airline headquartered in St. George, Utah. SkyWest operates and maintains aircraft used on flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by four partner Mainline (air travel), mainline airlines. The comp ...

, which linked Imperial to Los Angeles. In July 2014, SeaPort Airlines announced it would begin nonstop service between Burbank and San Diego on October 1, with four weekday flights each way, and reduced service on weekends. Later the airline added service to Sacramento and Visalia as well as its first international destination, San Felipe in Mexico. SeaPort ceased all operations in California and Mexico on January 15, 2016.

Fleet

SeaPort Airlines Cessna N1029Y at PDT on 15Oct2015 - 1

Seaport Airlines operated the

Pilatus PC-12 The Pilatus PC-12 is a pressurized, single-engined, turboprop aircraft manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Stans, Switzerland since 1991. It was designed as a high-performance utility aircraft that incorporates a large aft cargo door in addi ...

and the

References

External links

usatoday.com

{{Airlines of the United States, state=collapsed Defunct regional airlines of the United States Companies based in Portland, Oregon Airlines established in 2008 Privately held companies based in Oregon 2008 establishments in Oregon Airlines disestablished in 2016 Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2016 Companies that filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2016 Companies that have filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy 2016 disestablishments in Oregon American companies established in 2008 American companies disestablished in 2016