SeaPort Airlines

This article is about the US regional airline . For other uses, see Naval Sea Systems Command.
SeaPort Airlines, Inc.
IATA ICAO Callsign
K5 SQH SASQUATCH[1]
Commenced operations June 5, 2008
Hubs
Fleet size 5
Destinations 7
Company slogan Hometown service. Worldwide connections.
Parent company SeaPort Airlines, Inc.
Headquarters Portland International Airport
(Portland, Oregon)
Key people
  • Timothy Sieber
  • (President)
  • David Perlitz
  • (Director of Station Operations)
  • Noel McDermott
  • (Director of Operations)
  • James Beebe
  • (Chief Pilot)
Website http://www.seaportair.com

SeaPort Airlines is a US-based regional airline with its headquarters located at Portland International Airport in Portland, Oregon.[2]

It operates scheduled service from its bases at Portland International Airport (PDX) (Pacific Northwest region) and Memphis International Airport (MEM) (Mid-South region). From 2013 to January 2016 it also operated a Southwest region from San Diego International Airport (SAN).

SeaPort Airlines uses the callsign "Sasquatch"[1] to communicate with air traffic controllers. The carrier played off this in early 2013 when it introduced "Roger, The SeaPort Airlines Sasquatch" as the airline's mascot.

As of November 2013 SeaPort Airlines received $13,879,930 in annual Federal subsidies for Essential Air Services that they provided to rural airports in the U.S.[3]

On February 5, 2016 it was announced by the airline it had filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy after being forced to reduce its route network as a result of a national pilot shortage. Normal day to day operations were set to continue during the company reorganization.[4]

Fleet

Cessna 208 N1029Y of SeaPort Airlines at Eastern Oregon Regional Airport in October 2015
Aircraft In service Orders
Cessna 208 Caravan 5 0

The Cessna 208 Caravan is a single turboprop engine aircraft.

Regional operations

SeaPort Airlines operates scheduled commuter service in two distinct geographical areas connecting rural communities to the national transportation network: the Pacific Northwest with destinations in Oregon, and the Mid-South to include destinations in Arkansas and Texas.

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 Portland International Airport (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 single turboprop engine aircraft.

On October 21, 2008, SeaPort Airlines was awarded a two-year government grant to provide commercial service from Portland to Eastern Oregon Regional Airport in Pendleton beginning December 1, 2008, replacing subsidized service by Horizon Air.[5]

On March 20, 2016, SeaPort Airlines ceased service to North Bend/Coos Bay,[6] and PenAir began service on March 21.[7]

Mid-South service

The entirety of SeaPort's Mid-South service based at Memphis International Airport is federally subsidized under the Essential Air Service.

On March 12, 2010, SeaPort won a two-year Essential Air Service contract to provide three daily flights Sunday through Friday between Salina, Kansas and Kansas City International Airport.[8] As part of this growth SeaPort secured Department of Transportation approval to add daily flights between Kansas City International Airport and Harrison, Arkansas.[9] In July 2011, SeaPort began service to Dallas Love Field from El Dorado and Hot Springs. However, the airline no longer serves Dallas.[10]

In February 2013, SeaPort Airlines announced that its contract to provide Essential Air Service ("EAS") at McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport in Jackson, TN had been extended by the US 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. However, the airline no longer serves Jackson.[10]

On January 16, 2016, SeaPort ceased service to Salina, Great Bend, and Kansas City, citing a nationwide shortage of regional airline pilots.[11]

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 incumbent carrier SkyWest Airlines, 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 later ceased all operations in California and Mexico on January 15, 2016.[11]

Destinations

As of February 2016, the following destinations were being served:[10]

City Airport IATA Code Notes Reference
United StatesUnited States
ArkansasArkansas
El Dorado South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Field ELD Essential Air Service [12][13]
Harrison Boone County Airport HRO Essential Air Service [12][13]
Hot Springs Memorial Field Airport HOT Essential Air Service [12][13]
OregonOregon
Portland Portland International Airport PDX
Pendleton Eastern Oregon Regional Airport PDT Essential Air Service [5]
TennesseeTennessee
Memphis Memphis International Airport MEM
TexasTexas
Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport IAH

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, April 17, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.