June 2025 Plane Talk

Kent Craford is the chairman and CEO of Kalinin Holdings, SeaPort's parent company based in Juneau, Alaska. He co-founded the first iteration of SeaPort Airlines in 2008 but left the company about a year later over differences with his then-business partner.

When Craford departed, SeaPort Airlines was in the process of shifting its business model toward flying Essential Air Service (EAS) routes in other areas of the country. However, even with government subsidies, providing EAS service drained the carrier's finances. Unable to turn a profit, SeaPort ceased operations and filed for bankruptcy in 2016.

"The route (from Seattle to Portland) was successful, it was the company that killed it off by diverting resources" into EAS markets, Craford explained. However, the need for fast, efficient, hassle-free air service between Seattle and Portland never went away. Building on Kalinin's success in providing air transportation across Southeast Alaska, Craford and his new partners decided to take another shot at connecting the Emerald City to the City of Roses, and brought back the "SeaPort" brand.

The carrier's BFI-PDX service is a "conveyor belt in the sky," Craford says, intended for business travelers who don't want to waste time in traffic on I-5 or standing in long security lines at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Instead of going through the standard Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checks found at larger airports like SEA, SeaPort uses a TSA-approved alternative method of vetting passengers that is only available to smaller airlines flying smaller planes.

"It's about time" is SeaPort's tagline, and Craford is almost obsessed with it. Time "is the most precious commodity on Earth, and none of us have enough of it," he said. By cutting the travel time between Seattle and Portland in half compared to other transportation options, Craford is confident that the second time will be the charm for SeaPort Airlines.

During the carrier's kickoff event at KCIA in mid-May, Craford praised the airport's leadership team for welcoming SeaPort Airlines back into the mix, specifically highlighting the assistance of deputy director Dave Decoteau and business manager Matt Sykora. Craford also had high praise for the terminal itself, calling it an "amazing gem of a facility" and a "public treasure" that has been beautifully restored to harken back to the golden age of aviation.

As for future plans, Craford said SeaPort wants to "stick the landing" on the Seattle-to-Portland service first before they think about adding destinations.

"We are ambitious, and we are a growth-oriented business," Craford said, adding that the carrier is looking to increase frequency to every 30 minutes during the peak of the day. "This is where the traffic's at, so it just makes sense to really nail this first before we start going further afield."

For more information about SeaPort Airlines or to book tickets, visit FlySeaPortAir.com.  

The Washington Airport Management Association (WAMA) named John Parrott the Airport Director of the Year at its annual conference last month. Parrott has served as director of King County International Airport since 2019. He has nearly 40 years of commercial airport, general aviation and military aviation experience from aviator to airport CEO.

What’s his secret?

“Hire great people and then get out of their way,” Parrott said upon receiving the award.

Ethan Guo, a 19-year-old Asian American pilot, stopped at King County International Airport (KCIA) on May 23 during a solo flight around the world to raise money for cancer research and awareness.

Watch his takeoff from KCIA on this short video.

“I want to become the first person in history to fly solo to all seven continents in a small aircraft and raise $1 million for cancer research,” Guo says on his website. “In 2021 my cousin was diagnosed with cancer.”

“I want to use every opportunity to raise awareness of childhood cancer and the necessity to increase research efforts to find prevention and treatment methods,” he added.

Guo earned his pilot’s license at 17. He has flown to all 48 contiguous states and crossed the Atlantic three times. Learn more about his quest at EthansFlightAgainstCancer.com.

King County International Airport (KCIA) aims to be the first airport to obtain the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Environmental Assessment (IEnvA), a voluntary certification program developed to continually improve environmental and sustainability performance based on globally recognized standards and best practices. While most airlines are IEnvA certified, KCIA is the first airport to begin the process and is aiming to complete it by December.

Derek Doell, managing engineer at KCIA, gave a presentation about the certification, the airport’s status and schedule at the Washington Airport Management Association annual conference in Chelan last month. More than 100 people from nearly 30 airports attended.

“King County has a great environmental sustainability program,” Doell said.

Key elements of that plan include the Strategic Climate Action Plan (SCAP), the Green Building Ordinance and the Sustainable Purchasing Program. The SCAP sets goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from county operations and services, aiming for 50% reduction by 2030 and 80% by 2050, compared to 2007.

Going through the certification process will help advance the county’s environmental and sustainability polices, according to Doell.

“It gives us access to procedures, policies, templates and tools to assist KCIA with sustainability management,” he said. “It just gives us some more guidance on how to do better with sustainability.”

“We’re excited to push forward with this,” Doell added.

Photo:

KCIA was the first airport in the country to receive a hybrid electric airport fire truck to respond to emergencies like aircraft crashes or hangar fires. The truck can be operated in full electric mode with zero emissions. It also has a diesel engine for extended operations.

An eagle-eyed deputy, quick thinking and teamwork made for the best possible outcome during a recent electric vehicle fire.

On May 3, while on patrol at the King County International Airport, Deputy Steve Williams spotted a vehicle on fire on Airport Way South, just north of South Norfolk Street.

Since this was an electric Rivian truck out for a test drive, the initial handline (hose) attacks by Puget Sound Fire and Seattle Fire didn’t work.

So, Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting Unit (ARFF) 243 cooled the vehicle with water, while ARFF 241 remained in the Air Operations Area, eventually deploying water and knocking down most of the fire. For context, SFD and Puget Sound Fire hoses run about 150 gallons of water per minute, while the ARFF roof turret (nozzle) can run up to 1000 gallons a minute.

Eventually Seattle Fire took over the remaining hot spots, but the work of multiple ARFF deputies ensured this all ended safely.

Thanks to Unit 2418 Steve Williams, ARFF 243 Joe Emrick, and ARFF 241 Josh Carswell.