First Green Airline in United States Launches

The new airline, which shuttles back and forth between Seattle and Portland, Oregon, boasts that it’s America’s first environmentally friendly airline.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on September 04 2008

Even for the most seasoned traveler, tiny, single-engine, propeller planes can be terrifying experiences - even the slightest bout of turbulence can make you feel like you’re heading into free-fall. But while you’d feel much safer on a 747 (or the ground, of course), there may be a compelling reason to hop aboard the propeller planes from SeaPort Airlines: Flying green.

The new airline, which shuttles back and forth between Seattle and Portland, Oregon, boasts that it’s America’s first environmentally friendly airline. The company’s partnered with the Columbia Land Trust to offset the fuel emissions that its flights create, putting the money into the Working Forest Initiative, which is helping to conserve forestland in the Northwest.

“We wanted to put that money into an environmental project that is local, tangible, and provides a long-term benefit to the Pacific Northwest,” Kent Crafor, CEO of Seaport, told Wired. “In the Columbia Land Trust, we’ve found an organization doing just that.”

Better yet, the tiny planes burn a mere 51 gallons of fuel per flight for the 185-mile trip - barely more than your gas-guzzling SUV. Guess it may be time to hop on a prop plane after all.

Filed under: Business, General Interest, Green,

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