Video: New airlines debuts at Boeing Field

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SEATTLE - Airlines are struggling and cutting cost to try to keep planes in the air. But one airline carrier is launching, with new planes and new Seattle-to-Portland flights.

Seaport Air is a new venture taking off from Boeing Field. Owned by Northwest investors out of Portland, the new airline is offering flights from Seattle-to-Portland - and lots of them.

For many air travelers used to long security lines, packed parking and sluggish luggage checks at Sea-Tac Airport, flyers headed to Portland can avoid much of that at Boeing Field.

In the middle of a one of the nation's worst airline economies - with fuel prices up 90 percent over last year - airfare has gone up three percent last month.

"They're laying off hired help, grounding airplanes, cutting wages. They're doing so much," said Terry Trippler, airline industry expert.

Meanwhile, local investors behind Seaport Air debuted their Swiss built Pilatus PC-12, a pressurized, fast and comfortable turbo-prop expressway to Portland.

They'll offer 16 weekday flights leaving every 45 minutes during peak morning and evening commutes with some flights on weekends. The round trip introductory offer is $149.

Here's the time savings for air travelers: You avoid traffic into Sea-Tac Airport. You can arrive 15 minutes before the flight and they have onsite parking. You avoid the TSA checkpoints. All of it trims about 4 hours off your travel time. For professionals doing day hops, time is money.