SEA - PDX commute?
 

Anybody have an idea how tough it is to commutte between SEA and PDX via standby/jumpseat? I've heard those flights can be pretty full.

I know lots of airline guys who commute from the Pac-NW, and generally it is somewhat tough...not many seats and lots of commuters (people like to live there).

Heck, it's a 2 1/2 hour drive on I-5!

Good point! But driving isnt free!

Neither is missing a trip because you couldn't get on the jumpseat ;) Most everyone I know that commutes that route drives.

True, but it may be your only option.

The commute is horrible. QX flys every half hour, but they upped the passenger weight recently for W/B. That means their 37 seat Dashes can only carry 35 and NO JUMPSEATERS.

Several PDX resident AS pilots don't even go to the airport anymore, they just drive to SEA. And if online commuting is that bad, imagine how tough it is to do it offline on QX.

Some times non-rev/jumpseat travel isn't free either:D
(although I'm sure you'd be on Alaska/Horizon [which don't charge online jumpseaters IIRC] with the other billion pilots that commute between SEA and PDX)

Alaska doesn't fly PDX-SEA anymore...Its Horizon only.

Whoops! Is it just the dashes that go between the 2 or do the CRJs serve the route too?

Just checked the schedule: 27 flights SEA-PDX. 1 CRJ, 2 Dash 8-400s and 24 Dash 8-200s.

Not good.

Starting next year the PDX-SEA QX shuttle will be moved to all Q400's. This will not happen quickly though as we are still waiting for the new Q400's to be delivered. Either way that route has A LOT of cancellations and really high load factors. Several of my friends do it and say it is one of the hardest commutes out there. One good thing is that if you check the flight loads and can't make it you can easily drive it. Driving is actually a great option because you can leave when you decide to.

We have guys who commute PDX-LAX because its easier than PDX-SEA.

Skywest haa a couple flights from PDX to SEA on the EMB120, those flight are easier to get on that Q200 flights from what I've noticed. Whenever I jump seat on routes that I know is busy i check expedia.com to see seat avail and make my decisions from there. This usually work better than just showing up at the gate sometimes

Thanks for the info everybody. I think I'll just live in Portland instead of commute!

Well....starting next year and slowly moving in that direction for the next six years. As it stands now, there will be only 7 flights a day either direction that are Q400s at the end of March. That still leaves most flights Q200s.

I don't know if you were here, crjav8er, when we first got the Q400. They initially said they were going to have them on the shuttle every hour on the hour. That lasted a few months until they realized they could make more money with them on other routes. Montana routes went "instantly profitable" when switched to the Q400. I'm sure many other routes did as well. I am not holding my breath by any means that the shuttle will be all Q400 any time soon. The only way that it ever will be is when the Q200s are gone in about 7 more years. I bet they will continue to find new things to do with the Q400s as they come on line.

Get an apartment or house in Vancouver, WA. You'll have a shorter drive to PDX than almost all Portland residents, and pay no state income tax.