Cheap Flights from Portland to Seattle
PDX to SEA · 129 mi · 56m est.
Photo: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Portland to Seattle flight insights
Average flight time
~56m (estimated)
PDX → SEA
Cheapest cached price
$496
Checking live fares…
Prices shown may not be current. Last checked: Sep 4, 2026.
Planning a trip from Portland to Seattle? The average flight time on this route is ~56m (estimated). The lowest fare we recorded on this route recently was $496 (last checked Sep 4, 2026); today's live fare for your dates can differ.
Portland (PDX) and Seattle (SEA) are about 129 miles apart in a straight line. Flight times vary by airline, direction and routing, so check the scheduled time shown with each result.
Portland to Seattle at a glance
Route Quick Facts
| Origin | Portland (PDX) |
|---|---|
| Destination | Seattle (SEA) |
| Average Flight Time | ~56m (estimated) |
| Current Lowest Fare | $496 |
| Fares Last Checked | Sep 4, 2026 |
| Distance | 129 miles (PDX to SEA) |
| Time in Seattle | Same time as Portland |
| Airlines in our fare results | 1 |
Local time in Seattle is the same as in Portland. Portland is on Pacific Time, Seattle on Pacific Time.
Flight deals from Portland to Seattle
On a trip this short, rail is a genuine choice. This page searches Portland International (PDX) in Oregon to Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA). The only official nonstop statement EazAir found runs the opposite way, on Delta's Seattle to Portland page, so check the stops shown with each result. United has appeared in EazAir's partner search results for this route, and SEA's guide places United at the S and A gates. Amtrak Cascades lists twelve daily trains between the cities, six round trips.
Leaving PDX, choose your checkpoint by gate. D/E screens around the clock, B/C shuts from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m., and the airport still recommends the checkpoint for your gate even with the concourse connector reopened. PDX says TSA PreCheck lanes at both open at 4 a.m. and close at about 4 p.m. For busy early mornings it suggests 2 hours before a domestic departure, and wait times for each checkpoint are posted on the flypdx.com home page.
Sea-Tac is one terminal with six concourses, and the S gates are reached only on the SEA Underground; SEA says a train arrives every three minutes. Heading into Seattle, climb from baggage claim to the fourth floor, cross the skybridge into the garage and follow signs for Link light rail, and SEA puts the ride from downtown Seattle at 38 minutes. Lyft, UberX and taxis all load on the garage's 3rd floor, and flat-rate cabs carry four-digit numbers in two colors.
EazAir had stored no fare checks for Portland to Seattle when this page was checked on 22 Oct 2026, so it cannot yet say how prices have moved. United says Basic Economy on domestic flights includes a personal item only, unless MileagePlus Premier status or a qualifying card applies. Leaning toward the train? Amtrak said on 30 Sep 2026 that more Airo trainsets will join Cascades through early 2027, ultimately replacing the existing fleet. Search your own dates, and check the final price, bags and fare rules on the partner site before you pay.
Airports for Portland to Seattle flights
Departure · Portland
Portland International (PDX)
Pacific Time
Arrival · Seattle
Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA)
Pacific Time
About Seattle
Areas to know in Seattle
- Capitol Hill
- Ballard
- Fremont
Weather in Seattle
Mild, wet winters and dry, mild summers. The Pacific Northwest's rainy reputation is strongest from October through April.
Portland to Seattle: airport and fare guide
Airport details were checked on 17 Oct 2026 and route details on 22 Oct 2026, against the airport, airline and transit pages listed under Sources. Airports and airlines change these details, so confirm them with your airline before you fly.
Paine Field (PAE) in Everett, north of Seattle, is a separate airport with its own passenger terminal. Check that your ticket says SEA if you plan to use Sea-Tac.
This is Portland, Oregon. Portland, Maine uses a different airport, and Southwest lists the two cities separately.
About this route
Delta's Seattle to Portland page, checked 22 Oct 2026, says Delta typically operates 7 to 8 nonstop flights each day from Seattle to Portland; no official page checked confirms the Portland to Seattle direction.
- Delta's Seattle to Portland page says Delta is typically operating 7 to 8 nonstop flights each day from Seattle to Portland, the reverse of this page's direction.
- Amtrak Cascades lists twelve daily trains between Seattle and Portland, which it describes as six round trips.
- Amtrak Cascades trains use Portland Union Station and Seattle King Street Station, according to Amtrak.
- Amtrak Cascades lists Tukwila, Tacoma, Olympia/Lacey, Centralia, Kelso/Longview and Vancouver, WA among its stations and says all trains stop at all stations.
- Amtrak says Business Class on Amtrak Cascades includes access to the Metropolitan Lounge in Portland.
- Amtrak said two new Airo trainsets joined Amtrak Cascades on 30 Sep 2026, running four daily trips, including train 503 from Seattle to Eugene and train 508 from Eugene to Seattle.
- Alaska announced on 18 Dec 2025 that it would resume daily, year-round flights between Portland and Everett, Washington on 10 Jun 2026, at Paine Field, which it calls the Seattle region's second airport.
- Paine Field is in Everett and Alaska uses the code PAE for it, so flights there do not land at Sea-Tac (SEA); check the airport code before you book.
- Amtrak Cascades says it is funded mainly by ticket revenue, with Washington and Oregon paying the rest of operating costs, each through a contract with Amtrak.
- Amtrak said on 30 Sep 2026 that additional Airo trainsets will enter Amtrak Cascades service through early 2027, ultimately replacing the existing Cascades fleet.
Leaving from Portland International (PDX)
- The TriMet MAX Red Line serves the airport station at the south end of the terminal. PDX says trains leave about every 15 minutes, and TriMet says the ride from downtown takes about 40 minutes. The regular TriMet fare applies.
- PDX says ground transportation providers drop off on the departures level.
- PDX says to allow 30 to 45 minutes to drive between downtown Portland and the airport.
- PDX has two security checkpoints, B/C and D/E. The D/E checkpoint is open 24 hours and B/C closes from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. The airport suggests using the checkpoint that matches your gate.
- PDX says TSA PreCheck lanes at both checkpoints open at 4 a.m. and close at about 4 p.m. daily, for travelers on participating airlines. CLEAR enrollment staff are at D/E from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. and at B/C from 4:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- PDX suggests arriving 2 hours before domestic flights at busy early-morning times and 3 hours before international flights, with extra time if you have not used the new terminal before.
- Wait times for each checkpoint are on the flypdx.com home page.
Arriving at Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA)
| Airline | SEA gates |
|---|---|
| United | S and A gates |
| Other airlines | Check your boarding pass or airline app. |
From SEA's SEA Underground guide dated 2 Sep 2025, which says Delta, United and almost all international airlines use the S and A gates. Gates can change, so check your boarding pass.
- SEA has one terminal with six concourses: A, B and S at the south end, and C, D and N at the north end.
- The N and S concourses are not connected to the other gates, so you reach them on the SEA Underground train. SEA says a train arrives every three minutes.
- The Blue Line links the S, B and A concourses, the Green Line links N, C and D, and the Yellow Line shuttles between the A and D stations only.
- SEA says every security checkpoint gives access to all gates.
| Getting from SEA | Where to board | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Link light rail 1 Line | From baggage claim, go up to the fourth floor, cross the skybridge to the parking garage and follow the signs to SeaTac/Airport station. A free Train-to-Plane shuttle runs from 5 a.m. to midnight. A fare applies on the train. | Downtown Seattle, with the line running from Federal Way to Lynnwood. SEA says the ride from downtown Seattle takes 38 minutes. |
| Rideshare (Lyft, UberX) | 3rd floor of the parking garage. Cross a skybridge, one level below ticketing and one level above baggage claim, then go down one level. | Wherever you booked. |
| Uber Black and other premium rides | The baggage claim level door you choose in the app. | Wherever you booked. |
| Taxis | 3rd floor of the parking garage, at the north and south curbs. | Metered taxis have three-digit numbers and one color. Flat-rate taxis charge by zip code and have four-digit numbers and two colors. |
What the lowest fares include
| Fare | Carry-on | Checked bag | Seat | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Basic Economy | Not included on domestic flights. One personal item only, unless you are a MileagePlus Premier member, travel with one, or hold a qualifying MileagePlus card. | Not included; check United's bag fee calculator. | Assigned by United before boarding. | Changes may not be allowed. Refund if cancelled within 24 hours of booking, under United's 24-hour policy; after that, partial travel credit. |
Based on the airlines' own pages, checked on 17 Oct 2026. Fees are left out because they change often. Check the final price, bags and fare rules on the partner site before you pay.
How EazAir measured fares on this route
When this guide was checked on 22 Oct 2026, EazAir had not stored any fare checks from Portland to Seattle, so it cannot describe how prices have moved. The cheapest cached price near the top of this page comes from a separate partner fare lookup and shows its own last-checked date. For the return direction, Seattle to Portland, EazAir's first check was on 19 Oct 2026. Search your own dates for current prices.
Sources
- Delta: Flights from Seattle to Portland (no date shown, accessed 22 Oct 2026)
- Amtrak Cascades: About (no date shown, accessed 22 Oct 2026)
- Amtrak: Amtrak Cascades train (no date shown, accessed 22 Oct 2026)
- Amtrak Media: A New Era Arrives, Airo Trains Make Their Amtrak Cascades Debut (30 Sep 2026, accessed 22 Oct 2026)
- Alaska Airlines newsroom: seven new routes from Anchorage and Portland (18 Dec 2025, accessed 22 Oct 2026)
- Paine Field: Official website (no date shown, accessed 22 Oct 2026)
- Alaska Airlines newsroom: Paine Field summer travel (14 Apr 2022, accessed 22 Oct 2026)
- PDX: TriMet MAX (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
- TriMet: MAX Red Line (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
- PDX: Travel tips (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
- PDX: Construction updates (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
- TriMet: Fares (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
- PDX: Home page (checkpoint wait times) (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
- PDX: Ground transportation (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
- PDX: Directions (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
- SEA: Security screening and checkpoints (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
- SEA: All aboard the SEA Underground (September 2, 2025, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
- SEA: Terminal overview (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
- SEA: Public transit, Link light rail (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
- SEA: App-based rideshare (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
- SEA: Metered and flat rate taxis (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
- Sound Transit: 1 Line, Lynnwood to Federal Way (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
- United: Basic Economy FAQ (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
- EazAir fare checks for PDX to SEA: none stored as of 22 Oct 2026; SEA to PDX, 19 Oct 2026 to 19 Oct 2026
Frequently asked questions
Is the train a sensible alternative to flying from Portland to Seattle?
Where does the Cascades train stop between Portland and Seattle?
What extras do Cascades trains offer, and is new equipment arriving?
Can I fly from Portland to Paine Field in Everett instead of Sea-Tac?
Does United's lowest fare from Portland to Seattle include a carry-on?
How do I tell a flat-rate taxi from a metered one at Sea-Tac?
Airline bag fees
Baggage allowances differ significantly between fare classes (Basic/Light vs. Standard/Flex) and can change over time. Always verify the exact allowance for your specific fare with the airline before you fly.
| Airline | Carry-on, basic economy | 1st checked bag | 2nd checked bag | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | Included | $45 | $55 | aa.com, Sep 24, 2026 |
| United Airlines | Not included | $40 | $50 | united.com, Sep 24, 2026 |
| Delta Air Lines | Included | $45 | $55 | delta.com, Sep 24, 2026 |
| JetBlue | Included | $45 | $59 | jetblue.com, Sep 24, 2026 |
| Alaska Airlines | Included | $45 | $55 | alaskaair.com, Sep 24, 2026 |
| Frontier Airlines | Not included | Varies | Varies | flyfrontier.com, Sep 24, 2026 |
| Sun Country Airlines | Not included | Varies | Varies | suncountry.com, Sep 24, 2026 |
Domestic US fees per bag, each way, when paid online in advance. "Varies" means the airline prices bags by route and date.
Travel tips
Arrive early for domestic flights
TSA generally recommends arriving at least 2 hours before a domestic departure, more at larger hub airports during peak travel periods.
Pack a mixed carry-on
Keep a change of clothes, chargers, and any essentials in your carry-on rather than only your checked bag, in case of a delay or a bag that doesn't arrive with you.
Ease jet lag on longer routes
On longer cross-country flights, adjusting your sleep schedule a day or two before departure and staying hydrated in flight can reduce jet lag on arrival.
Screenshot your confirmation
Save a screenshot or PDF of your booking confirmation and boarding pass before you travel, in case you lose signal or battery at the airport.
Check in online when it opens
Most airlines open online check-in 24 hours before departure. Checking in early can help with seat selection and, on some airlines, boarding group assignment.
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