New York and Boston are finally getting a seaplane link with 75 minute flights and fares starting at $395 one way - and it may give Acela a run for its money

  • Tailwind Air is launching seaplane service between New York City and Boston starting August 3.

  • Flights are only 75 minutes long and flyers can show up as late as 10 minutes before departure.

  • Fares start at $395 and as many as four daily flights will be offered starting August 21.

  • See more stories on Insider's business page.

New Yorkers and Bostonians will have yet another link as an airline is finally launching seaplane flights between the two cities.

Tailwind Air is known for its seaplane flights between Manhattan and Long Island, New York's East End including Montauk and the Hamptons. But the company is now using its talents to further connect the Northeast with a New York-Boston seaplane link launching on August 3 with true downtown to downtown service.

Tailwind promises flights that are approximately 75 minutes in duration with no long airport lines or even security checks. It's markedly slower than the airliners that can fly the route in less than half an hour but the time savings comes from not having to schlep to and from major airports on both ends of the journey.

A maximum of seven passengers will be on any given fight and travelers can show up just 10 minutes before departure for an even more efficient downtown to downtown journey. Not even Amtrak's high-speed Acela can compete with that.

A Tailwind Air Cessna Caravan EX seaplane - Tailwind Air seaplane demo flight 2021
A Tailwind Air Cessna Caravan EX seaplane. Thomas Pallini/Insider

Insider previously did a time test between Manhattan and Boston on both the Acela and a commercial airline flight to see which was faster and both were surprisingly time-consuming for the sub-200 mile journey. While the airline option was faster than Acela by minutes, the two modes of transportation still took almost four hours when factoring in externalities like getting to and from the airports and going through security.

Tailwind's offering, however, makes it possible to get from the New York Stock Exchange to Boston Common in under two hours flat. Pilots utilize visual flight rules wherein the route is a nearly straight line between the two cities and the flight isn't affected by ground stops or congestion delays that are common at New York area airports.

"By offering nonstop, weekday flights at peak hours to and from Manhattan and Boston Harbor, we present exclusive time savings over all other modes of transportation, at a reasonable price premium," Alan Ram, Tailwind's CEO and founder, said in a statement. "Our [Tailwind] service combines the accessibility of the train with the speed of a flight."

New York Skyport is conveniently located on the East River just blocks from Times Square or a four-mile drive from Wall Street. Boston, however, isn't equipped with the same infrastructure and flyers will need to transfer onto a water taxi that will take them to the South Boston waterfront.

If either waterway is unavailable to use due to weather or other circumstances, flights will simply use nearby airports and offer options for passengers to get to their final destination. Tailwind's seaplanes do have standard landing gear that allows them to use traditional airports.

Unique views of both cities come standard on the flights as both the East River and Boston Harbor are adjacent to massive skyscrapers, and every seat on the Cessna Caravan EX aircraft operating the flights is a window seat. The typical cruising altitude on the run is often no greater than 10,000 feet, further allowing for expansive views.

Flying over New York City on a Tailwind Air Cessna Caravan EX seaplane - Tailwind Air seaplane demo flight 2021
Flying over New York City on a Tailwind Air Cessna Caravan EX seaplane. Thomas Pallini/Insider

Flights launch on August 3 with two daily services in each direction. On August 21, four daily flights will operate in each direction, with flights departing from Boston at 7:00 a.m., 10:05 a.m., 2:10 p.m., and 5:20 p.m. From New York, the four flights will depart at 8:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m., and 4:45 p.m., as of August 21.

Read More: Boom Supersonic just sold 15 faster-than-sound jets to United. Its CEO explains how fuel efficiency and better economics will help him succeed where the Concorde failed.

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