Seaplane Flights To NYC Will Soon Take Off From Boston Harbor

BOSTON (CBS) - Boston's busy harbor will soon have more travel options, as seaplanes will start flights to and from New York City in a one year pilot program.

The proposal was approved by the Boston Planning and Development Agency in a vote on Thursday. It's been years in the making, and highly controversial.

The plan approves four daily flights to and from New York City run exclusively by Cape Air. The seaplanes will pick passengers up at Long Wharf, taxi them over to the water next to Logan Airport, and then take off out of the water.

There are limitations: the planes can't fuel up at Long Wharf, can't dock overnight, and must "yield the right of way to ferry traffic to ensure no interruption or delay in ferry service," according to information released by the BPDA.

The plan has been controversial for a long time, originally pitched in the Seaport but later moved to Long Wharf.

"It would be a safety thing if they hit a boat," commuter Jim said as he boarded his ferry home. "In the summertime the harbor's just full of boats...it's busy."

The flights are for convenience -- seating just nine passengers and getting them directly from Boston to Manhattan. But it comes at a pretty price. Similar flights on Cape Air from the Hamptons to NYC cost $794 one way. Cape Air did not respond to WBZ's request for comment or information on pricing.

Still, some Waterfront residents tell WBZ they think the idea of seaplanes flying out of the harbor is cool. "It won't be a problem," Rob Sauter said. "There's hundreds of flights out of Logan each day." He and his family live in a condo on the waterfront. "I'm not too worried about the airplanes," he said, adding that he barely hears the planes flying out of Logan from his home.

The daily flights will begin out of the harbor and last for one year once Cape Air is ready for takeoff.