Seattle–Tacoma International Airport

Seattle–Tacoma International Airport
Sea-Tac Airport
Sea-Tac Airport from the air, looking north.
IATA: SEAICAO: KSEAFAA LID: SEA
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Port of Seattle
Serves Seattle; Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
Location SeaTac, Washington, U.S.
Hub for
Elevation AMSL 433 ft / 132 m
Coordinates
Website www.portseattle.org/seatac
Maps
FAA airport diagram
SEA
Location within Washington
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
16L/34R 11,900 3,627 Concrete
16C/34C 9,426 2,873 Concrete
16R/34L 8,500 2,591 Concrete
Statistics (2010)
Passengers 31,553,166 (1.04% up from 2,009)
Aircraft movements 313,954 (1.23% down from 2,009)
Air Cargo (metric tons) 283,425 (4.92% up from 2,009)
Sources: FAA[1] and airport web site[2]

The Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (IATA: SEAICAO: KSEAFAA LID: SEA), also known as Sea–Tac Airport or Sea–Tac ( /ˈstæk/), is an American airport located in SeaTac, Washington, at the intersections of State Routes 99 and 509 and 518, about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometres) west of Interstate 5. It serves Seattle and Tacoma, Washington, as well as the rest of western Washington.

The airport is the primary hub for Alaska Airlines, whose headquarters is located near the airport, and its regional subsidiary Horizon Air. The airport has service to destinations throughout North America, Europe and East Asia.

In 2010, the airport served over 31.5 million passengers, making it the 18th-busiest airport in the United States. It ranks 25th in total aircraft operations and 19th in total cargo volume.[3]

The top-five carriers at the airport in number of passengers carried in 2010 were Alaska Airlines (34.9%), Horizon Air (14.1%), Delta Air Lines (10.9%), Southwest Airlines (8.7%) and United Airlines (6.6%).[4]

Contents

History

The airport was constructed by the Port of Seattle in 1944 to serve civilians of the region, after the U.S. military took control of Boeing Field for use in World War II. The Port received $1 million from the Civil Aeronautics Administration to build the airport, and $100,000 from the City of Tacoma. The first scheduled airline flights were Northwest and Trans-Canada in 1947; Western and United moved from Boeing Field in the next couple of years, and Pan Am in 1952-53, but West Coast stayed at Boeing Field until after the Hughes merger. Two years later, the word "international" was added to the airport's name as Northwest Airlines began direct service to Tokyo, Japan. In 1951, there were four runways at 45-degree angles, from 5,000 to 6,100 ft long; the NE-SW and NW-SE runways intersected just west of the N-S runway that eventually became today's runway 34R. The runway was lengthened twice, first in 1959 to allow use by jets, and again in 1961 to handle increased traffic for the upcoming Century 21 World's Fair. The current terminal complex was built in 1959.

The April 1957 OAG shows 216 departures a week on United, 80 Northwest, 35 Western, 21 Trans-Canada, 20 Pan Am, 20 Pacific Northern, and 10 Alaska. In 1966 Scandinavian Airlines inaugurated the airport's first non-stop route to mainland Europe. The Port embarked on a major expansion plan from 1967 to 1973, adding a second runway, a parking garage, two satellite terminals, and other improvements.

Residents of the surrounding area filed lawsuits against the Port in the early 1970s, complaining of noise, vibration, smoke, and other problems. The Port and the government of King County adopted the Sea-Tac Communities Plan in 1976 to address problems and guide future development. The Port spent more than $100 million over the next decade to buy homes and school buildings in the vicinity, and soundproof others nearby. In the mid 1980s the airport participated in the airport noise-compatibility program initiated by Congress in 1979. Airport-noise contours were developed, real estate was purchased and some homes were retrofitted to achieve noise mitigation.[5]

In 1978 the U.S. ended airline regulation. Subsequently, U.S. airlines were allowed to determine routes and fares without government approval. Deregulation resulted in new service to Seattle, including TWA, which was the fourth-largest U.S. airline.

After the death of U.S. Senator Henry Martin "Scoop" Jackson in 1983, the Seattle Port Commission voted to change the name of the airport to Henry M. Jackson International Airport. Denizens of Tacoma interpreted the change as an insult to their community —the second time in the airport's history that the port authorities had attempted to remove "Tacoma" from the official name. But the $100,000 that Tacoma had provided for the airport's construction during World War II had come with an explicit promise that the city would be included in the airport's name. The City of Tacoma eventually prevailed in their attempt to return the long-standing moniker, and the name reverted to Sea-Tac early in 1984.[6]

Starting in the late 1980s, the Port of Seattle and a council representing local county governments considered the future of air traffic in the region and predicted that airport could reach capacity by 2000. The planning committee concluded in 1992 that the best solution was to add a third runway to the airport and construct a supplemental two-runway airport in one of the neighboring counties. Members of the community strongly opposed a third runway, as did the Highline School District and the cities of Des Moines, Burien, Federal Way, Tukwila, and Normandy Park, but a 1994 study concluded there were no feasible sites for an additional airport. The Port of Seattle approved a plan for the new runway in 1996, prompting a lawsuit from opponents. The Port secured the necessary permits by agreeing to noise reduction programs and environmental protections. Runway opponents appealed these permits, but dropped their challenges in 2004. The runway opened on November 20, 2008, with a total construction cost of $1.1 billion.

Operations

The three parallel runways run nearly north-south, west of the passenger terminal, and are 8,500 ft (2,600 m) to 12,000 ft (3,700 m) long. During 2008 the airport averaged 946 aircraft operations per day, 89% being commercial flights, 10% air taxi operations, and 1% transient general aviation.[7]

A new control tower was constructed for the airport beginning in 2001, and brought into service November 2004, at a cost of $26 million.[8] The floor of the new tower's control cab is 233 ft (71 m) above ground level; the tower's overall height including antennas is 269 ft (82 m). The cab has 850 sq ft (79 m2) of space and was originally designed to support operation by ten controllers, with possible future expansion up to 15. The site and construction method of the tower were designed to maximize visibility and efficacy of radar systems. The airport's original control tower, built in the 1950s, is now located in the airport's passenger terminal and used as a ground control tower, after being repaired from damages caused by the Nisqually Earthquake in 2001.

A recurring operational problem at the airport is misidentification of the westernmost taxiway, Taxiway Tango, as a landing surface. A large "X" has been placed at the north end of the taxiway to prevent confusion, but a number of incidents of aircraft landing on the taxiway have still occurred.[9] The FAA issued an alert notice dated from August 27, 2009, to September 24, 2009, urging airplanes about taking precautions such as REILs and other visual cues while landing from the north.[10]

In 2007, the airport, together with the University of Illinois Center of Excellence for Airport Technology (CEAT), became the first airport to implement an avian radar system providing 24-hour monitoring of wildlife activity across the airfield. This pilot program was designed to decrease potentially fatal incidents involving avian collisions and provide a test bed for widespread implementation of the technology in the US which was expected to begin in 2009. The technology is part of a multi-pronged strategy to reduce the dangerous presence of wildlife on the airfield.[11]

Southwest Airlines controversy

Citing increased landing fees and other costs due to the aforementioned work at the airport, Southwest Airlines threatened in 2005 to move to nearby Boeing Field. This plan, however, ran into several problems. First, because Boeing Field is a public airport and each airline would have to have been offered equal access, this would have required more capacity than available on the airport's single runway suitable for large commercial airplanes. (Boeing Field has a parallel, smaller runway used by general-aviation airplanes.) Major renovations to the airport would have been required to alleviate this problem. While Southwest did indicate willingness to pay for upgrades to the airport, there were also problems with the transportation infrastructure around Boeing Field, which was not designed to handle traffic in and out of a major passenger airport. It eventually became clear that Southwest Airlines would not fund the necessary transportation improvements, and the plan was shot down by King County Executive Ron Sims.[12] Furthermore, there were concerns that the high costs of operating the Seattle–Tacoma International Airport would be increased even further if some airline service were moved to Boeing Field, which was expected to be less expensive to operate for the airlines.

Christmas tree controversy

On December 9, 2006, a controversy arose over the airport's display of Christmas trees, which the Port of Seattle officially called "holiday trees" in all public statements. Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky of Northwest Friends of Chabad-Lubavitch requested that he be permitted to install a chanukkiyah in addition to the trees. Talks were unproductive. The rabbi's attorney, Harvey Grad, sent a legal document to the port. Fearing a lawsuit, the airport took 14 Christmas trees down. This attracted international media attention. After Rabbi Bogomilsky and other Jewish leaders stated that they had no intention of suing the Port of Seattle, the port reinstalled the trees on the night of December 11, 2006.[13][14]

Incidents and accidents

Terminals, airlines, and destinations

The airport has a Central Terminal building, designed by Curtis W. Fentress, FAIA, RIBA of Fentress Architects, with four concourses (A–D) and two Satellite Terminals (North and South). The satellite terminals are connected to the central terminal by an underground people mover system made by Bombardier. There are three main checkpoints at Sea-Tac and a fourth that is opened as needed during peak periods.[22] Once through security, passengers have access to all gates.

Central Terminal
North Satellite Terminal
South Satellite Terminal

Note: All international arrivals (except flights from cities with customs preclearance) are handled at the South Satellite Terminal, regardless of their departure terminal.

Airlines Destinations Concourse
Air Canada Toronto-Pearson North Satellite
Air Canada Express operated by Jazz Air Vancouver
Seasonal: Calgary
North Satellite
Air France Paris-Charles de Gaulle [ends March 23, 2012][27] South Satellite
AirTran Airways Atlanta, Milwaukee
Seasonal: Baltimore
Concourse B
Alaska Airlines Anchorage, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Burbank, Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Fairbanks, Guadalajara, Honolulu, Houston-Intercontinental, Juneau, Kahului, Kansas City [begins March 12, 2012][28], Ketchikan, Kona, Las Vegas, Lihue, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Newark, Oakland, Ontario, Orange County, Orlando, Palm Springs, Phoenix, St. Louis, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), Spokane, Tucson, Washington-National
Seasonal: Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, San Jose del Cabo, Sitka
Concourses C, D, and North Satellite
Alaska Airlines operated by Horizon Air[29] Bellingham, Billings, Boise, Bozeman, Calgary, Edmonton, Eugene, Fresno, Great Falls, Helena, Kalispell, Kelowna, Lewiston, Medford, Missoula, Oakland, Pasco, Portland (OR), Pullman, Redmond, Reno/Tahoe, Santa Barbara, Santa Rosa, Spokane, Sun Valley, Vancouver, Victoria, Walla Walla, Wenatchee, Yakima Concourse B,C and South Satellite
Alaska Airlines operated by SkyWest Airlines Fresno, Long Beach, Portland (OR), Santa Barbara Concourse C
American Airlines Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, New York-JFK Concourse A
Asiana Airlines Seoul-Incheon South Satellite
British Airways London-Heathrow South Satellite
Condor Seasonal: Frankfurt South Satellite
Delta Air Lines Amsterdam, Atlanta, Beijing-Capital, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Detroit, Honolulu, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK, Osaka-Kansai, Paris-Charles de Gaulle [begins March 24, 2012][30], Salt Lake City, Tokyo-Narita Concourse A and South Satellite
Delta Connection operated by SkyWest Airlines Seasonal: Salt Lake City South Satellite
Emirates Dubai [begins March 1, 2012][31] South Satellite
EVA Air Taipei-Taoyuan South Satellite
Frontier Airlines Denver, Kansas City Concourse A
Frontier Airlines operated by Republic Airlines Denver
Seasonal: Milwaukee
Concourse A
Hainan Airlines Beijing-Capital South Satellite
Hawaiian Airlines Honolulu, Kahului Concourse A
Icelandair Reykjavík-Keflavík South Satellite
JetBlue Airways Boston, Long Beach, New York-JFK Concourse A
Korean Air Seoul-Incheon South Satellite
Lufthansa Frankfurt South Satellite
Southwest Airlines Albuquerque, Baltimore [resumes April 10, 2012], Boise [ends January 8],[32] Chicago-Midway, Denver, Houston-Hobby [begins June 3, 2012][33], Las Vegas, Oakland, Phoenix, Reno/Tahoe, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Jose (CA), Spokane [ends January 8][34]
Seasonal: Kansas City , Nashville, St. Louis
Concourse B
Sun Country Airlines Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul Concourse A
United Airlines Anchorage, Chicago-O'Hare, Denver, Houston-Intercontinental, Newark, San Francisco, Tokyo-Narita, Washington-Dulles
Seasonal: Cleveland
Concourse B and North Satellite
United Express operated by SkyWest Airlines Los Angeles, Portland (OR), San Francisco North Satellite
US Airways Charlotte, Philadelphia, Phoenix Concourse A
Virgin America Los Angeles, San Francisco Concourse A

Statistics

Busiest International Routes from Seattle/Tacoma (2009–2010)[35]
Rank Airport Metropolitan area Passengers Carriers
1 Vancouver International Airport Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada 377,991 Air Canada Jazz, Horizon
2 Narita International Airport Tokyo, Japan 342,891 ANA (begins 2012), Delta, United
3 Incheon International Airport Seoul, South Korea 222,825 Asiana, Korean Air
4 Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Amsterdam, Netherlands 204,185 Delta
5 Victoria International Airport Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 169,863 Horizon
6 London Heathrow Airport London, England, United Kingdom 165,905 British Airways
7 Calgary International Airport Calgary, Alberta, Canada 147,448 Air Canada Jazz, Horizon
8 Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Taipei, Taiwan 140,339 EVA Air
9 Frankfurt Airport Frankfurt, Germany 130,622 Condor, Lufthansa
10 Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport Paris, France 117,747 Air France, Delta(To replace Air France)
Busiest Domestic Routes from Seattle/Tacoma (October 2010 - September 2011)[36]
Rank Airport Metropolitan area Passengers Carriers
1 Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles, California 754,000 Alaska, United, Virgin America
2 Denver International Airport Denver, Colorado 732,000 Alaska, Frontier, Southwest, United
3 San Francisco International Airport San Francisco, California 716,000 Alaska, United, Virgin America
4 Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport Anchorage, Alaska 702,000 Alaska, United
5 O'Hare International Airport Chicago, Illinois 651,000 Alaska, American, United
6 Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Phoenix, Arizona 599,000 Alaska, Southwest, US Airways
7 McCarran International Airport Las Vegas, Nevada 562,000 Alaska, Southwest
8 Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Texas 515,000 Alaska, American
9 Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport Minneapolis – Saint Paul, Minnesota 497,000 Alaska, Delta, Sun Country
10 Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport Atlanta, Georgia 481,000 AirTran, Alaska, Delta

Other services

Cargo operations

Ground transportation and access

Seattle's Central Link light-rail line serves the airport at the SeaTac/Airport Station, which opened on December 19, 2009.

The airport is also served both by the King County Metro bus system and Sound Transit regional express buses. Taxis, rental cars and door-to-door shuttle service are available. All public transit services are located at the end of baggage claim next to door 00. Taxis and door-to-door shuttle services are located on the third floor of the parking garage in the Ground Transportation center. Yellow Cab has the exclusive taxi contract with the Port of Seattle to operate at the airport. The exclusive contract for "for hire" limo services is held by STILA (Seattle Tacoma International Limo Association). Shuttle Express is the only on demand door-to-door shuttle service operating out of the airport, with service covering Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, and the Eastside. Shuttle Express also provides limos, town cars, and buses on a charter basis. Free parking for the first thirty minutes was discontinued in the mid 1990s.

There is also a scheduled bus service to downtown Vancouver, Canada, through Quick Shuttle, with other pick-up stops at downtown Seattle, Bellingham International Airport, and drop-off stops just inside the Canadian–U.S. boundary and at the Vancouver International Airport.

Future development

See also

Aviation portal
Seattle portal

References

  1. ^ FAA Airport Master Record for SEA (Form 5010 PDF), effective July 5, 2007.
  2. ^ "Seattle–Tacoma International Airport" (official site).
  3. ^ "2007 Seattle–Tacoma International Airport Activity Report" (PDF format; requires Adobe Reader). Port of Seattle Commission. http://www.portseattle.org/downloads/seatac/2007activity.pdf. Retrieved September 17, 2008. 
  4. ^ "?". Port of Seattle. http://www.portseattle.org/seatac/statistics/. 
  5. ^ C. Michael Hogan, Ballard George et al., Residential noise insulation at Seattle Tacoma International Airport, Earth Metrics Inc., published by the Federal Aviation Administration and Seattle Tacoma International Airport (1984).
  6. ^ "?". The New York Times. March 5, 1984. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A00E0DF1539F936A35750C0A962948260. 
  7. ^ "?". http://www.airnav.com/airport/KSEA. 
  8. ^ "?". http://www.airport-technology.com/projects/seatac_tower/. 
  9. ^ Bowermaster, David (November 13, 2005). "Pilots Mistake Taxiway for Runway at Sea-Tac". The Seattle Times. http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=seatac13&date=20051113. Retrieved September 17, 2008. 
  10. ^ "?". National Aeronautical Charting Office (part of the Federal Aviation Administration). http://naco.faa.gov/d-tpp/0909/00582HUSKY_VIS16C_C.PDF. 
  11. ^ "?". Port of Seattle. http://www.portseattle.org/community/environment/wildlife.shtml. 
  12. ^ "Plan Won't Fly: Sims Kills Southwest's Boeing Field Hopes". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. http://www.seattlepi.com/local/244262_southwest12.html. 
  13. ^ Tu, Janet I.; Turnbull, Lornet (December 12, 2006). "Christmas Trees Going Back Up at Sea-Tac – The Holiday Trees That Went Away in the Middle of the Night Are Back. Monday Night, Port of Seattle Staff Began Putting Up the Trees They...". The Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003473318_seatactrees12m.html. Retrieved October 5, 2011. 
  14. ^ "Fight or Light? Controversy and Irony at SeaTac Airport". chabad.org. http://www.chabad.org/library/article.asp?AID=455702. 
  15. ^ Associated Press news report. "?". The New York Times. April 16, 1988. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE5DF123DF935A25757C0A96E948260. 
  16. ^ Eugene Registered Guard "News Report". May 24, 1990. http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19900524&id=EXEVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0eoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6777,5864905. 
  17. ^ Sullivan, Jennifer; Allison, Melissa (December 28, 2005). "Absolutely Terrifying Flight After Ground-Crew Mistake". The Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002707586_plane28m.html. 
  18. ^ Bowermaster, David (February 4, 2006). "Alaska Airlines Sued in Jet Mishap". The Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002783168_alaska04.html. 
  19. ^ "Someone Shining Laser at Planes Landing at Sea-Tac". The Seattle Times. February 23, 2009. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008775367_weblaser23m.html. Retrieved August 1, 2010. 
  20. ^ "?". KOMO (AM). http://www.komonews.com/news/local/44020502.html. 
  21. ^ "Cargo Plane Skids at Seattle-Area Runway; No Injuries Reported". CNN. November 23, 2010. http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/11/22/washington.plane.skid/index.html. 
  22. ^ "Sea-Tac Airport: Traveler Information". Port of Seattle. http://www.portseattle.org/seatac/traveler/. Retrieved July 17, 2011. 
  23. ^ "Concourse A". Port of Seattle. http://www.portseattle.org/about/maps/concoursea.shtml. 
  24. ^ "Concourse B". Port of Seattle. http://www.portseattle.org/about/maps/concourseb.shtml. 
  25. ^ "Concourse C". Port of Seattle. http://www.portseattle.org/about/maps/concoursec.shtm. 
  26. ^ "Concourse D". Port of Seattle. http://www.portseattle.org/about/maps/concoursed.shtml. 
  27. ^ http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/11/15/1906753/delta-to-pick-up-air-france-route.html
  28. ^ http://splash.alaskasworld.com/Newsroom/ASNews/ASstories/AS_20111010_164910.asp
  29. ^ "Horizon Air Retiring Its Public Brand and Adopting Alaska Airlines' Eskimo" (Press release). Alaska Air Group. January 25, 2011. http://splash.alaskasworld.com/newsroom/asnews/asstories/AS_20110125_050333.asp. 
  30. ^ http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/11/15/1906753/delta-to-pick-up-air-france-route.html
  31. ^ [1]. Emirates.
  32. ^ [2]. KTVB.
  33. ^ http://www.southwest.com/html/cs/investor_relations/if_news_releases.html?int=GFOOTER-ABOUT-PRESS
  34. ^ [3].KHQ-TV.
  35. ^ "U.S. International Air Passenger and Freight Statistics Report". 2010. http://ostpxweb.dot.gov/aviation/usstatreport.htm. Retrieved May 7, 2011. 
  36. ^ "Seattle, WA: Seattle/Tacoma International (SEA)". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. June 2011. http://www.transtats.bts.gov/airports.asp?pn=1&Airport=SEA. 
  37. ^ Young, Bob (February 26, 2008). "Port of Seattle To Start Up Rental-Car Center?". The Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004203036_rentalcars26m.html. 
  38. ^ "Sea-Tac Airport: Rental Car Facility". Port of Seattle.
  39. ^ "Port Commission Votes To Suspend Construction on Rental Car Facility". Port of Seattle. http://www.portseattle.org/news/press/2008/12_15_2008_01.shtml. Retrieved August 23, 2010. 
  40. ^ a b "Sea-Tac Airport Tops Off Rental Car Facility". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. June 14, 2010. http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/archives/214590.asp?source=rss. Retrieved June 14, 2010. 
  41. ^ "Sea-Tac Airport: Positive Economic Sign: Rental Car Facility Construction Starts Back Up". Port of Seattle. http://www.portseattle.org/news/press/2009/07_22_2009_01.shtml. 

External links