Seattle–Tacoma International Airport Sea-Tac Airport |
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Sea-Tac Airport from the air, looking north. | |||
IATA: SEA – ICAO: KSEA – FAA 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 | |||
Maps | |||
FAA airport diagram | |||
SEA
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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: SEA, ICAO: KSEA, FAA LID: SEA), also known as Sea–Tac Airport or Sea–Tac ( /ˈsiːtæk/), 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]
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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.
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]
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.
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]
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.
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 |
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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 |
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) |
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.
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