Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is located between the cities Seattle and Tacoma, and is commonly known as Sea-Tac Airport. The airport is a major hub for Alaska Airlines, and approximately 25 major airlines (Delta, Jet Blue, Northwest, Southwest, etc.) operate from the airport. From Seattle-Tacoma, passengers can fly non-stop to more than 50 cities in the United States. In addition, Sea-Tac offers non-stop flights to 15 international destinations such as Europe, Asia, Mexico, and Canada.
Seattle-Tacoma International is a large airport. The airport consists of a Main Terminal with four concourses: A, B, C, and D. The airport also features two satellite terminals: North Satellite and South Satellite. Satellite terminals are connected to the Main Terminal via an underground subway system.
This airport offers several convenient passenger amenities located throughout the terminal buildings. Currently, there are more than 35 restaurants and stores, massage services, lounge areas, and services such as currency exchange, banking, and language phone. Smoking is not permitted inside the terminals. Designated smoking areas are located outside each terminal building in the drop-off and pick-up zones.
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Long Term Parking - Long term or extended parking is available in Sea-Tac's parking garage on level 3 and levels 5-8. The daily maximum parking rate is $22. Some passengers may be eligible for reduced weekly rates. Vehicles may remain in the long term parking garage for up to 30 days. Travelers who plan to leave their vehicles for more than 30 days should make special arrangements with the airport's parking department.
Discount Airport Parking - Travelers who leave their vehicle in the long term parking garage from five to seven days can pay a flat reduced rate of $109 per week. After the initial seven days, travelers can pay the daily rate of $22 for a partial week. There is a maximum rate of $109 for each additional full week.
Handicapped Parking - Handicapped or special needs parking is available on level 4 in the parking garage. This level connects to the Main Terminal via the sky bridge. There are more than 100 spaces designated for handicapped or disable parking. Oversized vehicle parking and wheelchair services are available for persons with special needs.
Airport Hotel Parking - Parking is available at several off-site parking lots and hotels near the Sea-Tac hotel. Off-site parking is offered at a reduced rate, and passengers can arrive at the Main Terminal via airport shuttle or hotel courtesy shuttle. Travelers who stay at a nearby hotel should make shuttle reservations at least 24 hours in advance.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (IATA: SEA, ICAO: KSEA, FAA LID: SEA), also known as Sea-Tac Airport, is located in Seattle, Washington, United States at the intersections of State Route 518, State Route 99 and State Route 509. It is located about 1.5 miles from Interstate 5. It serves Seattle, Washington and Tacoma, Washington as well as the Seattle metropolitan area and western Washington state. The airport is a hub for Alaska Airlines, whose headquarters is located near the airport, and its regional subsidiary Horizon Air. The airport has service to many destinations throughout North America, Europe and East Asia. It is also an international gateway for Northwest Airlines.
"Welcome to Sea-Tac!" is said in an automated announcement in the airport's parking garage and skyways, in reference to the nickname that locals of the Seattle metropolitan area have given it. The name came before the city of Seattle, Washington was founded.
In 2007 Sea-Tac served nearly 31.3 million passengers, making it the 17th 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 Sea-Tac in number of passengers carried in 2007 were Alaska Airlines (35.0%), Horizon Air (13.1%), Southwest Airlines (8.7%), United Airlines (8.6%), and Northwest Airlines (6.7%)
Seattle-Tacoma 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. Commercial use of the airport began after the war ended, with the first scheduled flights occurring in 1947. Two years later, the word International was added to the airport's name as Northwest Airlines began direct service to Tokyo. 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. In 1966, SAS inaugurated the airport's first non-stop route to 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 to the airport.
Numerous residents of the surrounding area filed lawsuits against the Port in the early 1970s, complaining of noise, vibration, smoke, and other problems caused by the airport. The Port, together with the government of King County, adopted the Sea-Tac Communities Plan in 1976 to address the airport's impact on the area and guide its future development. The Port spent more than $100 million over the next decade to buy out homes and school buildings in the immediate vicinity, and soundproof others nearby. In the mid 1980s Sea-Tac 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.[4]
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.
FAA diagram of Sea-Tac AirportAfter the death of U.S. Senator "Scoop" Jackson in 1983, the Seattle Port Commission voted to change the name of the airport to Henry M. Jackson International Airport, ostensibly to honor the late Senator. However, denizens of Tacoma interpreted the name change as an insult to their community —the second time in the airport's history that the port authorities had attempted to "erase" Tacoma from the map. 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. [2]
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 Sea-Tac Airport could reach capacity by 2000. The planning committee concluded in 1992 that the best solution was to add a third runway to Sea-Tac and construct a supplemental two-runway airport in one of the neighboring counties. Members of the community strongly opposed a third runway, as did 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 is near completion, and is scheduled to open in 2008 at a cost of $1.1 billion.
Lately, there have been some problems with airplanes landing on Taxiway Tango, mistaking it for one of the runways. A large X has been placed at the north end of the taxiway to prevent the planes mistaking it with a runway.
Possible new airline service. Port of Seattle Commission President John Creighton said the Port of Seattle is working to secure nonstop service between Seattle and Shanghai. After the European Union and US signed an open skies agreement, airlines such as Aer Lingus and bmi, among others, have shown interest in starting service to Seattle.[5]
Virgin Atlantic announced it looked at Seattle among other cities as a future destination when they announced their aircraft order of 15 Boeing 787-9.[6] V Australia has received permission from the DOT to fly to Seattle and several other U.S. cities from its planned hub in Sydney, Australia. Emirates Airline has indicated that Seattle is being considered as a future destination, most likely using a Boeing 787.[7]
[edit] 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. [8] 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.[9]
Incidents and accidents
November 30, 1947: Alaska Airlines Flight 009, a Douglas C-54A en route to Seattle from Anchorage, Alaska, landed in heavy fog and damp conditions after failed attempts at nearby Boeing Field and Paine Field in Everett. The plane touched down 2,748 feet beyond the approach area to Runway 20 and sped onto a nearby road, colliding with an automobile and bursting into flames. Nine fatalities resulted from the accident, including a blind woman riding in the car. April 2, 1956: Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2, a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser headed to Portland, Oregon and points east, experienced reduced power and extreme buffeting shortly after take-off due to an improper setting of the airplane's cowl flaps by the flight engineer. Plans were initially made to land at McChord Air Force Base, but the pilot was forced to make a water landing in Puget Sound east of Maury Island. The plane sank within 15 minutes; five of the 38 on board died.
November 24, 1971: Northwest Airlines Flight 305, flying to Sea-Tac from Portland International Airport, was hijacked by Mr. D. B. Cooper. Cooper released the passengers after landing in exchange for $200,000 and four parachutes, ordered the plane back into the air, and jumped out over Southwest Washington with the money.
April 15, 1988: Horizon Air Flight 2658, a twin-engine de Havilland Canada Dash-8[10] departing for Spokane, experienced a power loss in the #2 engine shortly after takeoff. While the crew lowered the gear for landing as they returned to the airport, a massive fire broke out in the right engine nacelle, resulting in a loss of braking and directional control. After touchdown, the aircraft veered off the runway and crossed the ramp, colliding with multiple jetways before coming to a stop. Four of the 37 passengers were seriously injured, but there were no fatalities.
February 28, 2001: The 2001 Nisqually earthquake damaged the Air Traffic Control tower at Sea-Tac, although a new earthquake-resistant tower was being built at the time to replace the old one. It is now operational.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has a Central Terminal building 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. There are three security checkpoints for the entire airport. Once through security, passengers have access to all gates.
Ground transportation and access
The airport is served both by King County's Metro Transit 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. STITA (Seattle Tacoma International Taxi Association) has the exclusive taxi contract with the Port of Seattle to operate at Seattle Airport, as does STILA (Seattle Tacoma International Limo Association) for all "for hire" limo services. Shuttle Express is the only on demand door-to-door shuttle service operating out of Seattle, with service covering Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, and the Eastside. Shuttle Express also provides limos, towncars, and buses on a charter basis. Free parking for the first 30 minutes was discontinued in the mid 1990s.
There is also a limited bus service to downtown Vancouver, Canada through Quick Coach, with stops at downtown Seattle, Bellingham International Airport, and Vancouver International Airport. The cost is about $40 each way.
Future Development
An 8,500-foot long third runway is currently under construction and is slated to be open for use in November 2008. The airport will be served by the Seattle Airport Station on the Sound Transit Central Link light rail line starting in December 2009. The Port of Seattle is expected to approve a 23-acre rental car facility to be sited at the northeastern portion of the airport. The rental car facility will have 5,400 parking spaces and free up 3,200 parking spaces in the current parking structure. This facility will open in 2011.
