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Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (ICAO airport code "KSEA", IATA airport code "SEA"), also known as Sea-Tac Airport, is located in SeaTac, Washington at the intersection of Washington State Route 518 and Washington State Route 99. It serves Seattle, Washington and Tacoma, Washington. The airport is a hub for Alaska Airlines, and has service to many destinations throughout North America, Europe, and East Asia.
History
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 World's Fair. 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.
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 currently under construction, and is scheduled for completion in 2008 at a cost of $1.1 billion. Other improvements to the airport include construction of an expanded Central Terminal, which began in August 2002 and is slated for completion by Spring 2005. The Central Terminal will include the Pacific Marketplace, a retail and dining area of the airport.
Incidents and Disasters
On November 24, 1971, Northwest Airlines Flight 305, flying to Sea-Tac from Portland International Airport, was hijacked by a man now known as D. B. Cooper. He 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.
On January 31, 2000, Alaska Airlines Flight 261, which was headed on a Puerto Vallarta-San Francisco-Seattle-Tacoma route, crashed into the Pacific Ocean, killing everyone on board.
Concourses
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has a main terminal building with four concourses, and two satellite terminals. The satellite terminals are connected to the main terminal by an underground people mover system.
Concourse A (gates A1-A14)
Concourse B (gates B1-B15)
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America West Airlines (Las Vegas, Phoenix)
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Continental Airlines (Anchorage, Cleveland, Houston Bush, Newark)
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JetBlue (New York JFK)
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Southwest Airlines (Boise, Chicago Midway, Everett, Ft Lauderdale, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Nashville, Oakland, Phoenix, Reno, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Jose, Spokane)
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Horizon Air (Bellingham, Billings, Boise, Bozeman, Butte, Calgary, Edmonton, Eugene, Fresno, Great Falls, Helena, Idaho Falls, Kalispell, Kamloops, Kelowna, Lewiston, Missoula, Pasco, Portland, Pullman, Redmond, Santa Barbara, Spokane, Sun Valley, Vancouver, Victoria, Walla Walla, Wenatchee, Yakima)
Concourse C (gates C1-C20)
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Alaska Airlines (Anchorage, Boise, Boston, Burbank, Chicago O'Hare, Dallas/Ft. Worth (Starts July 19, 2005), Denver, Fairbanks, Juneau, Ketchikan, Las Vegas, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Los Cabos, Miami, Newark, Oakland, Ontario, Orlando, Phoenix, Reno, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Ana, Sitka, Spokane, Tucson, Vancouver, Washington Dulles, Washington Reagan)
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Big Sky
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Horizon Air (Bellingham, Billings, Boise, Bozeman, Butte, Calgary, Edmonton, Eugene, Fresno, Great Falls, Helena, Idaho Falls, Kalispell, Kamloops, Kelowna, Lewiston, Missoula, Pasco, Portland, Pullman, Redmond, Santa Barbara, Spokane, Sun Valley, Vancouver, Victoria, Walla Walla, Wenatchee, Yakima)
Concourse D (gates D1-D12)
North Satellite (gates N1-N16)
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Air Canada (Toronto)
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Air Canada Jazz (Vancouver)
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JetBlue (New York JFK)
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SkyWest dba Delta Connection (Salt Lake City)
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SkyWest dba United Express (Pasco, Portland, Spokane, Vancouver)
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United Airlines (Anchorage, Chicago O'Hare, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tokyo Narita, Vancouver, Washington Dulles)
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US Airways (Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Charlotte)
South Satellite (gates S1-S16)
External links
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