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The Podcast!
Subscribe to the only podcast devoted to helping people under the flight path everywhere. It’s definitely not just about noise!Most Recent: Ep #39 Port of Seattle Listening Session 2 Postgame (Raw!)
The Issues
The Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) is the blueprint for increasing flight capacity by one third in the next ten years. It will have the same community impact as the Third Runway. In fact, it is happening now. How this is possible, and what it means for us.continue...
Does your home have a Port Package of noise mitigation windows and insulation? Having problems with your windows? Mold? You're not alone. Help us help you.continue... -
The SAMP SEPA EIS Public Comment Period is open now from May 22 – July 21, 2026. Learn what is coming and what you can do to help reduce the noise, the pollution, and obtain the compensation we’ve deserved for decades.Top Story
Ep #39 Port of Seattle Listening Session 2 Postgame (Raw!)
August 12, 2026
We're in the midst of producing episodes on the Sea-Tac Communities Plan, and our comments on the SAMP and updates on the totally confusing state of Port Package updates and... But the Port Commission held a bonus 'listening session' at Pier 69. We cover all meetings, of course. But since JC was already there, he decided to step to the mic and mention the two things that have been absent from the discussion for too long: measurables--now.
JC Harris, for STNI. My first comment: it would be lovely if I could get parking validation.
My second comment. I heard the morning presentation, and of course you're going to hear about the 17,000 jobs — the socioeconomic impacts thing is total rubbish. People will want to conflate King County's benefits with those of the fence-line communities. There are needs everywhere, of course. But you will want to conflate the economic benefits of the walled garden of the Port — where you do provide a best-in-class land stewardship plan, a child care center, all of it — with what actually reaches the fence-line communities. And that's creating this Elysium effect, this polarization. The delta between the services and the ethics you apply internally and what radiates out to the fence-line communities is widening not closing.
I don't care how many temp jobs you provide for the Concourse and everything else — none of it moves the needle in the fence-line communities. I know that because you've been doing billions of dollars of construction over the last decade, and it's a very easy thing to measure. Look at the budget books over the last ten or fifteen years and you'll see conditions have not gotten better, despite the stratospheric growth of the airport.
Would you not think that if the airport's revenues increased — even from one-time construction spending — some of that would emanate out to our communities? That is not the case. Conditions have actually continued to decline. It's measurable and it's something I hope you'll give some consideration to.
To learn how you can make a difference:
Recent Stories
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Des Moines Airport Advisory Committee — July 30, 2026
The Airport Discount answers the wrong question This special meeting had no specific agenda, but leaned heavily on the following FAA-funded study, concerning the negative impacts of aircraft noise on property values. NBER: How Airplane Noise Impacts Home Values – October, 2025 Studying this seems so common-sense we completely understand the ongoing appeal. But the -
Auburn Wetlands
Environmental mitigation at its best and worst To build the Third Runway, the Port of Seattle proposed to fill all or parts of some 12 separate wetlands across the Miller Creek, Walker Creek, and Des Moines Creek watersheds–every one of them a class AA water, the highest protection provided by the state. FAA grants are -
Ep #38 Aviation Forum Postgame (Raw!)
What if the solution to decades of airport noise and community impacts has been hiding in plain sight all along? In this open letter to city managers across airport communities, we revisit a landmark yet largely forgotten document: the Sea-Tac Communities Plan of 1976. Built on the Port of Seattle's promise — *"As we do better, you'll do better"* — this collaborative plan was supposed to be the long-term answer for neighborhoods living under the flight path. So why has it been reduced to little more than an expensive property buyout program? The answer reveals a critical gap that neither elected officials nor community advocates can fill alone. Real, lasting solutions require sustained professional commitment to airport community planning — something that should have been established 50 years ago. If you work in city management, this episode speaks directly to you and the unique role only you can play in finally delivering on that broken promise. -
Three City Airport SAMP Open House Postgame
Higher quality materials, lower turnout, more time… Community Development Directors from Burien, Des Moines and SeaTac held a joint presentation to help residents provide more effective public comment on the SAMP. The video and poster boards were much better than previous efforts and we urge residents to watch. Turnout was less than forty. So, if -
Notice of Comment Period Extension — State Environmental Policy Act Sustainable Airport Master Plan Near-Term Projects Draft Environmental Impact Statement
Extended Comment Period End Date: August 20, 2026 Project Name: Sustainable Airport Master Plan Near-Term Projects (SEPA No. 2026-01) Location: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, 17801 International Blvd., SeaTac, WA 98158 Lead Agency: Port of Seattle This notice is to announce the extension of the public comment period for the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Draft Environmental
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Upcoming Events
Join Us for the KCIA 2026 FOD Walk! Get ready to step out and enjoy an awesome in-person event all about keeping our spaces clean and safe! The FOD Walk is a great chance to connect, learn, and have fun while helping out. Whether you’re a pro or just curious, everyone’s welcome to join the
[...]1. Call to Order 2. Public Comment 3. Business Agenda a) Discussion with Sen. Tina Orwall (35 minutes) • Legislative Agenda • Funding Sources for Mitigation b) SAMP DEIS Updates (15 minutes) 4. Next Meeting Date The next regular meeting of the Burien Airport Committee will be September 15, 2026, at 6 p.m. 5. Adjournment
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From The Web
National August 10, 20265:00 AM ET Heard on Morning Edition Joel Rose Transcript Download Transcript Dispatchers in Alaska Airlines’ Network Operations Center near the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Joe Nicholson/Alaska Airlines On a typical day, Alaska Airlines operates roughly 1,500 flights, most of them guided by a team of dispatchers on the sixth floor of an [...]
From The Library
As the source for federal transportation grants, the Puget Sound Regional Council was charged with developing a system to meet the growing need for commercial aviation. When the search for a second airport failed, they authorized the Port of Seattle to build the Third Runway, with a mandate to develop a noise abatement and mitigation program. In their effort to stop the Third Runway, the ACC argued over every detail of the Port's efforts--including property buyouts and sound insulation. The dispute was meant to be settled by a three member Expert Arbitration Panel. This is their final report. It finds 2-1, that the Port's program was insufficient in several respects. Despite that, funding for the Third Runway was approved by the PSRC, and the 'Port Package' program, proceeded largely unchanged. Expert Arbitration Panel's final decision finding that the Port of Seattle had not shown sufficient reduction in real on-the-ground noise impacts to satisfy noise reduction conditions required for approval of a third runway at Sea-Tac International Airport. The majority decision concluded the Port's noise abatement programs were insufficient despite being impressive in scope.continue...
Under The Flight Path
Under The Flight Path: A Community History of Sea-Tac Airport. Help us complete the first comprehensive documentary of any major US airport; the impacts on the cities and the people.continue...
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