Two local citizen coalitions — the Burien Quiet Skies Coalition and Quiet Skies Puget Sound — wrote to Port of Seattle leadership in May 2020, urging them to pause and reassess the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) in light of the COVID-19 pandemic's dramatic reduction in air travel demand. The letter argues that the Port's planned $3.4 billion capital investment program relies on outdated pre-pandemic assumptions, and cites concerns raised as early as 2019 by Alaska Airlines about the SAMP's oversized gate count, disconnected north terminal design, and excessive costs. The signatories call on Port Commissioners to revise all passenger and revenue projections before committing public and airline funds to infrastructure that may no longer be justified.Open full document
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Two local citizen coalitions, the Burien Quiet Skies Coalition and Quiet Skies Puget Sound, write to the Port of Seattle Executive Director and Commissioners critiquing Motion 2020-06 and the COVID-19 economic recovery plan. The letter argues that the Port’s $3.4 billion capital investment plan, particularly the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP), is based on outdated pre-pandemic assumptions about aviation demand. The authors call on the Port Commission to re-examine, redefine, and re-estimate all SAMP projects in light of dramatically reduced air travel demand and concerns previously raised by Alaska Airlines.