September 24, 2018August 1, 2026

Seattle Times 24 hours of arrivals at Sea-Tac Greener Skies not implemented on west side of zipper merge

A flight-track map published by The Seattle Times (graphic by Emily M. Eng, sources: Port of Seattle and Esri) showing all arriving flights at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on September 24, 2018. The graphic illustrates that the Greener Skies plan's westside-arrival procedure had not been implemented as designed, with planes flying up to 15 miles farther north than intended rather than turning over Elliott Bay and downtown Seattle.

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Flight tracking visualization showing arrival patterns at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on September 24, 2018, illustrating how aircraft approach paths have not implemented the Greener Skies plan for westside arrivals. The map demonstrates that most planes fly up to 15 miles north before turning south to the airport instead of turning over Elliott Bay and downtown Seattle.

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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.

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