A set of daily tracks from March 1 to March 18, 2018, giving a representation of North Flow and South Flow departure and arrivals. To make sense of these we suggest reading our article on runways and flow. People who complain about the flight concentration immediately notice the pattern to ‘the funnel’, ie. the points
2018-09-24
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.
A commercial jet aircraft, viewed from below against a blue sky with scattered clouds, with concentric circle rings digitally overlaid centered on the aircraft, likely representing noise contours or radar signal propagation. The airline livery is not clearly legible, though the aircraft appears to be a twin-engine narrowbody or widebody jet.
2018-03-01
These flight track maps from the Port of Seattle show aircraft arrival, departure, and overflight paths at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on March 1–2, 2018. On March 1, the airport operated predominantly in South Flow (87% of operations, 953 flights), with a brief period of North Flow (13%, 145 flights); on March 2, all 1,118 operations were conducted entirely in South Flow. The maps illustrate how flight corridors shift direction depending on the flow configuration, affecting which surrounding communities—such as those north of the airport near Shoreline and Mountlake Terrace versus those to the south near Auburn and Pacific—experience the greatest noise exposure.
2018-03-01
These flight track maps from the Port of Seattle show aircraft arrival, departure, and overflight paths at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on March 1–2, 2018. On March 1, the airport operated predominantly in South Flow (87% of operations, 953 flights), with a brief period of North Flow (13%, 145 flights); on March 2, all 1,118 operations were conducted entirely in South Flow. The maps illustrate how flight corridors shift direction depending on the flow configuration, affecting which surrounding communities—such as those north of the airport near Shoreline and Mountlake Terrace versus those to the south near Auburn and Pacific—experience the greatest noise exposure.
2018-03-01
Port of Seattle flight track map showing aircraft operations at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on March 1, 2018, depicting North Flow operations only. The map displays overflights (blue), departures (green), and arrivals (red), with data indicating North Flow accounted for 13% of operations (145 flights) and South Flow 87% (953 flights) on that date.
2018-01-24
This January 2018 progress update from ESA presents an analysis of aircraft arrivals at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), examining whether notable changes occurred between 2013, 2015, and 2017. The study uses radar flight track data from July and December of each year to compare fleet mix, runway usage, and aircraft altitudes at six nautical miles from the airport. Key questions addressed include whether arrival numbers increased, whether traffic flow patterns shifted between north and south flow, and whether arriving aircraft were flying at different altitudes over the study period.
2000-04-13
In April 2000, the Des Moines, Washington City Council adopted Resolution No. 882, formally expressing its preference for the 'South Flow Two Tracks' flight path alternative proposed in the Port of Seattle's Part 150 Study. The Council found that existing flight tracks placed a disproportionate share of aircraft noise on Des Moines residents and businesses, and determined that the two-track alternative would provide the greatest noise relief. The City Manager was directed to submit the resolution to the Port of Seattle as the city's official position on southbound departure routes from Sea-Tac International Airport.
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