TagSouthwest Airlines(10)

This document traces the history of commercial airport capacity and noise policy decisions in the Central Puget Sound region from 1973 to 2006, focusing on Sea-Tac Airport. It covers key milestones such as the Port of Seattle's various noise mitigation programs, agreements with the Highline School District, and debates over building a third runway and expanding Boeing Field. The chronology highlights the ongoing tension between meeting growing air travel demand and addressing the noise impacts on surrounding communities and schools.

In October 2005, King County Executive Ron Sims rejected proposals from Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines to move commercial passenger service to Boeing Field (King County International Airport). Southwest had proposed an $130 million, 8-gate terminal for up to 85 flights per day, while Alaska Airlines followed with a $150 million proposal for up to 100 flights per day, but the competing proposals together would have required costly environmental review, significant public funding, and were projected to cause major noise and traffic impacts on surrounding neighborhoods. Sims concluded that while either proposal alone might have been feasible, accommodating both was impossible under his criteria of no taxpayer subsidies and no significant noise or traffic harm to communities.

This March 2004 newsletter from the Regional Commission on Airport Affairs (RCAA) covers several key developments around Sea-Tac Airport, including the Port of Seattle's closed-door attempt to secure a $198.1 million federal bailout for its third-runway project and a $192.6 million construction bid from a local contractor consortium. The newsletter also reports on Southwest Airlines cutting Sea-Tac to Spokane flights due to high operating costs, King County denying two permits for a Maury Island gravel mining operation, and an upcoming public hearing on Boeing Field's Master Plan environmental impact statement.