Port of Seattle spending millions on terminal redesign

Images released by the Port of Seattle this week show just how much one terminal at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport will change over the next few years.

The Seattle Times reports port commissioners unanimously approved the redesign for the airport’s North Satellite terminal on Tuesday.

Plans for the 40-year-old North Satellite terminal call for an increased number of gates, from 12 to 20, which adds about 181 square feet to the facility and more than doubles the existing dining and retail square footage — 19,000 to 46,000.

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Additionally, an upper-level mezzanine with open circulation, natural light, and full-service dining will be added.

Seismic upgrades will also be completed through the facility and the transit system lobby and baggage handling area will see improvements.

A full list of renovation details can be found here.

The estimated cost for the port’s portion of the renovation is $549.9 million. Alaska Airlines will contribute an estimated $36.8 million to build a new board room and employee spaces.

The terminal, according to the Times, will be used exclusively by Alaska Airlines. However, the project will be funded by all airlines that use Sea-Tac.

The design is expected to be finished by the winter of 2016. Construction is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2017. The project is set to be completed by the spring of 2021.

In addition to the North Satellite renovation, another $29.2 million will be spent on main terminal improvements, and $20 million will be used on refurbishing the baggage system; among other smaller projects.

Busy travel season

The improvements were approved after a record-setting travel season.

• July 2016 was the busiest July in the airport’s history. Nearly 4.7 million passengers passed through.
• July 2016 had 300,000 more passengers at Sea-Tac than in July 2015 — a 6.5 percent increase.
• Domestic travel was up 6 percent, and international travel was up 12 percent from the previous July.
• In 2015, Sea-Tac saw a 12.9 percent increase in traveler levels over the previous year — a total of 42.3 million. That was after a 7 percent increase between 2013-14.
• Sea-Tac is now the 13th largest domestic airport in the United States, based on passenger levels.

In response to the busy travel season, the port added personnel to deal with security lines, as well as organizing volunteers to assist with customer service and TSA. More traffic control staff was assigned to move drivers along at the concourse.

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