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If you traveled through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport last year, you helped passenger numbers climb to more than 28.7 million, an all-time record for the Port of Seattle and a strong indication of an improving economy for the region.
2004 was a banner year as projects at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and the Seattle Harbor were completed and records were set in cargo volumes, airport and cruise passengers and new regional job creation.
At Sea-Tac, the growth in passenger numbers is due to both business and leisure travelers returning to the air, and the rapid growth of cruise passengers choosing Seattle to begin their seven-day Alaska cruises.
The all-new Concourse A opened in June. It has 14 gates and is home to American, Delta, Frontier, Hawaiian, Sun Country, ATA and Sea-Tac’s newest international carrier China Airlines that came on board in June.
One of the distinctive elements of Concourse A is the public art visible to travelers. Nearly $2 million worth of commissioned art is included in the project. Other new features include new restaurants, shops and moving sidewalks.
In the new Gina Marie Lindsey Arrivals Hall, a 70-foot-tall, 300-foot long window welcomes travelers with abundant natural light, and a unique rock and water feature connects the inside and outside with a Northwest flair.
To help make moving through the airport easier and more efficient, the new Satellite Transit System was brought online, ahead of schedule and under budget. The new $161 million subway carries passengers to the north and south satellites and features improved lighting and public art in the stations. And now travelers can use any security checkpoint to get to the terminals, because they can travel between satellites once they have passed security.
Air cargo also is experiencing growth, especially in the international freight market which increased by 28 percent during the first six-months of 2004.
Additional components of airport growth are the new Central Terminal Expansion scheduled to open in the early summer, and the continuing Third Runway project.
About six million cubic feet of clean fill will be trucked to the site to level the area needed for the new runway. The embankment will be held in place by concrete walls with distinctive artwork integrated into the exterior face. The walls will feature a ship with figureheads at each end, and layered images of Puget Sound such as sea plants, rain forest lichen and native birds.
The airport isn’t the only part of the Port experiencing growth. The volume of cargo passing through the Port’s four marine cargo terminals exceeded a record 1.8 million containers in 2004.
After a slight dip in cargo movement in 2002, the terminal expansion programs at Terminals 5 and 18 are paying off. The $73 million expansion of Terminal 46 was completed in November bringing total cargo-related expansion and upgrade investments to almost $1 billion over the past decade. Hanjin Shipping, along with the terminal operator Total Terminals International, recently extended their commitment to stay at T-46 in Seattle through 2015 with an option to extend through 2025.
And Seattle has become a very popular cruise port. Since 1999 when six cruise ships called on Seattle, the Port has expanded its facilities to accommodate anticipated growth. During the 2004 season more than 150 ships took more than 562,000 travelers on seven-day trips to Alaska and back.
The growth is impressive yet the economic impact of cruising makes up just a portion of the revenue and taxes the Seattle seaport generates. A recent study showed that the cruise industry was responsible for more than 1,700 local jobs, $59 million in payroll, $208 million in business revenue and $5.9 million in state and local taxes.
The Port is working with their cruise line customers to reduce air emissions and wastewater. At Terminal 30, Princess Cruises ships can hook up to shore power rather than run their diesel engines while in port. In 2004 the cruise lines operating here also signed an agreement that prohibits the discharge of untreated wastewater from their ships, encourages the use of the most advanced waste water treatment systems, and requires strict monitoring and documentation of wastewater management practices.
Airports are like cities that never sleep, and Sea-Tac is no exception. Each month, baristas at the airport's many latte stands go through two tons of coffee grounds. Now they’re getting those grounds out of the garbage and sending them to composting facilities in southeast King County, where they are mixed with yard waste and other material to become commercial compost. The airport uses the finished compost from those same facilities on airport landscaping.
This recycling effort is good for the environment, and saves a few thousand dollars a year in landfill fees. Overall, airport recycling and energy conservation initiatives save the Port about $2 million annually.
In addition to recycling coffee grounds, batteries and paper, the Port removed more than 1,500 creosote-soaked pilings from the marine environment last year. Some were replaced with concrete piles to enhance and strengthen docks and the South Wall at Fishermen’s Terminal while others were taken away to make room for shoreline repair and enhancements. Dock enhancements are crucial to keep the facilities modern, keep customers happy, and reduce impact on the environment.
Record amounts of container cargo moved through Port of Seattle terminals in 2004.