Getting people out of cars is key to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.
In April, I joined the Port's Aviation team at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), along with SEA Managing Director Wendy Reiter, SEA employees, and stakeholders, to officially launch SEA Moves – the Port's Transportation Management Association for the airport.
It was a moment I've been looking forward to since co-sponsoring the authorizing order back in 2024, and seeing it come to life felt like a genuine milestone for the more than 20,000 workers who keep SEA airport running every day.
Getting to and from SEA has never been simple. Many airport workers begin their shifts before transit service even begins in the morning or finish long after the last buses have stopped running. For years, that reality left too many workers with no practical option but to drive — adding to congestion in surrounding neighborhoods, straining family budgets with parking and fuel costs, and making it harder for employers to recruit and retain the talented people our airport depends on. SEA Moves is our commitment to doing better.
Read my January Op-Ed in The Urbanist about the Commission’s efforts to prioritize and advance employee-centered strategies.
SEA Moves will offer free resources and classes for those who are currently biking or walking, as well as those who need some encouragement. Resources include free on-site bike tune-ups, biking safety classes, bike buddy programs, events and promotions, gear, and other giveaways for those who want to bike and walk to work. On that last point, I'm especially proud that the Port has already made available the same ORCA pass benefit that Port employees get to over 20,000 SEA workers — giving SEA workers a real, reliable, no-cost option to get to work. That's not a small thing. For a worker who commutes five days a week, that's hundreds of dollars back in their pocket each year.
Hearing from Managing Director Reiter and our partners at Alaska Airlines reinforced something I believe deeply — when the Port and our airport tenants move in the same direction, the impact for workers is real and lasting. SEA Moves works precisely because it isn't just a Port initiative; it's a shared commitment across the employers and organizations that make up the SEA community.
Our airport workers are the backbone of our regional economy. They deserve an airport and workplace that invests in them, not just in the infrastructure around them.
I'm grateful to all the Port staff, our transportation stakeholders, and employers, for helping bring this program to life.
If you work at SEA and want to learn more about the commuting options now available to you, visit the SEAMoves website.
All my best,
Toshiko Grace Hasegawa
Commissioner, Port of Seattle
Top photo caption: Commissioner Hasegawa joins Cassie Uribe of Alaska Airlines and SEA Managing Director Wendy Reiter for a ceremonial ribbon cutting
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