Project Description

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

Client: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

The Facility Determination Analysis (FDA) was undertaken to better define the facility requirements in the north Main Terminal (Zone 7) as part of the North Sea-Tac Airport Renovation (NorthSTAR) program. The initial focus was on expanding/reconfiguring the north checkpoint, providing some form of passenger check-in facilities, as well as infrastructure and aesthetic improvements. The analysis covered the 2014 – 2023 period, with future years needs addressed through the Port’s Sustainability Airport Master Plan (SAMP) effort.

The primary purpose of the L&B analysis was to optimize and identify long-term improvement options to increase the capabilities in the north end of the Main Terminal for overall passenger circulation, passenger check-in, and security checkpoint throughput.

L&B reviewed the expansion, reconfiguration, and simulation of the existing security screening checkpoints (SSCP) and check-in areas for Alaska Airlines in Zone 6 and 7 of the main terminal at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).

L&B utilized computer simulation software (ARCport) to analyze the movement and LOS of passengers processing through the existing and preferred SSCP and check-in configurations. This simulation model was used to analyze the capacity of the existing SSCP as well as analyze different impacts that changes in TSA staffing will have on passenger throughput, queue lengths, and wait times.