Introduction
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is the international hub that hosts thousands of passengers annually. It started functioning after the end of World War II as a commercial airport, and since then, it has undergone significant changes. The airport works according to national safety regulations, and the state supervises its work. It is possible to hypothesize that Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is an example of a prolific organization that changes according to the requirements of the time.
History
The history of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport dates back to World War II when the military constructed it for its needs. The airport was built in 1944 in Port Seattle, and its first civilian flights started only in 1947 (Pintos, 2021). The geography of the flights expanded gradually: the first scheduled flights from this airport were performed by Trans-Canada and Northwest. Several years later, Pan Am started to work with Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. In all cases, the opening ceremony happened in 1947 after the war ended, and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was opened for civilians (Pintos, 2021). It shows that it was possible to use the airport for civil aviation regardless of the initial military purpose because it corresponded to all necessary standards.
The airport was reconstructed significantly in the 1950s – 1960s, which allowed it to host more people and planes. The two-story terminal Concourse D and one-story South Concourse were constructed during that period (Pintos, 2021). In 1973, 10 more gates were opened at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. In the 1980s, the existing 35 gates were renovated to correspond to safety standards. The last improvements happened in 2004 when 14 new gates in Concourse A were opened (Pintos, 2021). At this moment, there is also the moving sidewalk on its territory, the art exhibition, and many restaurants to provide people with a great experience at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Grivas, 2022). It was a serious project that aimed at making the airport an innovative place. There are plans to create the transpacific hub at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, increasing traffic significantly and requiring more improvements (Grivas, 2022). Nowadays, there are 103 gates in general in the airport situated in two separate buildings (Grivas, 2022). Therefore, the positive changes require much work and expansion of the airport.
NPIAS Classification
The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems provides professionals with the criteria to evaluate the airport’s functioning objectively. According to the NPIAS classification, the airports are divided into non-primary ones and primary or commercial airports (Federal Aviation Administration, 2021). The categorization depends on the airport’s proximity to other hubs, the aircraft number, and the commercial services it provides (Federal Aviation Administration, 2021). According to this characteristic, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is the primary commercial airport regardless of its initial military purpose of construction. According to the statistical data, it enplanes more than 2,500 passengers annually, which corresponds to the description of a publicly-owned airport for commercial service (Federal Aviation Administration, 2021). It underwent significant changes after World War II, and it was not used for non-commercial purposes after that time.
Management and Organization
The annual number of passengers in Seattle-Tacoma International Airport increased from the 1970s. It raised from 5 million people to 50 million passengers in 2018 (Grivas, 2022). The subsequent years, 2019 and 2020, were marked by a significant fall in passengers to 20 million people annually due to the restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic (Grivas, 2022). At this moment, the number of people who visit Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has increased stably (Wilson, 2022). These numbers show that management at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport works effectively and uses the right strategies in their decisions to improve the number of people who use it.
At the same time, most people do not have another choice but to visit the international airport, which means that other details reflect the successful functioning of this organization. For instance, the expansion of the leisure zone, dozens of places to eat on the airport territory, and other details make Seattle-Tacoma International Airport a convenient place to wait for a plane (Wilson, 2022). The surveys that airport managers use to check the visitors’ opinions allow them to make objective conclusions about the organization’s strong and weak sides (Storto, 2018). Therefore, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport preserves the quality of services at a high level, which makes it an example of a good airport.
Comparison to Other Airports
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport have much in common. First of all, they both belong to a similar type of airport: they are commercial service airports. The number of scheduled flights corresponds to the requirements of this category. Second, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport have a similar role to other airports. Both of them are international hubs that host planes from other countries. It supposes that they have a system of document control that is necessary for all airports of this type (Port Authority NY NJ., 2022). Moreover, it determines their size and the number of additional services they provide to people who use them as hubs. For instance, these two airports have many opportunities for recreation and leisure, which is essential during long traveling.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport are both autonomous entities owned by the state. It is necessary to mention that most airports in the territory of the United States have a similar type of ownership (Port Authority NY NJ., 2022). At the same time, there is a comparatively small percentage of private participation in the supply of services for air navigation (Storto, 2018). It ensures that the airport’s function according to the same safety rules and state regulations determine their construction, improvement, and work.
Public Relations, Political, and Social Roles
It is impossible to state that Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has a critical social or political role. Its public relations department is associated mainly with explaining incidents and problematic issues to society. The airport has official representatives who speak to the media from the organization’s side. For example, the most recent case happened in 2018 when the unknown stole a Horizon Air Bombardier Q400, which was empty at that moment, and crashed it on Ketron Island (Sailor et al., 2018). This situation shows that the public relations department of the airport usually has to speak to the media representatives when something extraordinary happens that disrupts the everyday work of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. These incidents are comparatively small, which shows that the discussed airport has functioned without significant problems for many decades.
Conclusion
It allows us to conclude that Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is an example of an airport that provides passengers with a safe flight experience and relaxing time on its territory, which are the essential components of its success. It has a long history, which shows that its geographical location is convenient for aviation. Nowadays, the airport functions according to all safety standards and provides passengers with high-quality services connected with air transportation.
References
Federal Aviation Administration. (2021). National plan of integrated airport systems (NPIAS) 2021-2025. U.S Department of Transportation. Web.
Grivas, E. B. (2022). What to know about Sea-Tac Airport’s new arrivals facility. Seattle Times. Web.
Han, S. (2020). What are the common airport operations? Everglades University. Web.
Pintos, P. (2021). International arrivals facility at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport / Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Arch Daily. Web.
Port Authority NY NJ. (2022). John F. Kennedy International Airport. Web.
Sailor, C., Robinson, S., Krell, A., Ocker, K., & Kidd, S. (2018). Turboprop stolen from Sea-Tac crashes on Ketron Island in Pierce County. The News Tribune. Web.
Storto, C. (2018). Ownership structure and the technical, cost, and revenue efficiency of Italian airports. Utilities Policy 50, 175-193. Web.
Wilson, B. J. (2022). Seattle-Tacoma Airport 101: The ultimate guide to SEA. The Points Guy. Web.