Seattle-Tacoma (SEA) International Airport
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Known for its amenities and great cheap SEA car rentals, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is affectionately referred to as Sea-Tac. Serving 31 million passengers, Sea-Tac is the country gateway to the Pacific Northwest. It's the U.S. 7th busiest airport with a central terminal consisting of four branching concourses, and north and south satellite terminals. Affiliated with over 20 airlines, Sea-Tac offers non-stop international flights around the globe to South Korea, Calgary, UAE, Beijing, Canada, Dubai, China and Seoul, as well as destinations across the country.
Sea-Tac is owned and operated by the Port of Seattle, Washington State's first public port. It is one of largest air cargo airports in the Northwestern part of the U.S. and is rated by the passengers who use it as being one of the best in the world. It also has rental agencies which offer incredibly cheap SEA car rentals to those passengers.
History
At one point, Seattle's natural harbor was congested with rail companies. There was a knot of rail lines, warehouses and docks. In hopes of alleviating this blockage and to serve the region's civilians, the Port of Seattle built Sea-Tac in 1944 with funds acquired from the City of Tacoma and the Civil Aeronautics Administration. Later improvements included the addition of cheap Seattle car rental agencies.
The first concourse was added in 1959 and another in 1964. In 1967, the Port began a major expansion that ran four years. When completed there were two satellite terminals, a second runway and other improvements. In 1973, they unveiled an underground train system that connected their satellites to the main terminal.
In the early 70s, area communities sued the Port alleging the airport operation (noise, smoke, vibrations, etc.) hindered their lifestyles. In response, the Sea-Tac Communities Plan was launched in 1976. Intended to address issues and protect the surrounding region, the Port bought property in the vicinity and began implementing sound mitigation.
Today, Sea-Tac and the Port continue to be staunch advocates of noise reduction and environment protection. In 2011, they announced new polices for energy efficiency that will be maximized over a 25 year period. This includes reducing emissions by 50 percent over 2005 levels and restoring habitat acres in the Green/Duwamish and Elliot Bay areas.
The Sea-Tac airport continues to offer many of the cheapest SEA car rentals in the area.