PORT OF SEATTLE 
MEMORANDUM 
COMMISSION AGENDA             Item No.      7b 
STAFF BRIEFING             Date of Meeting    January 8, 2013 
DATE:    December 28, 2012 
TO:     Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
FROM:    Wendy Reiter, Director, Aviation Security 
Dave Soike, Director, Aviation Facilities and Capital Program 
SUBJECT:  Future Baggage Handling at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Airport) 

SYNOPSIS: 
This briefing will contrast the differences in baggage system development in the past and 
present, and discuss a recent planning effort to identify necessary baggage handling changes to
accommodate long term passenger growth here at the Airport. The briefing will also discuss
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) projects that have shorter term implications. If
each effort moved ahead independently, then the Airport would go through another painful
period of federal security renovations similar to what happened between 2001 and 2006.
As a result, Airport staff are working with the TSA to meet its near-term need to upgrade 
baggage screening facilities while also finding ways to fold that project (and funding) into
necessary long term planning for the Airport-wide baggage system required to support long-term 
passenger needs  as much as twice today's demand. The TSA work involves replacing baggage
scanning machines along with conveyor systems that feed the machines. Past experience tells us
that this work will be invasive and disruptive to travelers, airlines, and adjacent Airport
operations. This TSA work is necessary and must move ahead.
However the shorter term TSA changes only affect part of the bag system, and therefore do not
adequately advance capacity to meet future Airport needs. If the TSA machines are replaced in
their current locations, much of that investment will be "thrown away" when we build new
baggage handling/screening capacity to handle passenger growth. In order to ensure that both
TSA and airport investments have the longest lifespan possible and are cost effectively jointly
planned, Airport staff needs to cooperatively work with the TSA over the next six months to two
years to plan and design baggage improvements to respond to long term needs and to benefit
both parties.
BACKGROUND: 
The TSA approached the Airport last year with their plan to replace all of the federally owned
and operated security baggage-scanning machines that are approaching the end of their lifespan.
The TSA is deploying newer machines with improved technology that operate at a faster rate,
which enables the agency to reduce the number of machines. Fewer machines enable federal
operation and maintenance costs to decrease. However, when the newer, faster machines are

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
December 28, 2012 
Page 2 of 2 
installed, they require significant conveyor changes that reach out into the facility beyond just
the immediate area of the machines. In addition, many of these machines are "encased" by a
labyrinth of conveyor systems. These ancillary conveyor changes also necessitate facility
changes.
The Airport currently processes approximately 33 million passengers and their bags over the
course of a year. The overall maximum capacity of the Airport is projected at approximately 60
million annual passengers. Air traffic continues to grow, and while the future annual rate of
growth is unknown, it can be predicted that the Airport will reach maximum capacity over the
next two to three decades. The Airport's current baggage system capacity may reach its
maximum capacity in this decade. It is certain that the Airport's baggage system will need to be
upgraded and expanded in the future to meet the ultimate capacity of the Airport.
In the first half of 2012, the Airport and TSA collaborated on a study to identify alternatives for
replacing the existing federally owned and operated security baggage-scanning machines. After
review of that study, the TSA returned in December and suggested that the Port and TSA engage
in further concept planning and preliminary design during the next six months.
OTHER DOCUMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS BRIEFING: 
Supplement  PowerPoint Presentation 
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS: 
May 10, 2012  TSA's interest in a national recapitalization and optimization plan for
all baggage screening operations was referenced in a design authorization request for
the C60  C61 Baggage Handling System Modifications Project. 
June 26, 2012  The Airport's baggage system were discussed during a briefing on
Terminal Development Challenges. 
August 7, 2012  Baggage system recapitalization was referenced as one of the drivers
for the need to develop an Airport Sustainability Master Plan. 
August 14, 2012  Baggage system recapitalization was noted in the 2013 Business
Plan and Capital Briefing as a significant capital project not included in 2012-16 capital
program.