PORT OF SEATTLE 
MEMORANDUM 
COMMISSION AGENDA               Item No.      7b 
STAFF BRIEFING 
Date of Meeting   September 8, 2015 
DATE:    September 01, 2015 
TO:     Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer 
FROM:    Elizabeth Leavitt, Director, Aviation Planning and Environmental 
SUBJECT:  Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) Planning Update 

SYNOPSIS 
This briefing provides an update on SAMP planning. The Sustainable Airport Master Plan
(SAMP) will provide a facilities plan to guide cohesive development both in the near- and
long-term. 
The April SAMP planning update to Commission included a preliminary evaluation of airfield
capacity. The SAMP team is still in the initial stages of airfield simulation modeling and has
now calibrated a model which will be used to assess the capacity of the existing airfield and 
potential future capacity with identified capital improvements. The model will be run under
several scenarios involving various weather condition and aircraft flow patterns to provide a
comprehensive understanding of the benefits of potential airfield improvements.
The team is also continuing to develop a plan for phased facility development driven by the
need to expand gates. Central to the planning analysis is the question of one vs. two terminals.
Cost/benefit and level of service considerations factored into the one vs. two terminal analysis
cover criteria in every major functional area of the airport. Options for roadway redevelopment
to provide terminal access, for example, are vastly different under a one vs. two terminal
scenario and are driven by the need to satisfy very different requirements and present uniquely
challenging design and construction issues. 

BACKGROUND 
In September 2012, the Port Commission approved scope and budget of $6,000,000 for the
creation of a Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP). Since October of 2014, staff has
briefed the Commission four times on SAMP planning progress, including: forecast results and
challenges associated with planning to accommodate forecast activity; and preliminary options
for terminal, landside and cargo development.
The master plan process provides an opportunity to take a comprehensive assessment of
facilities capacity and forecasted demand over 5-, 10-, and 20-year timeframes. Airport master
plans are typically prepared approximately every 10 years. The last formal master plan for Sea-
Tac was developed in the mid-1990s and was focused primarily on the third runway. 

Template revised May 30, 2013.

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer 
September 01, 2015 
Page 2 of 2 
The primary objective of an airport master plan is to provide a roadmap for the phased
redevelopment/expansion of facilities, maintaining a balance of capacity in all key functional
areas. Overall airport system capacity is limited by functional areas with the least capacity. 
Terminal and landside facilities are generally balanced to the fixed capacity of the airfield.
Through alternatives development and evaluation, the SAMP will culminate in a capital
improvement program and plan of finance that will deliver cost-effective projects to remove
capacity pinch points, increase efficiency and provide a high level of service to airport
customers. 
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS BRIEFING 
PowerPoint presentation 

PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS 
April 28, 2015 - Commission Briefing: "Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP)
Planning Update" 
March 24, 2015 - Commission Briefing: "Briefing on Sea-Tac Cargo as part of the
Sustainable Airport Master Plan" 
January 27, 2015 - Commission Briefing: "Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP)
Planning Update" 
October 7, 2014 - Commission Briefing: "Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP)
Forecast and Facilities Challenges" 
February 28, 2014 - Commission authorization to amend the existing Sustainable
Airport Master Plan (SAMP) service agreement with Leigh Fisher Associates for IAF-
related planning tasks for an increase of $3,650,000 and a new total contract amount
of $9,650,000 
September 5, 2012 -  Commission authorization for SAMP development and to
advertise and execute a contract for consulting services for the SAMP, with a total
estimated value of $6 million 
August 14, 2012 - Commission deferred consideration of a request to approve funding
for the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) 
June 27, 2012 - Commission Briefing: "Terminal Development Challenges"