Exh B
Exhibit B Port Commission Regular Meeting of July 23, 2013 1301 FIFTH AVENUE STE 2500 SEATTLE WASHINGTON 98101 2611 206 441 4419 WWW.WSCRC.ORG July 16, 2013 The Honorable Tom Albro The Honorable John Creighton The Honorable Bill Bryant The Honorable Stephanie Bowman The Honorable Courtney Gregoire Dear Members of the Seattle Port Commission: I have been given to understand that renovation of the customs area at Sea-Tac Airport will be on the agenda for the Port Commission meeting on July 23. I have some thoughts on that subject, but I will be away from Seattle next week and I hope you will accept this letter in lieu of my appearance at next week's meeting. As you know, our ties to China are vital to Washington'scommercial success. Increasingly, Chinese are also becoming major contributors to our state's tourism and academic institutions with tens of thousands of Chinese visitors coming to our state each year for tourism or business, or to pursue education. The vast majority of Chinese visitors and immigrants enter our state through Sea-Tac Airport. How welcome does Sea-Tac make them feel? International passenger activity at Sea-Tac has grown 59% since 2004; indeed, eleven new international flights have been added since 2007 alone (including Paris, Frankfurt, Beijing, Reykjavik, Osaka, Shanghai, Tokyo-Narita, and Dubai). Moreover, international flights per week will increase this summer from 110 to 128 compared to the summer of 2012. When you throw in the use of larger aircraft, more flights and new services, this represents an additional 5,200 weekly seats each way, an 18.8% increase over 2012. Due to aircraft scheduling, the key problem becomes the congestion at the customs area at Sea-Tac during the peak periods mid-day. The peak grew from 2 three flights in 2004 to seven in 2013 with an additional five anticipated to be added in the next five years. On a typical day, 1,200 international passengers now arrive in a single hour, creating capacity problems in the current facility which can lead to airlines holding passengers onboard aircraft due to a lack of space at the gates or in the inspection facilities. With reference to travel between Seattle and China, I am particularly concerned about the south satellite, where gates for Delta's and Hainan Airlines' service to/from China are located. The south satellite and the Federal Inspection Services (FIS) area opened in 1973. Since then, there has been minimal capital investment. With anticipated growth, the existing FIS facility will exceed capacity within the next five years. Facility congestion will result in longer minimum connection time between international and domestic flights beyond 90 minutes. In fact, congestion at the existing FIS facility is already a problem as I have experienced myself and has been reported to me on a number of occasions by other travelers from China. The problem is particularly acute with the inbound Hainan Airlines flight, which arrives mid-day. Given the crucial role that China plays and will continue to play in our state's economy, we want to make the best possible impression on our visitors from China, starting with their arrival at Sea-Tac Airport. Therefore, I respectfully request that the Port Commission approve initiation of the project planning required to ultimately provide an updated facility for welcoming our international visitors well into the future. With highest regards, I remain Sincerely, Joseph J. Borich President
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