Tag Archives: Sea-Tac Airport

Port of Seattle

Port of Seattle Seeks Public Comment

Port of Seattle Schedules Review of Proposed 2020 Budget and Five-Year Plan, Continues Major Investments for the Region’s Future

The Port of Seattle will host two community open houses to review its 2020 budget and five-year capital development plans for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and the Maritime and Economic Development divisions. The plans outline the Port’s blueprint to further invest in infrastructure, maximizing efficiency and service to benefit the economic and environmental vitality of our region. You may read the full press release here, excerpted below.

Port of Seattle Open Houses

Community members are invited to learn about the Port’s preliminary 2020 budget and five-year capital development and investment plans at two upcoming open houses. Port staff will share information about investments at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and in the Maritime and Economic Development divisions. Staff will also share how the Port’s preliminary budget and five-year capital development plans respond to regional need by improving customer service, expanding economic activity across our region, and supporting healthy habitats and communities.

WHEN:             October 22, 2019, 5:30 to 7:30
WHERE:           Pier 69 Atrium (sign in at the front desk)

WHEN:             October 28, 2019, 5:30 to 7:30
WHERE:           Sea-Tac Airport Conference Center

Capital development projects make up the largest share of the Port’s spending. The preliminary 2020 budget includes capital spending of $644 million, with $570 million going to Sea-Tac International Airport, and $74 million going to Maritime and other divisions. In addition to the Port’s capital spending, the Port will contribute 50 percent to capital investments in the Northwest Seaport Alliance for marine cargo projects, including the current construction transforming Terminal 5 into one of the nation’s premier international container terminals.

The Port’s preliminary 2020 operating budget forecasts revenues of $812 million and expenses of $472 million. The 2020 operating budget allows the Port to respond to needs of business and community stakeholders with stronger organizational capability, advanced sustainability, and an improved customer experience at Port facilities.

The Port of Seattle is in the second year of a five-year investment plan designed to make our region a competitive maritime hub. The investments focus on asset preservation and prioritize economic development where our natural advantages align to economic growth opportunities.

Port of Seattle

Robots at Sea-Tac Airport

Last year, Sea-Tac airport found a perfect place for a robot to take over a repetitive but necessary task. During a study to figure out ways to speed up the security checkpoint process, one team found that standing in the security lines and encouraging passengers to remove items like belts and laptops early on before they arrived at the checkpoint helped the lines move more quickly. “They were able to measure improvement to the overall security checkpoint process,” says Wilson. “But after a couple of hours our team was pretty exhausted from nonstop talking with passengers.”

The team decided that a robot named Tracy would be the ticket. The robot-controlled sign spoke and provided advice on how to get through security quickly, by removing scarves, belts, and jackets in advance — and “she” did it in six languages and never got tired. Wilson says the experiment yielded a potential gain of 18 percent to 20 percent improvement to the overall security checkpoint process. Plus, he notes, “Tracy was quite a novelty and many passengers, especially children, took selfies with Tracy while waiting in line.”

Tracy, the passenger service robot

Tracy was just a pilot project, but she may be back soon. And if you’re walking through the airport today, you may just stumble across robots doing another job most humans find tedious: cleaning floors. One of Sea-Tac’s vendors, C&W Services, recently set a fleet of six self-driving floor-care machines in action at the airport. Brain Corp. provides the artificial intelligence software that manages and deploys the self-driving machine. The cleaning staff doesn’t need to directly operate the machines, so floor cleaning becomes autonomous. This allows the janitors to multitask and complete other work that requires a human touch while the floors get cleaned.

Floor cleaning robot at Sea-Tac

Read the full release from the Port of Seattle here.

Disability Assistance

Wearable Technology Assists Blind and Low Vision Travelers at Sea-Tac Airport

 

Aira

During a technology demonstration, Susan Mazrui, an Aria Explorer, shops for her daughter at a Sea-Tac Airport shop, with assistance over her cell phone.

The Port of Seattle recently introduced a pilot program for people who are blind or low vision that allows them to use a new technology to move more safely and independently through Sea-Tac Airport.

During the pilot program, there will be no cost to travelers to use the Aira service, which uses smart glasses and a cell phone mobile app to help them navigate from curb to gate.

This technology allows the user to speak to a certified live, human agent who can see the environment around the user in real-time. Agents then serve as visual interpreters for passengers to accomplish a variety of tasks in the airport—from viewing a flight information board to finding the cue line at a security checkpoint to verifying their luggage at a baggage carousel.

Sea-Tac is the first airport on the West Coast and is among the first airports in the nation to join the Aira Airport Network to provide this assistance.