Seattle Tacoma International Airport is nearing pre-pandemic movement levels as the airport tries to get ahead and continue recovery.
Based on data from RadarBox.com, we will see how close the airport is to achieving that all-important figure and whether the Summer 2023 season will provide consistent results.
Without further ado, let’s get into the numbers…
Seattle’s Numbers…
For March 12-19, Seattle Tacoma International Airport handled 1,070 movements, based on a seven-day rolling average provided by the flight tracking company.
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This represents an increase of 0.75% compared to the same period last year and is around 104 movements shy of achieving pre-pandemic levels.
Below is the last four weeks’ worth of data for the airport:
| Date | 2019 Numbers | 2022 Numbers | 2023 Numbers | Percentage Difference (2023 vs. 2022) |
| February 12-19 | 1114 movements | 1009 movements | 1038 movements | +2.87% |
| February 19-26 | 1162 movements | 1022 movements | 1027 movements | +0.49% |
| February 26-March 5 | 1171 movements | 1006 movements | 1051 movements | +4.47% |
| March 5-12 | 1162 movements | 1031 movements | 1059 movements | +2.72% |
What we can see from the data is that the growth rates have been minimal, meaning that movement numbers are beginning to stagnate for the Seattle-based airport.
The Summer Season…
There is a potential for the stagnation in Seattle to come to an end by the Summer 2023 season, especially with its most active carrier of, Alaska Airlines.
Alaska Airlines’ average daily movements are at 541, as per RadarBox.com, but this number looks set to rise, based on an announcement made by the airline in January.
The carrier aims to hire 3,500 staff this year, with them based at the Seattle and Portland bases.
| Position | Alaska |
| Pilots | 550 |
| Flight Attendants | 1,000 |
| Customer Service Agents | 1,000 |
| Ramp Service Agents | 100 |
| Contact Center Agents | 240 |
| Maintenance Technicians | 135 |
| Management | 500 |
| Total | 3,525 |
With more flight attendants and pilots needed, this would indicate that more flights are due to take place with Alaska Airlines from Seattle.
“It’s an exciting time to join our team, and we’re eager to welcome more great people to Alaska,” said Andy Schneider, senior vice president of people at Alaska Airlines, in January.
“We offer a wide variety of positions, and we pride ourselves on nurturing talent and providing opportunities to learn new skills and move into new, challenging roles. Come join our winning team!”
This will no doubt be welcome news from Seattle Tacoma International Airport, especially if it means there are more flights to come in the short term.
Overall…
It remains clear that Seattle Tacoma International Airport has some work to do, but this may be made easier by Alaska Airlines’ plans for growth in the airport and in Portland.
All eyes will be on the airport to see how it can increase the number of movements in the Summer 2023 season.
If the airport has a successful period, then this could form the foundation for future schedules.
