Airport Experience® News - Post-Conference Issue 2026

LATEST BUZZ

Left: Completed in January 2026, the SEA Gateway Project transformed the north end of the main terminal. (North Main Terminal Credit HOK and Sozinho Imagery)

Keith Hui, regional leader of aviation and transportation at HOK , the global architecture and design firm, led the design. As Alaska Airlines expands international service following its acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines , the north end is seeing more travelers from Asia and Europe who need intuitive, easy-to-navigate spaces. “In an international environment, clear wayfinding is essential for multicultural and multilingual passengers,” Hui says. “We prioritized generous circulation space, expanded queuing areas and strong sightlines so travelers can easily understand the next step in their journey.” To root the space in its region, HOK drew from the Pacific Northwest. “Warm wood tones and locally sourced artwork reflect Seattle’s character while creating a calm, welcoming atmosphere,” Hui says. The design also integrates advanced technology consistent with leading global airports. Regional identity and high performance work in tandem. That approach built on lessons from earlier work at SEA. “Each project at SEA builds on the last,” Hui says. The Concourse D Annex established a regional identity through its exposed timber structure and a ramp connecting two floors. “With the SEA Gateway Project, the goal has been to create a seamless journey from check-in through security for Alaska Airlines passengers in the North Main Terminal.” “Open, more light, more space, better customer experience is what drove all these designs,” Cooper says. “Those guidelines go to everyone who bids on each project. We want everything throughout the airport to have that same look and feel.” Building a major airport while operating it at full capacity is a feat few travelers fully appreciate. At SEA, that tension has defined daily life for years. Everything is now converging at once. Former SEA managing director Lance Lyttle, now director at Orlando International Airport , once described the challenge of building at SEA as “performing heart surgery on a long-distance runner during a race.” The race isn’t over. But SEA is rounding the final turn.

the upper Departures Drive, coming into view as travelers round the corner into the terminal. Along the lower Arrivals Drive, Dutch artist Sabine Marcelis is contributing a glass color gradient installation on the rental car shuttle bus canopy, casting colored light day and night. The Gateway Project The $546 million SEA Gateway Project, another Upgrade SEA milestone, reached completion in January 2026. The collaboration with Alaska Airlines transformed the north end of the main terminal with automated bag drops, a

redesigned security checkpoint, bridge level check-in, upgraded baggage claim devices and eight major public art installations. The Gateway Project’s redesigned checkpoint and expanded lanes have had an immediate impact on passenger flow. “93% have gone through security in 20 minutes or less,” Cooper says of security times, up from 83% a couple of years earlier. Staff feel the shift too. The construction walls and scaffolding that defined the north end for two years are down. “More light, more space, the technology is updated, and it looks more modern,” Cooper says.

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AX NEWS APRIL/MAY 2026