Ron Sims - Boeing Field Airlines Proposal

Boeing Field Airlines Proposal

In July 2005, Southwest Airlines formally proposed plans to spend $130 million on a passenger terminal and other facilities and move the airlines operation from Sea-Tac Airport to Boeing Field after several months of negotiations with Sims. The proposal from Southwest prompted Alaska Airlines to announce it would seek a similar agreement with the county. The proposals were met with opposition from residents of Georgetown, the Seattle neighborhood north of Boeing field, many of Washington's state and federal legislators, and the Seattle Chamber of Commerce. After months of pressure from the opposition, Sims killed Southwest's and Alaska's proposals in October 2005, stating that while the area around Boeing Field may have been able to support Southwest's bid with only minor road improvements, it could not support both the Southwest and Alaska proposals without major infrastructure improvements.