Southwest defends Boeing Field plans

In the first public meeting on Southwest Airlines' proposal to move to Boeing Field, the King County Executive's Office yesterday softened its hard sell to remake the county's airport.

Kurt Triplett, chief of staff for county Executive Ron Sims, repeatedly insisted that Sims hadn't decided whether to support the Dallas-based carrier's proposal to leave Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and offer flights at Tukwila's King County International Airport, more commonly known as Boeing Field.

"No final deal has been reached," Triplett said. "We share concerns about noise, traffic and the economic impact, and if the issues cannot be addressed, the King County executive will not support the move and forward the proposal to the council."

About 200 people gathered to hear Southwest's chief executive, regional planners and various community members debate the proposal before the Metropolitan King County Council.

Triplett said the county is spending discretionary funds to hire consultants to study the economic impact. Sims' office plans to hold public hearings in November, and Sims is expected to make a recommendation at the end of the year.

"Did you hear him? They changed the message," said Councilman David Irons, R-Sammamish, who is challenging Sims in his re-election bid, after the meeting.

Many have criticized Sims for supporting Southwest's proposal, including the Port of Seattle, the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce and the state's congressional delegation.

On Friday, Alaska Republican Don Young, chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives committee on transportation and infrastructure, wrote to Sims, calling the proposal a "misdirected use of federal, state and local resources."

Yesterday, neighbors of Boeing Field and representatives of Tukwila and Magnolia added their voices to the chorus.

"We just don't want more big planes moving in," said Holly Krejci, who lives in Georgetown and worries about increased noise and traffic congestion. "Nothing will change our minds in these neighborhoods. We're going to fight this until it goes away."

Many wondered how the county would benefit economically.

Southwest Airlines Chief Executive Gary Kelly tried to assuage the concern. "We are not saying Boeing Field is going to become a rival Sea-Tac. We don't need a lot of facilities."

The company has offered to build a $130 million terminal with eight gates. Kelly said the move would allow Southwest to offer more flights in the region, and he was confident that pilots would be able to fly to the airport over Elliott Bay to minimize noise from the jets, which, he says, have the quietest engines in the Southwest fleet.

After Southwest's plans became public in June, Alaska Airlines also expressed interest in using Boeing Field. County Councilman Dwight Pelz, D-Seattle, recently proposed an ordinance that would require commercial airlines to pay all costs associated with moving to the county-owned airport. Yesterday, Pelz said there are enough votes to pass it, but other council members want to weigh yesterday's testimony and study the proposal before quashing it. It wasn't clear when the council would vote.

Sharon Pian Chan: 206-464-2958 or schan@seattletimes.com. Staff reporter Keith Ervin contributed to this report.