Case Study
Challenge
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), the 11th busiest airport in the United States, has experienced consistent growth over the years, reaching record levels in 2024 of nearly 53 million passengers and handling 36 million bags. Forecasts predict that 2025 volumes will be even higher. The combined steady rise of international and domestic passenger flights caused the existing Baggage Handling System (BHS) to reach capacity. Since the BHS was segmented by area, each carrier was restricted to certain ticket counters, makeup units, and sort pier destinations for baggage pickup. In 2017, the Port Commission authorized a large Baggage Optimization Project, ensuring reliability, flexibility, and efficiency for airlines, passengers, and the TSA. This project would consolidate the entire baggage system, create a centralized screening area for all airlines and TSA, and connect all ticketing and sortation sub-systems to allow bags to be checked in at any point and reach all sortation/make-up destinations.
2,200
conveyors
7
miles of conveyor
$190 million
US Dollar BHS investment
Challenge
Primary Drivers
- Increased passenger traffic
- Outdated technology
- Need for security improvements
- Integration of additional airlines into the central screening system
This considerable undertaking was split into three separate projects or phases. Daifuku completed the first phase of the Baggage Optimization Projects (BOP1) in 2020. During BOP1, construction was started for the centralized screening area and Alaska Airlines was tied into to the new system.
Phase 2 (BOP2) would see the centralized screening area expanded to full size and the replacement of the North Terminal sortation and make-up system along with the tie-in of the North ticket counters.
Solution
A consolidated baggage screening and sortation system
As part of SEAs Phase 2 of the Baggage Optimization Project (BOP2), Daifuku Airport America Corporation was awarded the contract to expand SEA’s screening capacity, replace its sortation system, and upgrade the electrical panels for numerous inbound baggage carousels. BOP2 is the second phase of a three-phase project.
In 2021, installation of the BHS began in partnership with the Port of Seattle, Hensel Phelps and the key installation subcontractors IPC Lydon and VECA Electric & Technologies. Daifuku worked closely with the Port of Seattle and the team to create a consolidated baggage screening and sortation system that would allow bags to be checked in at any location and moved to the bag room.
The BOP2 project involved upgrading the existing centralized screening area located in the Central Terminal, modifying the ticketing feeds, sortation system and reclaim feeds in the North Concourse as well as connection to the South Satellite make-up and transfer inputs.
Sustainability is a high priority at SEA. The existing conveyors ran around the clock, consuming excessive energy. Daifuku upgraded the conveyors with a new system that uses run-on-demand technology, stopping when conveyors are not in use. This energy management system has the potential to reduce overall energy consumption by 30 percent a year.
To maintain the airport’s expansive operations, BOP2 was broken down to 64 individual steps. Each step was brought online sequentially, providing minimal impact to the baggage flow and the passenger experience at SEA.
Completion of BOP2 was achieved in November 2024. The final phase (BOP3) is planned to replace the South Terminal screening and sortation systems as well as tie-in all the remaining ticket counters, including the international airlines. This is due to begin in the third quarter of 2025 and is expected to be complete in five years.
Airport technology focus area
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