Sea-Tac Veteran Named to Pilot Airport’s Future

The Port of Seattle did not have to look far for the next leader for the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.  Wendy Reiter, the airport’s long-time security director, has been named Managing Director of the Port’s Aviation Division, taking charge at one of the most critical junctures in the airport’s 75-year history.

By all accounts, the workforce and airline customers are cheering Port Executive Director Steve Metruck’s appointment of Reiter to head one of the nation’s fastest-growing airports. 

Reiter is a 24-year veteran of SEA Airport (its preferred name) with responsibility over the airport’s physical security, the Fire Department, emergency preparedness, and credentialling. The Montana native rose through industry ranks, formerly working for Southwest and Northwest airlines. As such, she has longstanding relationships with airport managers, airlines, labor unions, and federal agencies including Customs and Border Protection and Transportation Security Administration. She is widely considered an authority on aviation security and currently chairs the Airport Council International’s U.S. security committee.

Among leaders of the nation’s top 10 airports, Reiter is one of only two women serving as chief executive. The other is Sarah McKeon, director of aviation for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

She will take over from interim director Arif Ghouse, who has served since March 2025 when former managing director Lance Lyttle resigned to head the Orlando, Florida, airport authority. Ghouse is expected to remain at SEA in another leadership position.

The Port employs 1,200 workers, while the total workforce (including airlines, contractors, retail workers, and federal agencies) at the airport has grown to 24,000. The airport’s 2026 operating budget is $992 million, with capital spending set at $835 million this year.

“My focus will be on the people and the work of the airport,’’ Reiter said. “I can’t think of any other work I’d rather do.” She acknowledges the airport’s biggest long-term challenge: How to expand the cramped airport’s passenger terminal to keep pace with growth in air travel in an era of rapidly escalating costs. The airport handled a record 52.6 million passengers in 2024, which is expected to rise to 57.2 million in 2032 and nearly 60 million by 2037.

The airport has spent $5 billion over the past five years to upgrade its 1970s-era facilities, yet the price tag for future expansion with a new terminal could be twice that figure or more. Even as airlines push for more passenger capacity, the Port is hearing a growing chorus of criticism and expects litigation from neighboring airport communities over noise and air pollution.

“We have a great responsibility to our community to meet the aviation demand in the region through excellent service, improved sustainability, and with an eye toward continually expanding opportunities equitably,” she said in a prepared statement. “Our leadership team and employees are ready to meet these challenges, and I am honored by the opportunity to lead SEA.’’

Reiter was one of three finalists for the position after a nationwide search. “She has a proven track record of 35 years,’’ said Metruck, the Port’s Executive Director, citing her broad airport and airline experience.  “Wendy is a proven collaborator and problem-solver.”

Reiter is credited with helping to navigate the airport through immigration controversies and the cyberattack that crippled Port computer systems for months.

At the top of her to-do list, Metruck said, is completing terminal improvements in time for the World Cup soccer matches in Seattle in June and July that are expected to draw 750,000 spectators. That news will be a relief for airport passengers who have been forced to navigate confusing construction zones throughout the terminal for years.

Also, this year, the airport will complete the second phase of environmental review for its massive Sustainable Aviation Master Plan (SAMP), which will likely be SEA’s last major expansion before it runs out of room.  The keystone of SAMP is a new passenger terminal with 19 new aircraft gates, along with many runway and safety improvements.  An early cost estimate pegged the project at $5 billion, but more recent estimates put it at $10 billion or more.

Air traffic continues to grow, although officials caution that the Trump Administration’s trade disruptions and immigration enforcement may put a damper on tourism, as evidenced by the slump in Canadian visits.

Alaska Airlines’ recent announcement of plans to buy 110 new Boeing airplanes, including long-haul 787s, and Alaska’s plans for a big new Concourse C lounge, sent a strong signal of confidence in SEA. The announcement also underscored the urgency for the airport to add more aircraft gates.  Seattle will become Alaska’s international hub, utilizing the Asian routes of recently acquired Hawaiian Airlines. Alaska will be going head-to-head with its chief competitor, Delta Air Lines, so to fill those overseas flights Alaska will draw more domestic passengers to Seattle.

“Being a major hub for two airlines creates a lot of demand,” Metruck said. Figuring out financing, planning, designing, and managing the projects will put tremendous stress on Reiter and her staff. “She’s the right person to do it,’’ he said.

With bills to pay for current projects, and the looming costs for the SAMP project, the airport is facing a significant cash crunch. Reiter and her team will be charged with evaluating project priorities and finding ways to cut costs. Alternative funding approaches, such as public-private partnerships, may be considered.

“We’re in a bit of a sticky situation with regards to SAMP,” said Port Commissioner Sam Cho.  Non-aeronautical income from parking, retail, and food sales is “flat-lining,’’ he said, and construction costs are soaring. “She will have some tough choices going forward at the airport,’’ Cho said.

Later this year, following the environmental studies, the Port Commission will review and take action on the staff’s recommendations about which project elements should go forward. Commission approval of major elements of SAMP is likely, given the forecasts of even more passenger congestion and longer screening lines.

The airport is a major regional economic driver and south King County’s largest employer. A key question will be how the Commission addresses community complaints about health and noise impacts, which are largely under the purview of the FAA. “I genuinely believe SAMP will improve many of the issues airport communities are concerned about,” said Port Commission President Ryan Calkins.

Because of the cash shortfall, Metruck said the Port will reappraise the planned renovation of the 1970s-era S Concourse (former South Satellite). Costs have ballooned to more than $2 billion but the renovation would add no new passenger gates. The construction would take many gates out of service for months, requiring passengers to be bused to their airplanes.

Airlines pay the lion’s share of airport infrastructure costs. All have lined up in opposition to a full S Concourse renovation — until the airport brings new passenger gates into service. For now, they say renovations of the facility should be limited to the most essential safety improvements, such as earthquake strengthening.

If there is a critical issue where Reiter lacks recent direct experience, it is managing relations with the airport’s restless neighbors: Burien, Des Moines, SeaTac, Normandy Park, Tukwila, and Federal Way. The airport faces potential litigation from the cities over the health impacts of aircraft emissions and roaring jet noise. A UW study found ultra-fine particles from burning jet fuel in the air near the airport, creating risks of respiratory and other ailments. Burien, Des Moines, and SeaTac jointly filed a petition in federal court challenging the FAA’s decision that the SAMP projects would have no significant environmental impact.

Asked about her expectations about the new airport director, Burien City Council mayor Sarah Moore said she hopes Reiter will make a personal effort to better understand the communities. “A big one would just be visibility.  I look for someone who will come to the community and understand what it’s like to be on the ground near the airport,’’ said Moore, who lives directly beneath the flight path. “Community health should be a priority, along with economic development.” Lyttle, the former airport director, is credited with creating committees for communication with the cities, but Moore said they do not go far enough.

Calkins expects Reiter will engage quickly with city leaders.  “Wendy has many years of experience with challenging situations,’’ he said.  Reiter’s appointment “gives me tremendous confidence in the future of the airport,’’ Commissioner Toshiko Hasegawa said.

Metruck said Reiter’s appointment signals stability after a turbulent 2025. Port officials believe her collaborative style and deep institutional knowledge will help SEA navigate financial pressures, community concerns, and federal policy uncertainties. Lyttle, who headed the airport for nine years, was an operational expert but often seemed uncomfortable with internal Port politics and life in Seattle far from his Jamaican roots.

“Wendy is one of the most respected and most loved people at the airport,’’ said Bookda Gheisar, senior director of the Port’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion office. The Port’s EDI model “depends on leadership support, and Wendy is one of top supporters, always leading with equity,’’ she said.

Many of the critical issues will be out of the leader’s control, such as Trump’s aggressive immigration and trade policies, but will still add expense and complexity to airport operations. Metruck said he and the Commission have confidence Reiter is up for those challenges. “I feel good about having a steady hand at the wheel at the airport,’’ he said.