If any commercial airline wants to relocate flights to King County International Airport, it had better expect to pay for all the necessary costs of terminals, parking garages, roads and other infrastructure needed for scheduled passenger service. That’s the message of legislation introduced today by members of the Metropolitan King County Council opposed to current negotiations by Southwest Airlines to move some of its operations from Sea-Tac Airport.

“King County taxpayers and the businesses that work out of Boeing Field are not going to pay for Southwest to set up shop there,” said Councilmember Dwight Pelz, prime sponsor of the legislation and whose district includes the airport. “Our residents don't want to hear the noise from 80 planes a day flying over Magnolia, Queen Anne, West Seattle, and Beacon Hill. We are not going to subsidize this, and if the Airport and Southwest want to move forward, they better understand the ground rules.”

Federal law prevents a ban on commercial flights out of King County International Airport (KCIA). The proposed ordinance would require air carriers providing scheduled passenger service at KCIA to pay the costs for all facilities and operations related to providing such service, except those costs that can be paid by federal or other grants.

“While thousands of people remain homeless on King County streets, it is inconceivable that the County would pay one cent toward building an additional terminal and the infrastructure that would be needed at Boeing Field to provide passenger service,” said Councilmember David Irons, co-sponsor of the ordinance. “The taxpayers of King County are not interested in subsidizing corporate welfare. Taking jobs and boarding fees away from Sea-Tac Airport is not economic development. It would be the ultimate example of ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul.’”

“Increasing the roar of flights at Boeing Field is going to raise the noise level throughout our region,” said Council Chair Larry Phillips, whose district includes the Queen Anne, Magnolia and Ballard neighborhoods that are on the flight path from KCIA. “The FAA has literally just approved plans that were a decade in the making to help reduce the noise of existing private and commercial flights at Boeing Field. Those new flight paths will become worthless if scheduled passenger service is allowed to overwhelm them.”

Pelz and Irons have already introduced legislation to forbid use of County funds for the recruitment or support of passenger services at KCIA. That motion is still pending in committee.