b'TERMINALSSEA 17employees, tenants and frontline staff took familiarization anddetailed familiarization and induction training tour, says Goedken. training tours that covered airline and ground handler operations,Preparatory sessions included exploring all exits, validating that all passenger processing, carousels and baggage handling systems,equipment works as it should and reviewing standard operating new operating procedures, waste management, restrooms andprocedures. other amenities. They also participated in security and emergencyWith the help of hundreds of volunteers, SEA conducted a response drills.passenger flow simulation to evaluate passenger journey elements As youre planning and building a new facility, you need to talksuch as elevators and escalators, wayfinding and signage, to stakeholdersfind out who is using the facility, who is aroundbaggage claim, amenities, inspection and re-check. the facility and who is going to occupy it, relates Goedken. ThisThe airport took a measured approach to opening the new helps ensure that Operations teams are familiar with their newInternational Arrivals Facility, beginning with a soft opening that workplaces. Operational trials allow the ORAT team to verifyran a few early morning flights through the facility beginning the that the facility and its systems meet stakeholder and passengerweek of April 19. That soft opening is the benchmark, Goedken needs.relates. That phase lasted roughly three weeks and allowed the Some people think ORAT comes at the tail end of a project,team to hammer out any further issues. The complete cutover Lyttle relates. For us, it starts in planning.then occurred overnight. With additional projects slated for years to come, having an in-house ORAT team benefits all of SEA, Goedken adds. It managesChallenges Yield Lessons organizational and project knowledge from design throughFor Goedken, this has been SEAs most complex project because opening, ensuring that new facilities meet operational needs andit spans landside, terminal and airfield areas, and it involves people know how to operate within them, he explains.more than 20 airlines and five federal agencies. From an ORAT perspective, you can never start planning early enough, he About 2,000 employees were trained about the ins and outsadvises. And you always want to make sure that you have the of the new facility prior to opening day. We give them a very Dont Get Blindsided.Operational Readiness is the blind side for most airports.With so much at stake, you cant afford to take chances.CitiriOS takes the guess work out of operational readiness. Thats why airports with high-stakes projects, like SEA, ATL, LAX, SFO, MUC and others trust us for blind side protection.Learn more at citiri.com/blindsideAirportImprovement.comMay | June 2022'