Helpful Tips for Your Holiday Travels at SEA

What’s better than a short hug welcoming family and friends for the holidays? How about a looonggger hug with 90 minutes of free evening parking and the return of SEA Visitor Pass. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is decking the halls this season with assorted activities, making your trip more festive. Plus, enjoy the open, airy new space on the north end of ticketing as construction walls have come down, and look for more travel tips on SEA’s recently relaunched website.

Once again, SEA Airport offers a break in the airport parking garage for those picking up or dropping off travelers during the evenings of the busiest week this holiday season. From December 20 to 27, 8 p.m. to midnight, a 90-minute grace period will be in effect for General Parking. You can spend that extra time greeting travelers in the terminal or dropping them off without having to struggle with congestion on the drives. To make your trip even easier, try entering at the south end of the airport garage off International Boulevard and 182nd Street.

Enjoy holiday festivities

The holiday season will be bright and festive at SEA! Interact with your favorite holiday characters roaming the concourses, enjoy live music from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. each day, and explore interactive snow globes positioned throughout the terminal, while you learn about holiday traditions from around the world. You might even run into Jett the SEA Otter, the recently announced SEA Airport mascot (at selected events and times).

SEA Visitor Pass is back!

Plus that longer hug thing — you can take advantage of those opportunities while meeting arriving travelers. The SEA Visitor Pass program is finally back, so you can register to go beyond the security checkpoints even if you don’t have a boarding pass. Meet someone, drop them off, or just come and enjoy the entertainment, food, and views of aircraft heading to fabulous places!

Be ready for wide-open spaces!

That’s right, some major construction walls have come down! At the north end of the main terminal in ticketing, we’re past Phase One of the SEA Gateway project. That means more room to take advantage of new check-in technologies in light, bright spaces when you’re checking in for your flight. The SEA Gateway project continues for another year. With Checkpoint 5 closed, watch for Pathfinders and volunteers in green for directions and guidance through security checkpoints.

Numbers to know

Over the two-week holiday period from December 19 to January 2, over two million travelers are forecasted to pass through SEA Airport. That’s two percent above 2023 but about 5 percent below record numbers from 2019. The highest days do not reach levels near the summer travel period which is the busiest at SEA. The busiest days of the holiday period are currently projected to be:

• Friday, December 20, 172,000 estimated overall travelers (arriving, departing and connecting)
• Thursday, December 19, 164,000 passengers
• Tuesday, December 21, 160,000 passengers
• Sunday, December 22, 151,000 passengers
• Monday, December 23 and Thursday, December 26, 146,000 passengers

Note: In comparison the average volume day in August 2024 saw 175,000 passengers.

Go-to tips and tricks

Arrive early. Avoid feeling rushed by getting to the terminal at least two hours before your boarding time for a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight. When planning, factor in the time you need to travel from off-site parking or drop-offs to the terminal. More than one-third of SEA’s daily passenger volume arrives at the airport before 9:00 a.m., causing busy conditions at TSA security checkpoints and on the airport drives. Two more peak periods occur from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. and from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m.

Take advantage of SEA Spot Saver. Secure a spot in line to make the security checkpoint process easier. Checkpoint wait times are currently not available online or in the terminal, but staff in green will be there to guide you. Once you’re through the checkpoint, use SEA’s interactive map for directions to your gate, favorite restaurant, or amenities.

Avoid traffic. Bypass the congested Arrival and Departure drives by using public transportation, airport parking, rideshare, taxi/limo, scheduled airporter, door-to-door van service, or a shuttle option. When picking someone up, briefly park in the SEA Airport parking garage, entering from the south, to meet arriving travelers in the terminal, then exit together through the garage without ever using the drives. You can even pick up a coffee while you’re waiting!

Think opposite. If you choose to use the drives, use the lower Arrivals drive instead of the upper Departures drive during peak morning hours, and vice versa if you’re picking someone up in the evening. Or use whichever lane is moving faster — they both go to the same building.

Try SEA Reserved Parking. Reserve a parking space on Floor 4 of the airport’s parking garage for a minimum two-day stay. From there, it’s a short walk across the skybridge to the terminal. Reservations fill up quickly. We recommend reserving at least two weeks in advance, so consider booking ahead for the December holidays.

Head straight to security. Check in for your flight ahead of time and download or print your boarding pass. Review your airline’s baggage policies, and if you don’t need to check a bag, head straight to the security checkpoints.

Pack appropriately. Planning to transport gifts for the holidays? Follow TSA guidelines, and know what goes in carry-on vs. checked luggage.

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Contact

Perry Cooper | SEA Airport
[email protected]