Spring Break Arrives at Sea-Tac

-More than 100,000 passengers possible on Thursday & Friday-

Spring doesn't officially arrive in Seattle until the end of the week, but spring break has already arrived at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Passenger numbers are already up over a normal winter day, and expected to grow for the rest of the week.

"We could see about 100,000 passengers transiting the airport on both Thursday and Friday," said Gina Marie Lindsey, managing director of aviation for the Port of Seattle. "It will be really important for passengers to get to the airport two hours before their flights."

Port staff will work with airline personnel and the Transportation Security Administration as they would during any holiday period. Extra Port staff will be in the terminal, helping manage the flow of passengers.

Travel numbers at Sea-Tac have been steadily rebounding for the past several months, as compared to the year previous. February 2004 numbers were up about 3.5 percent over the same month in 2003, even after adjusting for this year's leap day.

"We're hoping that aviation might have turned the corner and be on the way back up," Lindsey said. "A strong spring break would only add to our optimism."

A total of 26,755,888 passengers transited Sea-Tac in 2003, an increase of .25 percent (one-quarter percent) over 2002. But the last two months of 2003 were very strong, and the trend seems to be continuing in early 2004. Port officials predict long-term growth of approximately three percent per year.