Sea-Tac Airport Garage Expected to Fill Wednesdays and Thursdays

Parking increases outpace passenger levels

The parking garage at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is experiencing record busy days during the mid-week and airport officials expect this to continue through April. The garage, which can accommodate 9,700 cars, filled to capacity on several Wednesdays and Thursdays in March. The mid-week crowding is believed to be caused by a combination of business and leisure travelers during this time of year, according to Airport Operations Director Michael Ehl.

"Although it's busy in the terminal, we are not seeing record-setting numbers in passenger growth," said Ehl. "Clearly, more people are using the convenience of parking in the garage."

With spring break around the corner for local public schools, travelers are encouraged to consider other transportation options to get to the airport, to plan to park in one of the many off-site lots, or to leave extra travel time to find a place to park in the crowded garage. Signs on the airport entrance roadways and e-mail alerts will let travelers know when there are fewer than 500 parking spaces available in the garage. People who would like to receive real-time e-mail alerts about parking can go to the Port of Seattle's website www.portseattle.org and click on "Sign up for our e-mail lists" and choose "Airport Traveler Update."