Travel to the Big Game is just ahead of the mid-winter break President’s Day holiday and Valentine’s Day at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). There are lot of positive changes at SEA over the last few months as 2025 saw another record year for passenger volumes. SEA encourages everyone to be prepared by getting familiar with the new check-in technology, checkpoints, and rideshare app pick-up area. Plus, a pitch for SEA Ambassadors for the Summer of Soccer!
SEA Gateway is fully open!
Yes, it’s true — we’re past the maze of construction on the north end of the main terminal with the SEA Gateway Project now fully open! The Alaska Airlines ticketing area is bright, airy, and tech efficient with 62 places to check in and drop bags. This includes the new Bridge Level check-in as you enter along the skybridges from the airport garage — BTW anyone can use them!
Checkpoint 6 is open again after a major redesign with double the queuing space and triple the space to collect your bags and recompose after screening. It provides six efficient security lanes and features dramatic high ceilings, public art, and expanded restrooms. It has quick access to the D and N Concourses and offers passengers General, PreCheck, Touchless ID, Premium, and CLEAR+ screening options. Along with renovated men’s and women’s restrooms, the redesign makes several amenities available before security for the first time: a companion care restroom with an adult changing table, a nursing room, and a water fountain and refill station.
This checkpoint remodel follows the June opening of the new Checkpoint 1 on the south end of Baggage Claim. Take a look at the revised layout in this checkpoint map to find your easiest access. Or try a new one to see if you like it!
Bag Claim open as well!
More good news — all scaffolding on the Baggage Claim level has come down, bringing two new bag claim devices at 15 and 16, plus more elbow room and dozens of new art pieces have found homes in new display cases. And you’ll notice better lighting and updated ceiling tiles. Yay! This is part of the rolling $5 billion worth of Upgrade SEA capital projects.
Valentine’s Day Activities
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a family-friendly craft table outside the Children’s Play Area near A gates (10 a.m. – 1 p.m.), and a visit from Jett the SEA Otter (10:30 – 11 a.m.). Plus, you’ll find the SEA Pups passing out Valentine’s cards while the Pathfinders and Info Desk Volunteers will don Valentine’s-themed necklaces and hand out holiday candies throughout the day!
Be a SEA Ambassador for Summer Soccer!
Do you want to help welcome the world to Seattle for the summer’s big international soccer tournament? SEA is looking for individuals to help support travelers with wayfinding, general travel questions, and tourism insights. SEA Ambassadors will be part of the team giving the best first impression of our region! Find more information on our site as applications open February 16.
Passenger numbers to know
The Big Game will be seeing additional flights from several airlines; however, the President’s Day holiday will have larger passenger volumes. From Thursday, February 12 to Monday, February 16, nearly 900,000 travelers are projected to travel through SEA Airport (arriving, departing, and connecting). Passenger traffic is estimated to be up 4% from 2025 with the busiest days projected to be:
- Friday, February 13 — 169,000 passengers
- Thursday, February 12 — 158,000 passengers
- Saturday, February 14 — 153,000 passengers
For context, the largest-volume day at SEA was in August 2025 at 207,000 passengers. Overall, the busiest time of the year for SEA is the summer from June through August (unlike many other airports).
SEA exceeds record passenger numbers for 2025
The annual passenger count for SEA just barely set another record in 2025 by a tenth of one percent with 52,715,181 counted overall (a 0.08 % increase from 2024). International traffic volumes were up 7.8 % with domestic traffic down 1%. 2024 was the first time SEA exceeded pre-pandemic traffic numbers with 52,670,712.
Think ahead for airport parking
There’s still time to reserve your parking in the reserved section of the airport garage. We recommend reserving it soon before it sells out. General Parking may be available for drive-up, but remember to allow extra time to find a stall during this busy season.
Ride app pick-up area doubles in size
The rideshare area on the third floor of the airport garage has doubled in size to facilitate more efficient service for providers and travelers. The renovations have increased the number of vehicle stalls to 69 — the first increase in the area since app-based rideshares were developed. Rideshare drivers will find the drive-in, drive-out capability allows easier, more efficient movement. Reminder: Ride safely! Only accept rides from verified operators and refuse offers for transportation from strangers. Before entering a vehicle, use your app to verify your trip information. Report any offers from unverified operators to the nearest uniformed officer or SEA employee.
Expressway construction
Roadway Improvements construction continues. It makes the roads look challenging, but the same number of lanes are still available on both drives. New lanes have opened for the upper Departures drive, while lower Arrivals drive access is being shifted to temporary lanes to the west. This allows for new grading below. Eventually, two entire new lanes will be added by spring 2026. Avoid the congestion on the airport drives by using alternatives to driving, including Link light rail, public transit, app-based rideshares, taxis/limos, scheduled airporters, door-to-door van service, and shuttle service.
Real ID is in place with ConfirmID
REAL ID is here — be ready! The REAL ID Act requires anyone traveling by airplane to use a REAL ID-compliant document. Check the full list of accepted ID documents or look up information through the Washington State Department of Licensing. If you don’t have a Real ID–compliant document, be aware that it may take you longer to get through security checkpoints. In addition, ConfirmID began February 1, giving travelers without a Real ID an optional alternative identity verification system for a $45 fee.
Go-to tips and tricks
Arrive early. Avoid feeling rushed — get to the terminal at least two hours before your boarding time for a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight. 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 a.m., causing busy conditions on the airport drives and at TSA security checkpoints. Two more peak periods occur from 2 to 5 p.m. and from 9 to 11 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, on the flySEA App, or in the terminal, but staff in green can guide you to the best queue for you. Use SEA’s interactive map for directions to the checkpoints, your gate, a favorite restaurant, or amenities.
Avoid traffic. Bypass the congested Arrivals and Departures 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 International Boulevard entrance 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 all go to the same terminal.
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.
SEA is here to help. SEA’s Customer Care team is available to support passengers before, during, and after their trips. Real help is available by phone, email, social media, or chat support through Customer Care Connect, which offers closed captions and translations in more than 60 languages. Once you’re at the airport, you can find our team in green from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the two Information Desks or use Customer Care Connect touchscreens at the Information Desks by Checkpoint 4 and Gate A6.
Try a social story for help traveling. The SEA Airport Social Story and Resource Guide is designed for travelers with autism or other invisible disabilities to repeatedly review with their family or caregivers prior to travel.
Contact
Perry Cooper | SEA Airport
(206) 787-4923 | [email protected]
