SEATTLE – Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is now certified with the travel industry’s prestigious 4-Star Airport Rating by international air transport rating agency Skytrax. SEA is only the second large hub U.S. airport (serving 40 million or more passengers) to be recognized at the 4-Star Rating level.
This achievement follows the second anniversary of unveiling the new SEA airport brand and a suite of improvements that make the airport experience less stressful and more predictable. Today, travelers seeking help can find brightly colored green signs and customer experience uniforms, new digital tools like the flySEA App, SEA Spot Saver and Order SEA, and beautifully modernized spaces such as the N Concourse and International Arrivals Facility, opening in 2022.
“It is a testament to our incredible team, from frontline staff to airport leadership, that the airport earned this rating while also leading our FlyHealthy@SEA response to COVID-19,” said Port of Seattle Commissioner and Aviation Committee Chair Sam Cho. “Passengers are now seeing the benefits of our passionate service culture that’s inspired by the original nature of the Pacific Northwest.”
SEA is two years into a monumental decade as the airport ushers in a new era of customer-centered travel with better services, facilities, and amenities. The latest Skytrax audit at SEA was conducted in December 2021 and evaluated all customer facing areas of the airport, including an in-depth analysis of the International Arrivals Facility that is opening in the coming months.
“The last couple of years were certainly monumental for SEA, though not initially in the way we imagined when launching our new brand and promise to customers,” said SEA Managing Director Lance Lyttle. “I am so proud of our team for the humility and agility displayed throughout the pandemic while continuing to deliver on exceptional advancements and major investments in customer service, terminal appearance, and traveler experience. Every day, we elevate.”
4-Star momentum at SEA
Numerous positive changes at SEA led to the 4-Star Rating by Skytrax. Key factors include wayfinding and customer information improvements, seating and furniture upgrades, seat power rollout, and substantive upgrades to the dining experience. Further highlights include:
- Completed the modernization of the N Concourse with modern amenities, seismic upgrades, sustainable features, and improved building function. This bigger, brighter, and bolder space betters your experience with more dining and retail options, a diverse art collection that reflects the culture, spirit, and history of the region, nature inspired design, and a brand-new performance stage.
- Launched SEA Spot Saver, a first-of-its-kind reservation program for TSA screening for passengers flying out of Seattle! Experience expedited screening without a membership to skip the security line. Schedule your appointment up to 72 hours before your flight or when you arrive to the airport at the ticketing level of the terminal.
- Introduced the globally accredited and award-winning FlyHealthy@SEA program to protect the health of passengers and employees and restore confidence in air travel.
- Debuted the Sensory Room, a quiet area designed to reduce the stress of travel for those with neurological or developmental disabilities, to be a calming environment for those who may feel overwhelmed and overstimulated by the multitude of sights and sounds of the airport. SEA’s customer service team launched a social story and resource guide for neurodivergent passengers in partnership with ARC of King County and Washington Autism Alliance and Advocacy to prepare for travel during COVID-19.
- Unveiled the Interfaith Prayer and Meditation Room that welcomes all faiths and beliefs as an inclusive and peaceful place for meditation, worship, and reflection.
- Began welcoming non-ticketed passengers to enter the secure side of the airport with SEA Visitor Pass to send off and meet loved ones or eat, shop, and explore.
- Opened an updated and better located Lost and Found on the Baggage Claim level across from Carousel 13 that easier to find so you can find your missing items. The new location is double the size with more space for sorting lost items and space for a faster customer service.
- Expanded the size of the airport’s customer care team to help respond to customers questions on social media, text messages, and emails. SEA also won Skytrax’s 2021 World Airport Award for Best Airport Staff in North America.
- In 2022, SEA will open the International Arrivals Facility, a major project to make the international arrivals experience more predictable, more efficient, and more reflective of our region for internationally arriving passengers to Seattle.
"Seattle-Tacoma International Airport implemented a broad range of terminal improvement projects to benefit the customer experience, which includes the complete renovation of the N Concourse and soon the opening of the new International Arrivals Facility,” said Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted. “We are delighted to confirm the 4-Star Airport Rating to recognize these substantial changes as well as more nuanced upgrades to airport accessibility facilities such as the sensory room, a new interfaith prayer room, and SEA Spot Saver."
About Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Operated by the Port of Seattle, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) serves the people of the Pacific Northwest with essential services, access to hundreds of domestic and global destinations, and economic activity that supports tens of thousands of jobs and produced $20 billion in economic activity. At SEA, we promise to create, through a passionate service culture, an elevated travel experience that’s inspired by the original nature of the Pacific Northwest. We created the globally accredited and award-winning FlyHealthy@SEA program to protect the health of passengers and employees and restore confidence in air travel. For more information about our U.S. Top 10 airport, visit www.flysea.org and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Every day. Elevate.
Contact
Perry Cooper | SEA Airport Media Officer
(206) 787-4923 | cooper.p@portseattle.org
