With school schedules hitting the pause button, spring break is about to multiply the number of travelers through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). Read on — SEA is offering travel tips to tackle security checkpoints and reserve parking. We’re also highlighting new roadway lanes, space expansions, and your chance to volunteer as a SEA Ambassador for a summer of soccer!
Checkpoint check
First things first, arrive early (two hours before domestic and three hours before international flights) and think ahead about your way through TSA security checkpoints. Big thanks to all of the local TSA employees helping keep checkpoint wait times at a minimum. If you haven’t seen it, the new Checkpoint 1 on the south end of Baggage Claim is a great choice. 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. Take a look at the revised layout in this checkpoint map to find your easiest access.
SEA Spot Saver and Trusted Traveler
Take advantage of SEA Spot Saver to secure a spot in line to make security checkpoint access easier. Also try other Trusted Traveler options, such as TSA PreCheck, to see what works best for you. When in doubt at the terminal, SEA staff in green can guide you to the best queue for you, including Family and Military lanes. Use SEA’s interactive map for directions to the checkpoints, your gate, a favorite restaurant, or amenities.
Think ahead for airport parking
Get guaranteed parking in the airport garage during spring break by reserving your parking now. 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.
Expressway construction
Are those new lanes you see? Yes, they are! The Roadway Improvements project has created two new lanes entering the drives from the Airport Expressway. One lane goes directly to the garage, and the other is for shuttles and rideshare access to Floor 3, leaving two dedicated lanes for public traffic. Still to come in this project is moving the pick-up/drop-off point for the Rental Car Shuttles to the north off the lower drive. Another trick to avoid congestion is driving farther down the drives to drop off or pick up travelers — it’s only a few doors farther and there’s often more room to pull over.
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. Don’t forget Sound Transit is launching new services on March 28 — opening the Crosslake Connection and introducing a new Night Bus service between Downtown Seattle and SEA.
Become an 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 here as applications are now open.
Ride app pick-up area doubles in size
The rideshare area on Floor 3 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 with drive-in, drive-out capability for 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.
The passenger numbers
Most of the major school systems in the region are out for Spring Break the first two full weeks of April, and that’s when the jump in travelers happens. From Thursday, April 2 to Monday, April 13, nearly 1.8 million travelers are projected to travel through SEA Airport (arriving, departing, and connecting). Passenger traffic is estimated to be up 1% from 2025 with the busiest days projected to be:
- Thursday, April 2 — 162,000 passengers
- Friday, April 3 — 155,000 passengers
- Saturday, April 4 — 155,000 passengers
For context, the highest-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).
Try the Bridge Level on the north end
If you haven’t seen it, the north end of the main terminal of the SEA Gateway Project is now fully open! The Alaska Airlines ticketing area is bright, airy, and tech-efficient with 62 places to check in and drop off bags. This includes the new Bridge Level check-in as you enter along the skybridges from the airport garage — BTW, any Alaska Airlines travelers can use them!
More space at Bag Claim
Baggage Claim-level construction is also done, bringing two new bag claim devices at 15 and 16 (and a new 7-Eleven), plus more elbow room, and dozens of new art pieces in new display cases. And you’ll notice better lighting and updated ceiling tiles. A few more dramatic art pieces are still to come!
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 method 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.
Avoid traffic. Bypass the congested Arrivals and Departures drives by using public transportation, airport parking, rideshares, a taxi/limo, a 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 Customer Care is available to support you before, during, and after your travel. Real people are providing real help on the phone, email, social media, or live chat – a new offering that is available in 29 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, 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]
