Seattle/Tacoma Intl Airport (SEA) Flights & Flight Status

Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA) Airport sits 12 miles south of downtown Seattle and 22 miles north of Tacoma. It’s the Pacific Northwest’s largest airport, with more than 35 airlines offering service to more than 90 non-stop domestic and more than 30 international destinations. SEA is also my hometown airport and I’m there quite often. Not just for the start and end of travel adventures, but sometimes just to poke around. In this guide, you’ll find my navigating tips for SEA and some insider tips to help you enjoy it like a local.

Seattle-based Alaska Airlines has a hub at SEA, as does Delta Air Lines. The airport has 1 main terminal with 4 concourses (A,B,C and D), two satellite concourses (North and South) accessed via an underground train plus an International Arrivals Facility (IAF). Like so many other airports, SEA is getting bigger. So don’t be surprised if you encounter construction projects underway. The ‘reveals’ at SEA always make the inconveniences worth it.

How to get to and from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

Travel time between Seattle and SEA is at least 30 minutes by car, cab, or ride-hailing service but can be longer during morning and afternoon rush hours. It’s easier and much less expensive to make the trip on the Link light rail, which covers the route in about 40 minutes.

There’s a covered but not completely enclosed walkway stretching about 1000 feet between the SEA light rail station and the first terminal entrance, which is on the fourth floor of the airport multistorey car park. From 05:00 to midnight daily, the airport has a golf cart-like shuttle providing free rides back and forth. I usually enjoy – and need – the walk to and from the terminal but have no qualms about hopping on the shuttle when I’m running late or in hurry to get home.

Tip: Ride-hailing fares in Seattle are higher than in many other cities and your bill can rise quite a bit when airport drop off/pick up surcharges and time-of-day surge charges get added. If you’re heading to or from the airport from downtown, keep in mind that several taxi companies offer a flat rate on that route. At SEA, look for the 2-colour cabs stationed on the 3rd floor of the multistorey parking.

Navigating Security Lines at SEA

Seattle serves more than 50 million passengers a year and during peak travel times such as holidays, school breaks and during the summer, the security checkpoint queues can get long. If you don’t have membership in a paid trusted traveler program such as TSA Precheck or CLEAR you can get a booking for expedited screening at a dedicated lane for free by using the virtual queueing programme called the SEA Spot Saver. It operates daily from 04:00 to 22:00 at Checkpoints 2, 3, and 5, and you can make an appointment online through the SEA website or the flySEA app.

Tip: If there are no SEA Spot Saver slots available when you try to book ahead of time, don’t give up. Try again on your way to the airport or at the airport, as last-minute slots often open when people don’t show up. I have TSA Precheck but at SEA those lanes can also get long. So, I sometimes make a Spot Saver booking while standing in the TSA Precheck line. It means I have to go to different land and remove my shoes when escorted to the ‘regular’ lane, but there have been instances when I get through the security lines faster than friends who insisted on staying put on the TSA PreCheck line.

If you’re arriving on an international flight at SEA and don’t have Global Entry, you can access an expedited lane with the free Mobile Passport Control app. The app will ask you to take your photo, add your passport information and answer customs declarations questions. Once you’re in the customs hall, you can skip the standard lines and join the faster Mobile Passport Control lane.

Amenities at SEA

Food, drink and shopping

The dining and shopping options at SEA are diverse and many much-loved local brands are represented. I have my dining favourites, but when queues are long, I place an order for collection at one of the more than twenty participating restaurants on OrderSEA.org or the FlySEA app.

Art and music at SEA

You’ll see art all over SEA, even in restrooms and the bag claim. The collection began in the 1960s and has grown in reputation, size and value over the years. On my strolls around the airport, I visit old favourites by iconic artists such as Frank Stella, Louise Nevelson and Robert Rauschenberg and enjoy spotting all the new additions. It’s like a free museum visit before my flight.

SEA also has a free concert series. On most days there are local artists performing at four locations in the airport: outside the Sub Pop store by C concourse, in two spots in the Central Terminal and at the N Concourse Marketplace. You can see the schedule and the performers on the SEA website or the flySEA app.

Airline lounges at SEA

Alaska Airlines, which has its headquarters in Seattle, has three lounges at SEA. There are also lounges for Delta Air Lines, United, British Airways, an American Express Centurion Lounge and two locations for The Club at SEA, which is part of the Priority Pass programme and offers day passes to all travellers.

In most lounges, access can be based on ticket class, airline alliance or the credit cards you own. If you gain access to the to the posh America Express Centurion Lounge on the mezzanine level of the Central Terminal, look for the portrait of the Seattle skyline made from coffee beans and the photo portraits of famous musicians and other notables who hail from the Emerald City.

Luggage services and luggage storage at SEA

Seattle is a major summer cruise port for Alaska-bound travellers. Many disembarking passengers head straight to the airport and end up hanging out in the check-in lobby for hours because most airlines don’t allow bag check-in more than 3 hours before a flight. To address this, the Port of Seattle (which operates SEA) hosts the Port Valet bag programme. The complimentary service allows cruise passengers to check in their bags on their cruise ship and have their luggage go directly to the airline.

Regular checked bag fees will still apply, but using the Port Valet programme means that cruise passengers can spend time in the city without their bags and can then skip the hassles of the bag check lines when they get to the airport.

Tip: Smarte Carte, located in the Bag Claim between Carousels 9 and 10, offers short-and long-term storage for luggage and for other items such as bicycles, golf clubs and skis. They also sell boxes, tape, bags, locks, dog bowls and kennels, stamps and postage supplies, gun and rifle cases and boxes to transport fish. You can also stop here to rent car seats, boosters and buggies. I’ve used the storage service more than once to leave a set of house keys or a gift for friends arriving in town when I’m away.

Hotels near SEA

While there are no on-property hotels at SEA, there are plenty of hotels close to the airport, including a handful just across the street. A bonus for guests staying at more than 30 partner hotels in the communities near the airport is the free SeaTac Shopping & Dining shuttle providing transportation to and from the nearby Westfield Southcenter. The service runs daily, except for certain holidays. When I have an early flight, I sometimes book a hotel near the airport and use the shuttle to start my holiday early with dinner, a film and shopping at the shopping centre.

Amenities for families and neurodiverse passengers

In addition to exploring the art at SEA, watching the planes and riding the underground shuttle train, kids will enjoy the Children’s Play Area across from the Delta Sky Lounge by Concourse A, just off the Central Terminal area. SEA also has a sensory room and participates in the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyard programme.

SEA Visitor Pass Programme

The SEA Visitor Pass programme gives access to the secure side of the airport for visitors who are not flying. This means you can be there at the gate to greet arriving friends or family (domestic flights only) or stay with your loved one until the moment they board their flight. The pass also provides access to all the cool post-security shops, restaurants, bars, live music and aircraft viewing spots.

You can apply for a SEA Visitor Pass online up to 7 days in advance or on the day you want to visit. If the TSA gives the OK, you’ll get a QR code via email to show at a specific checkpoint. Turnaround is fast and while there’s a limit of 300 passes a day, I’ve never been shut out.

This is one of my favourite Seattle-Tacoma International Airport ‘secrets’ and I sometimes use it just to have a staycation at the airport without luggage or a flight to catch.