Pack your patience, plan ahead and enjoy yourself for holiday travel through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
More than 1.5 million travelers will make their way through Sea-Tac this year during the two weeks including Christmas and New Year’s. With passenger growth continuing on a pace of 13 percent over the previous year, the amount of travelers during the winter season will be higher than ever before.
Here are the latest numbers for the busiest days, tips and tricks for getting through parking and the terminal, plus opportunities to enjoy the season with some holiday cheer, courtesy of the Port of Seattle:
Holiday Traffic Numbers
The busiest days for the December holiday season are expected to be:
Wednesday, Dec. 23 (137,500 passengers per day), Friday, Dec. 18 (132,500), Tuesday, Dec. 22 (130,000), Thursday, Dec. 17 (125,000), and Monday, Dec. 21 and Saturday, Dec. 26th (122,500).
The lowest traffic numbers will be New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31 (97,500) and Christmas Day, Dec. 25 (107,000).
Additional Sea-Tac Airport Traffic Notes:
Arrive Early! Travelers are encouraged to arrive a minimum of 2 hours before domestic and 3 hours prior to international flights to ensure you have time to park, access the terminal, manage the ticketing process and get through security checkpoints.
The busiest times at the security checkpoints will be between 5 and 11 a.m.
For 2015, through November, passenger traffic is up 13.2 percent over 2014, including a 15.1 percent rise for international traffic. That trend will result in a fifth straight record year at Sea-Tac with a projected total more than 42 million.
For further context, an average summer day (June-August) this year saw over 140,000 passengers — the peak air travel time for Sea-Tac. Passenger traffic exceeded four million in one month for the first time ever in June. That record was broken in July and again in August. Traditionally, August is the busiest month of the year followed by July, June and May (December is fifth, November 10th).
This is not the busiest time of the year at Sea-Tac, but it can feel like it when you’re there. Why? While there aren’t as many overall passengers, there are a lot of inexperienced travelers who may only fly once or twice a year – inexperience can back up checkpoint lines. Plus, picking up relatives for the holidays means more traffic on the airport drives.
Holiday Entertainment and Photo Opportunities, Dec. 16 – 24
Enjoy live holiday performance art, parades, carols, puppetry, music, souvenir giveaways and more throughout the terminal! This annual Holiday Entertainment Program, sponsored by the Merchants of Sea-Tac Airport, brings in local and world-renowned performers from Dec. 16 – 24 during peak passenger traffic hours of 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. For social media lovers, take your photo as Sasquatch, a Seahawks fan and other Seattle-themed characters in fun face cut-outs. Then tweet, Facebook or Instagram your holiday souvenir using hashtag #SEAthecheer! Click here for the holiday schedule!
Wrap Gifts Before You Fly!
Wrapped gifts may need to be opened by security to take a closer look, so consider the gift-wrapping station post-security. From 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., volunteers from USO Northwest will be in the central terminal for quality care of your gift-wrapping needs. Donations to USO Northwest are welcome.
Tips for avoiding congestion on the drives
Sea-Tac continues to make improvements designed to reduce congestion on the airport drives, including better quality signage, use of variable message signs and traffic control by Port of Seattle Police. Of significant note, shuttles for the Rental Car Facility have reduced the number of vehicles on the drive by more than 160,000 each month or about 2 million for the year.
Below are some effective tips for avoiding the congestion:
Arrive Early! Travelers are encouraged to arrive a minimum of 2 hours before domestic and 3 hours prior to international flights to ensure you have time to park, access the terminal, manage the ticketing process and get through security checkpoints.
THINK OPPOSITE! Pickup on the departure drive, drop-off on the arrivals drive – If traffic is congested, look for the opposite airport drive for relief. Try meeting your arriving guests one level up from baggage claim at the less crowded departure drive. Those with only carry-ons can go straight out the ticketing level. For drop-offs, reverse it. Go to the arrivals drive and travelers only have to go up one level to ticketing. Remember, the busiest times are mornings for departures and evenings for arrivals.
Don’t get stuck in traffic! — The airport’s cellphone lot is often full during holiday travel periods and the main parking garage is an alternative worth considering. Park in Terminal Direct for only $4 per hour. It’s just a short walk to the main terminal, and is the quickest and most convenient option for meeting arriving passengers. Remember, there is no parking or waiting allowed on the airport roadway shoulders.
Save on Holiday Parking Rates
Heading out of town for the holiday? The winter holiday is a busy travel period, so plan ahead and save time by parking in the airport garage. Now through January 31, 2016, park for only $19/day or $99/week (up to seven days) in General Parking at the airport garage with our holiday parking coupon. Minimum two (2) day stay required. Sign-up for your coupon on the airport website. Sea-Tac’s parking rates are inclusive of taxes and fees, making the airport garage less expensive than many offsite lots!
