Traveling through SEA-TAC?

Last week I flew in and out of the Seattle airport (SEA-TAC). It’s one of the biggest airports in North America and can be hard to navigate. Below are my Seattle airport tips to help your journey through SEA-TAC go as smoothly as mine did.

• Use SEA Spot Saver When Flying Out of Seattle

Out of all of my Seattle airport tips, this is number one! TSA security lines are typically very long in this airport. With spot saver you reserve yourself a time slot to go through TSA security. You can reserve your spot up to five days before your flight.

Personally, I wasn’t able to use spot saver on my flight out of Seattle. My flight left at 5am, so I went through security at 3:30am. Spot saver is only available between 5am and 6pm daily (because that is the busiest time for TSA). However, many people recommended it to me and I have had friends who used it. Those friends were very happy they used it because the lines were so long.

• Ride the Train Between Concourses

Sometimes you don’t have time (if you’re making a connecting flight) or it’s too far of a walk between concourses. They have trains (or as I like to call them trams) you can ride between concourses.

There are six concourses total: A, B, C, D, N, and S. The green line runs between C, D, and N. The blue line runs between A, B, and S. And, the yellow line runs between A and D.

• Allow Time to Shuttle Between the Airport and Rental Car Facility

The rental car facility is not at the airport. It is off-site and shuttle buses take people back and forth between the two. The shuttle buses operate 24 hours a day 365 days a year. So, it doesn’t matter what time you are picking up or dropping off a rental car, they will be there to shuttle you between the two.

The buses have designated pick up and drop off spots. At the airport these spots are outside of baggage claim. At the rental car facility these spots are outside where the customer service counters are. It was very easy for me to find both spots because there are signs everywhere directing you where to go.

There are shuttle buses at the north and south end of the airport. This isn’t as important when you are shuttling to the rental car facility. However, it is important when you return your rental car and shuttle to the airport. The north terminal bus is for concourses C, D, and N. The south terminal bus is for concourses A, B, and S. The concourse you are at depends on the airline you’re flying with. It’s not a huge deal if you get on the wrong one. But, you will have to walk or take the train in the airport to get to the other end.

It didn’t take long for me to get a shuttle from the airport or to the airport. However, do allow yourself some extra time for this.

• Be Mindful of Current Construction

At the time of this post there is construction going on at SEA-TAC. There are upgrades being made to every aspect of the airport. I’m not sure when the project is expected to be complete. I’m hearing it’s expected to be complete in 2026 but I’m unsure if that’s correct.

During these upgrades parts of the airport will be closed at times. My best advice is to view the SEA interactive map before you arrive because current closures and updates are marked on the map.