Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is gearing up for another busy holiday weekend. Port officials were happy to announce that their website is back up, after the cyberattack that took it down this summer.
They’ve added lanes to two other checkpoints and airport spokesperson Perry Cooper said there are creative ways to avoid traffic.
Cooper said along with the usual reminders to arrive early, try to avoid the busy airport drives where pickups and drop-offs cause congestion. Instead, head to a light rail station, one stop away.
"So maybe park in the Angle Lake parking to the south and meet up with someone there or ride into the airport and go in as well too. Otherwise, if you have to drive a car and be on the drives, think opposites," Cooper said.
He said avoid the worst congestion you can drop your traveler off at the arrivals area in the morning or pick them up from the departures level in the afternoon. Drivers can also pay to park briefly in the garage rather than getting stuck in traffic curbside.
Another time-saver is to use the airport’s SEA Spot Saver program to skip the security lines. It allows you to reserve a spot at the front of a security line for 15 minutes.
"You can just show up at that checkpoint in that 15-minute time period and go straight through the security checkpoint," Cooper said. "And it's free."
Those spots do fill up though. So book as soon as you can, up to five days in advance of your flight.
Sea-Tac has one of the smallest footprints of any airport in the country and it's currently handling more than twice as many passengers as it was designed for in the 1970s.
The Port of Seattle is developing a new Sustainable Airport Master Plan to help it meet future forecasted demand. The draft environmental assessment for that is currently open for public comment, through Dec. 13.
