Spring Break is ramping up on the tarmac at Sea-Tac Airport.
The number of travelers is expected to hit its peak over the next two weeks.
Airport Public Information Officer Perry Cooper said it used to be the holiday brought a surge of travelers over a two or three week period. But now, it's spread over about five weeks.
"Spring break's gotten to be more extensive. It's spread out over more weeks than what we've usually seen in the past. But it's still not as busy as what we see during the summer," Cooper said.
He said August is the busiest month of the year at the airport, but mid-April comes close, with some 164,000 passengers expected to pass through some days.
"We started back in mid-March, when WSU had their break then UW had theirs right afterwards. And the two big weeks we've got this year are when the Seattle, Bellevue and Issaquah school districts are going to be out the week of the 7th and the week of the 14th," Cooper told KNKX.
The cruise season is also starting and runs through October. The first cruise ship is set to depart Elliot Bay on April 12. Last year, cruises between Seattle and Alaska drew more than 800,000 unique passengers.
Cooper added the North TSA check-in area is closed right now for construction projects that are scheduled for completion before the World Cup in June of 2026.
But new Alaska Airlines check-in kiosks near the parking bridge are close to the central security check-point.
A couple ways you can save time are through the Spot Saver program, which lets you reserve a time to go through the TSA security line. Also, there are shorter lines if you get dropped off at the airport on the "Arrivals" driveway, and picked up on the "Departures" ramp.
