Winter holiday travel ramps up at Sea-Tac Airport

Friday, an estimated 162,000 passengers will fly in and out of Sea-Tac Airport. Officials warn that traffic this winter holiday period should be back to normal, essentially what we saw in 2019 before COVID hit. Its an estimated increase of 20%.

Airport spokesperson Perry Cooper says the Thursday and Friday before Christmas are expected to be the most chaotic.

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“If I’m travelling on that morning, prepare a little bit extra time,” said Cooper. “You may come in there with a whole big group of people through a checkpoint or even checking in your bag.”

According to the airport, security lines are at their worst between the hours of 5 and 10 a.m., 2 and 5 p.m. and 9 and 11 p.m.

“Get here early, so thinking two hours ahead for a domestic flight,” said Cooper. “Three hours ahead of an international flight.”

If you do get stuck at the airport, the central terminal has some new amenities to make your time more enjoyable. They’ve added more than a hundred outlets, rocking chairs and two new restaurants. Salty’s on the concourse has received a face lift, and above it there’s a new brew pub.

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