Why was Sea-Tac Airport so busy Sunday? Will it get worse?

Warmer weather means a busy summer travel season is ahead. Visitors may find longer than usual lines at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac Airport) and delays.

Airport officials told KIRO Newsradio it could get worse as Memorial Day Weekend approaches.

“Highly recommend utilizing any of the rideshare programs, the light rail is an excellent way of accessing the airport and without having to deal with parking a car or driving,” Sea-Tac Airport spokesperson Peter McGraw told KIRO Newsradio.

He added the volume levels of people traveling are now back to pre-pandemic levels.

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McGraw recommends checking Sea-Tac Airport’s website ahead of time to see what the recommendation is for arriving. However, a good rule of thumb is to get to the airport two to three hours before your flight is scheduled to depart.

To keep up to date on security waiting times, travelers can download the flySEA app. The app has information about ground transportation, parking, security screening, international travel and more.

Travelers can also reserve their parking ahead of time online to secure a spot in the airport garage.

Another tip is to use SEA Spot Saver. Visitors can sign up in advance up to five days before their flight or when they arrive at the airport at the ticketing level of the terminal, according to Sea-Tac’s website. Once signed up, travelers can save their spot in the security line. Then at the selected time, head to the assigned checkpoint and look for the SEA Spot Saver logo.

Visitors can also view live Airport Drive cameras, to check on traffic go here.

For all other questions about the airport, visit Port of Seattle’s website.

Contributing: Tom Brock, KIRO Newsradio

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.