‘A unique spot’: Everything you need to know about Sea-Tac’s new checkpoint

The Seattle-Tacoma International (Sea-Tac) Airport had its busiest year in 2025 with 52.6 million passengers traveling between 30 different airlines.

During peak travel times, it was common to see lengthy lines stacking up at the security checkpoints. Sea-Tac had to address this before it got out of hand. Unfortunately, there wasn’t room to expand the airport building to add a spacious checkpoint, so staff had to get creative. That’s when the idea of transforming baggage claim 1 into checkpoint 1 was born.

Checkpoint 1 is located at the international flights gate and is the first security checkpoint on the lower level-baggage claim. The checkpoint is advantageous in a number of ways—close proximity to international flights, a quick way to get through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening, and an option to avoid the busy checkpoints on the upper level.

Lauren Dunphy, Director of Operations, told KIRO Newsradio this project was five years in the making.

“I’ve been at the port for five and a half years, and they were talking about it when I walked in the door,” she shared.

Advantages of using Sea-Tac’s new checkpoint

Dunphy explained the benefits of Checkpoint 1.

“This is a unique spot, particularly for our travelers who are in the know,” she said. “It’s kind of a super fast door to security, when the upper drives are busy, during our peak departure times. Customers who are being dropped off can come down to the arrivals and come in at the very far south end and go directly to a checkpoint if they’re travel ready and don’t need to check a bag and already have their boarding pass, they can come right on in and speed through security here.”

If you do have to check luggage, you will need to go to the upper-level ticket counters, as there aren’t any on the lower level.

A couple of new features that help expedite travelers through Checkpoint 1 are the latest version of Credential Authentication Technology (CAT-2). Passengers who opt for CAT-2 will have their photo taken and their identification scanned. Once the facial matching technology confirms a match, the passenger can continue through security. CAT-2 also has the passenger’s ticket information, confirmed through facial technology, negating the need to show a boarding pass.

New technology at the checkpoint

Another new TSA feature is the state-of-the-art body scanners. This new version features a flat-panel body scanner with an open design, instead of an enclosure. It uses millimeter wave technology that detects any object that doesn’t match a person’s body contour. For example, a phone, wallet, or even a razor blade will show up as a foreign contour object.

However, the body scanners and CAT-2 are optional. If a passenger declines those procedures, they can check in the “old-fashioned” way by showing their boarding pass and walking through the metal detector.

Once through screening at the new checkpoint, travelers will choose the easiest way to get to their gate or concourse. They’ll find flight information displays on a landing between escalators that lead straight up to the A gates, or down to catch the SEA Underground to the S gates or the north end concourses.

Checkpoint 1 offers five general screening lanes, with the potential for TSA PreCheck and SEA Spot Saver in the future. This brings the total number of screening lanes at SEA to 33. Checkpoint 6, when fully opened, will provide an additional six lanes, two in late summer and the rest before Thanksgiving.

Don’t miss the art displays

Along with being more efficient, the checkpoint is also more aesthetically pleasing.

More than 20 new pieces of art are showcased as part of Sea-Tac’s ever-increasing art collection—one of the largest airport collections in the country. A dramatic set of glass cases outlines the edge of the new checkpoint, displaying public art to travelers inside and outside the checkpoint.

And Sea-Tac still has local musicians performing throughout the airport, adding to the ambience as you relax before your flight.

Nate Connors is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Follow him on X. Read more of his stories here. Submit news tips here.

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