180K people expected to move through SEA Airport to start Memorial Day weekend
May 22, 2026, 6:01 AM
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
The official start to the summer travel season is finally here!
On Thursday, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is expected to hit peak crowds as people travel for the holiday weekend.
This comes as the FAA named Seattle as one of the top five destinations to visit this weekend. That means it’s going to get extra busy, and you will want to get to the airport early.
Passenger Sally Greaby said one thing about SEA: the security wait times often change at the drop of a hat.
“It wasn’t too congested, it said it was, but I didn’t think it was that bad at all,” Greaby said.
Soon, changing to chaos. KIRO 7 crews watched as Checkpoint 4 backed up into the airport and stopped moving for about ten minutes around 6 a.m.
“I’m not exactly sure what the deal is, but nothing seems to be moving as of 20 seconds ago. Now they’re snapping to it and realizing there are hundreds of people standing in line, I hope I get on my flight,” Ryan Dawson said.
Memorial Day weekend is bringing 180,000 people through SEA today for a weekend of fun, according to officials. This includes people arriving, connecting, and departing.
Officials said this is not the weekend to test how late you can get to your gate.
“No time for the Bloody Mary — the airport tradition — but hopefully it looks like the lines are actually moving,” Dawson said.
SEA officials say Monday will be busy as well, as 170,000 people try to get home.
Planning your parking ahead of time, using SEA Spot Saver, and the Fly SEA app are all good ways to ensure a smooth travel day.
You can find information on those here.
