Seattle Airport

They have been remodeling this airport for the past 20 years but some things have not changed. The ticket counter check in is old style and cramps the terminal area if heavy flights are queuing. Alaska is the only airline there that I know of with kiosk check in. Security is bad TSA staff is rude compared to other airports. Security area is cramped and not efficient. Long walks to the gate areas except for Alaska who is the main tenant here. There are two satellite terminals connected by an underground tram. International runs out of the south satellite. After customs you have to put your bags on the conveyer then go to baggage claim in the main terminal to reclaim them. Parking is a mess. Rental cars are currently in the parking garage but plans are to move them away which will mean shuttles to and from. Food services are the only bright spot here. Plenty to choose from at the gates and the food is quite good.

I’ve been traveling to Seattle quite often. The best thing about the Seattle airport is the fact that they have a Link light rail station connected via walk-way to the airport. For $2.50 I can get from the airport to less than a block away from my corporate office. And for an additional $6.90 I can ride the ferry over to Bainbridge to meet up with my parents. (The ferry is free heading back into Seattle.) I generally fly Virgin America which seems to be assigned gates in Siberia. Rumor has it there are more dining choices at the food court which is good since pick’ins are pretty slim down by the low number gates. There is a Starbucks adjacent to the concourse so at least you can get something there while you are waiting on your flight. The airport itself seems to be clean and well maintained. Baggage handling is prompt and the security lines move quickly and are staffed by friendly people.

Connecting flights coming from overseas? Seattle airport is set up to receive only one type of connecting flight the kind where the airport of origin can tag your bags through to the final destination. However when coming from some developing countries where your final destination (in the US) cannot be on your international itinerary the airports will not tag your bags through to the final destination. As a result when exiting customs in Seattle and given the choice of leaving security or going the route of "connecting flights" one should choose to leave security and collect their bags at the baggage claim of their international airlines then recheck in with their domestic airline. If your domestic flight is not on the same itinerary as your international flight (eg. you booked it online but your international flight was bought overseas) then the connecting flight sky hops have no idea where to send your bag (it's not on the tag). The main reason for this is that they "assume" your bags are checked through to your final destination. They fail to ask this important question and do not realize that every customer does not have the background to distinguish that there are multiple kinds of "connecting flights." However if they do not ask you the airline and CITY where you want your bag to go it will be lost in the airport. The airport is not small and you will be walking back and forth between the international baggage claim and your domestic airlines trying to figure out where the bags went. This is a common problem at this airport as reported to me by the lost baggage clerk in San Diego. He said that military coming from Narita through Seattle have this issue all the time. If the Sky Hop does not ask you where you want your bag to go make sure you tell him. If he says "we'll take care of everything" make sure that you discuss the destination as part of the "everything." Most likely he will tell you to take your bag off of the conveyer belt that is headed to another airline and put it on the belt that will take it to the international baggage claim. (In Seattle after going through customs the passenger takes a tram to the other terminals but the bags go on special conveyer belts either to the next airplane or to the baggage claim). Please be careful. If you are not you may have a very difficult time finding your bag or anyone who knows where your bag went.

Seatac is one of the best laid-out US. airports. The main terminal is open and easy to navigate. There is food service on both sides of security. All security lanes go to the same gate areas so you can easily just walk to the shortest station not necessarily the one right by your airline. There are maybe 5 or 6 security stations - quick and efficient (or as efficient as the TSA can be). Parking is challenging with spaces full even on low-traffic days. But the ease of airport navigation makes up for the parking problems.

SeaTac airport didn't seem to have changed for the better from my very first visit in 2003. It's dark the baggage claim areas confusing ground staff impersonal and cold like the airport's impression itself. I could comment though that after claiming one's baggage the curbside pick-up is very convenient as one does not have to travel a long distance tugging one's luggage to the escalator then onto the parking area. Yes SeaTac's image of personal items being lost seems prevailing till now. I arrived in Guangzhou from Seattle via Incheon where I requested that my baggage be claimed in its final destination which is Guangzhou. When I claimed by luggage in Guangzhou I found out that the locks on one of my two luggages had disappeared and now I have to conduct an inventory of what I had packed inside to confirm if my stuff had been nicked. SeaTac's management should certainly look seriously on this issue as it will definitely be a negative factor in it's image of a city that is really a lovely one with friendly people and green surroundings. The airport just does not do justice to what the city has to offer.

SeaTac is big and confusing with a large main terminal and remote satellite terminals out on the tarmac that can only be reached using underground trams. It is very easy for the uninitiated to get lost and it can easily take an extra fifteen minutes once inside security to get to a gate. The parking garage and rental car area are close by and convenient but the outlying parking areas are far away and it is sometimes hard to figure out where to catch the shuttle buses. Ticket lines are not usually too bad but as mentioned elsewhere in this blog the security lines are often very long and waits of forty-five minutes or an hour are not uncommon even at this late date when other airports have figured out how to manage their security lines. Arrive at least two hours early at SeaTac! Also mentioned elsewhere the TSA personnel at SeaTac are right up there with the most surly and rude anywhere definitely on the same level as those at EWR and PHL and that's saying a lot! On the other hand sometimes the lines are really short and if you have extra time to kill the food court with forty foot high windows overlooking the apron activity is a nice place to have lunch. The big wooden rocking chairs are nice! The Alaska Airlines Board Room located just inside security is friendly but can be crowded. One very serious note; SeaTac is very well known for an internal theft problem with items disappearing from checked bags. When you travel through SeaTac you just have to expect to lose things to people that work there. It's a sad commentary on the state of travel today that this problem can't be stopped.

Firstly as an international visitor I tried to find a Sea-Tac employee OR an information desk - someone who could tell me what the correct process was in terms of locating my baggage and clearing it through customs before finding the gate to my connecting flight. No information desk to be found and no obvious employee to approach with my questions. No signage that would indicate my flight arrival number and corresponding luggage carousel no signage that indicated how/where I could find the Terminal for my connecting flight (finally stumbled on an escalator that took me down one level and discovered that there is a small subway/monorail to transport passengers to other Terminals within the airport). I did approach two airline employees to see if they could assist me with my confusion; but alas - they seemed almost as equally confused and were definitely "cranky". Finally made it all the way to the Terminal for my connecting flight and thought I would kill some time by checking out their complimentary wireless internet connection. Tried to connect several times and was unsuccessful. Boarding time finally arrived and I had my boarding pass and picture ID checked by the agent at my Gate and was cleared to take the ramp and board my plane. Trouble was - the ramp had no less than 4 doors/exits leading off of it - each one leading to a different plane to board. There was mass confusion with passengers going off in all directions and get this - only two destination signs for four flights and neither of these signs (Edmonton and Santa Rosa) matched my destination (Vancouver). There were three of us who ended up on the wrong plane initially and had to exit the plane back-track the ramp and find an airline attendant who could motion us towards the correct plane! Seems as there is a long history of passengers complaining about the lack of signage.

Lots to do prior to your flight - great food court and shops and food prices are not rip offs. International arrivals are pleasant too - fast immigration and customs personnel. Only downside is after customs you have to drop you luggage off again so that it goes to the main terminal while you take the tram to the main terminal. This is bad because when you get to the main terminal you have to pay to use luggage carts. Overall Seattle is a great airport!

I just returned to the States from SE Asia this past week and went through Immigration & Customs in Seattle for the first time. What a pleasant and speedy experience (when compared to San Francisco or New York). The agents actually smiled! I had a fairly tight connection to Portland but Seattle is so efficient I made the flight easily and I even had to go through a complete check-in and security scan since I was on multiple tickets. The only thing I have to complain about at Seattle is Anthony's Seafood Restaurant - overpriced and of mediocre quality! I will transit Seattle Seatac on my next foreign trip for sure - what a pleasure.

I change planes in Seattle several times a year. Great food court. Terminal announcements are non-existant but the electronic boards are kept reasonably up to date. Worst connection is Satellite N to the main Alaska terminal. If it is a tight connection you need to hustle. International arrivals are not too bad. Much more pleasant than New York Chicago or SFO. You can clear Canadian customs before boarding your flight to Canada. Little congestion. Generally friendly people. Not perfect but better than many.