SEAAirport Guide

Arriving at SEA late at night: what still runs after the last train

After the last Link train at SEA, the Night Bus 597 starts at 12:26 a.m. Taxis and rideshare run 24 hours. Find where to board.

The quiet baggage claim hall late at night with an empty carousel and a suitcase sculpture above it.
Baggage claim, SEA

Missed the last Link train? Sound Transit’s 597 Night Bus leaves SeaTac Station for downtown from 12:26 to 4:26 a.m. on most nights. Taxis operate around the clock, and app rides are listed as available 24 hours a day.

If you’re heading downtown What to check before you leave baggage claim Where you board
Link light rail Last train toward downtown: 12:05 a.m. on Monday through Friday nights, 12:06 a.m. Saturday night, 11:18 p.m. Sunday night. Check our Link guide for the next departure and fare. SeaTac/Airport Station, beyond garage Level 4.
597 Night Bus About every 30 minutes overnight. Use Sound Transit’s trip planner for your stop and departure. International Boulevard at South 176th Street, across the pedestrian bridge from the Link station.
Taxi or app ride A taxi has a meter, a $20 airport minimum and an allowed $1 on-demand surcharge. Confirm your ride in the app before walking to pickup. Garage Level 3. Taxis use the north and south curbs. Standard Uber and Lyft rides use the marked rideshare stalls.

The train times are departures from the station, not deadlines to leave your gate. From baggage claim, you still have to cross Skybridge 6 and walk through the garage.

From baggage claim, find Carousel 16 and go up one floor. Cross Skybridge 6, turn left in the garage, and follow the walkway on Level 4 to SeaTac/Airport Station. If you’ve missed the last train, the first Link trains toward downtown leave at 4:51 a.m. on weekdays, 4:48 a.m. Saturday and 5:58 a.m. Sunday.

Toward downtown, the Link ride takes 39 minutes to Westlake on Sound Transit’s timetable. The $3 one-way fare is for adults ages 19 to 64. ORCA LIFT riders, seniors and disabled riders pay $1. Youth 18 and under ride free. Sound Transit says you can tap a credit or debit card before boarding.

The free Train-to-Plane cart runs between the station and garage Level 4 from 5 a.m. to midnight daily. If you need wheelchair help between the station and terminal, call Prospect Airport Services at (206) 246-1550. Sound Transit lists that station-to-terminal service’s hours as 4 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.

After the last train, find the 597 Night Bus

The garage-to-station walkway stays open 24 hours. Cross the bridge to the bus stop at International Boulevard and South 176th Street. The Night Bus does not board at the express-bus stop on the terminal’s lower drive. The Port of Seattle’s public transit page calls the night route 570, but Sound Transit’s route listing identifies it as 597.

The 597 runs between downtown Seattle and Lakewood. Check the destination on the bus before you board. Saturday-night service toward downtown continues to 5:26 a.m. Sunday-night service starts at 11:26 p.m. Toward Lakewood, departures run from 1:23 to 5:23 a.m., until 6:23 a.m. Saturday night, and from 12:23 a.m. Sunday night.

King County Metro’s 124 leaves toward downtown at about 1:22 and 2:35 a.m., or 1:21 and 2:32 a.m. on Sunday night. Its stop is on the airport access road where it meets International Boulevard, south of the terminal. Check the Metro bus page for the 124’s airport stop, then use Metro’s trip planner for your departure. Don’t wait for the 124 at the 597 stop.

On either the 597 or the 124, pay as you board with cash, a contactless credit or debit card, or ORCA. Bring the exact fare if you pay cash. Drivers don’t carry change.

Need cash before the bus? Two ATMs are in baggage claim, before security. One is by Bag Claim 3.

The overnight buses are accessible. Sound Transit says its buses, including the 597, are fully accessible. Metro says all its buses, including the 124, have boarding ramps. On Metro’s 124, the next stops appear on an overhead display and are announced aloud.

For Federal Way, Sound Transit lists Metro’s RapidRide A Line as a connection from the Night Bus. RapidRide A boards on International Boulevard at South 176th Street by the Link station, not at the 124’s airport-drive stop.

If you want a car from the terminal

For a taxi, go up from baggage claim to a skybridge, cross into the garage, then go down to Level 3. For mobility pickup, stay on the baggage-claim level: board by Skybridge 2 near Door 10 or Skybridge 5 near Door 22. SEA has wheelchair-accessible vans and 11-seat vans. The meter can take the fare above the $20 airport minimum. You can pay by cash, card or a digital payment system. If you need help at the curb, call the taxi manager, SP Plus, at (206) 708-6504.

For Uber or Lyft, cross a skybridge from the level above baggage claim and go down to the garage’s Level 3 Ground Transportation Plaza. Standard rides use marked stalls 1 through 34 in the middle of the garage. Uber Black meets at the baggage claim door you select instead. The Port of Seattle says to wait until your assigned car has parked before boarding.

If you need an accessible app-ride pickup on the airport drives, have your driver call Ground Transportation at (206) 787-5906. Our app-ride page gives that option instead of the garage pickup.

For help finding ground transportation, go to the Ground Transportation Information Booth. You can also call (206) 787-5906.

For a door-to-door van, Premier Airport Shuttle serves homes, hotels and businesses across Greater Puget Sound, including Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue and Everett. Cross Skybridge 4 from the terminal to its kiosk in the middle of the garage’s Level 3 Ground Transportation Plaza. Fares vary by distance, passenger count and service, so check the rate when you reserve.

Most scheduled airporters pick up on the arrivals drive, outside Doors 00 and 02 past Carousel 1 at the south end of baggage claim. The check-in counter is inside near Door 00.

Premier boards in the Door to Door Vans area on garage Level 3. Bellevue Airport and Cruise Shuttle also boards on Level 3, at Island 2A between Skybridges 3 and 4.

If someone is driving to meet you, the Cell Phone Lot at 2623 S. 170th Street is free for up to 20 minutes. The driver can head to the arrivals drive once you have your bags.

If the wait gets longer

After 10 p.m., the 7-Eleven by Baggage Claim 15 is open 24 hours before security.

Before 10 p.m., Urban Market by Bag Claim 7 lists daily hours of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. It’s before security.

For coffee after an overnight wait, Neighborhood Cafe lists 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, before security. For grab-and-go food and sandwiches, Sourced Market by Door 25 lists 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, also before security. The Starbucks by Baggage Claim 6 lists 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, before security.

The charging and power page shows two FuelRod kiosks in baggage claim, before security. One is by Baggage Claim 9. SEA-FREE-WIFI is free in the airport’s public areas.

Past security, you can eat at the Central Terminal Starbucks, Qdoba by Gate B1 in Concourse B or Dilettante Chocolates & Mocha Cafe in the Central Terminal. All three venue listings show 24-hour service after security.

If you need supplies before leaving the gates, Hudson in the Central Terminal and Dufry Duty Free by Gate S10 in Concourse S list 24-hour service after security. Once you leave security for baggage claim, use our food directory to check what is available on your side. If you need to go back through security overnight, Checkpoint 4 is open 24 hours and gives access to all gates.

For prayer before security, use the prayer and meditation space on Skybridge 2. The Port lists one set of hours for all its prayer and meditation spaces, not one for this room. They are open 24 hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Monday and Wednesday, the hours are midnight to 11:30 p.m. On Tuesday and Thursday, they are 4 a.m. to midnight.

SEA has no public sleep pods or day rooms inside the airport. Jabbrrbox is in Concourse A near Gates A5 and A8, after security. See our sleeping and resting page if you’re waiting overnight.

The USO Center is on the Main Terminal mezzanine above Checkpoint 4, before security. All its services are free. On Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, it opens at 8 a.m. and stays open until 4 a.m. the next day. On Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, its hours are 8 a.m. to midnight. Sunday’s hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

For a room and a ride from the airport, check the airport hotels page. Check for a room before going to the shuttle islands.

Embassy Suites by Hilton Seattle Tacoma International Airport runs its shuttle around the clock and charges per party, so check the total before choosing it. Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Seattle Sea-Tac Airport runs a complimentary shuttle around the clock. Call it from a courtesy phone on garage Level 3. Holiday Inn Express & Suites Seattle-Sea-Tac Airport also runs a complimentary shuttle around the clock, with pickup at courtesy island 1 or 3 on that level. Hotel shuttles board at the Level 3 courtesy islands: 1A through 1D, 2A, and 3A through 3C. Check the courtesy shuttle page and confirm your hotel’s island before crossing to the garage.

Coast Gateway Hotel, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, and Days Inn by Wyndham SeaTac Airport also run courtesy shuttles around the clock. So do Four Points by Sheraton Seattle Airport South and Hampton Inn Seattle-Airport. Hampton Inn & Suites Seattle-Airport/28th Ave lists a complimentary shuttle around the clock.

The free rental-car shuttle runs 24 hours a day. Board curbside on the lower drive by Door 24 at the north end of baggage claim or Door 2 at the south end. The ride takes about five minutes to the rental facility at 3150 S. 160th St. Rent-A-Wreck customers change to that company’s shuttle at the facility.

Each rental-car bus has a ramp and wheelchair securements, with room for one wheelchair per load. If you need wheelchair assistance at the terminal drop-off, tell the driver. The driver contacts Prospect Airport Services to meet you there.

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