SEAAirport Guide

Delays at SEA: where to wait

Where to wait out a delay at SEA: sensory rooms on A and C, Club day passes at $50 and $60, and late charging and food by concourse.

The white glass-sided pedestrian sky bridge on angled supports above the apron at Seattle-Tacoma airport.
Pedestrian sky bridge, SEA

At SEA, stay on your gate’s concourse while the airline confirms a new departure time. A, B, C and D connect on foot after security. To reach N after security, take the Green Line from C or D. For S, take the Blue Line from A or B. Trains on both lines arrive every three minutes, but leave time to get back to your gate. See the SEA Underground routes. Before you change concourses, check your flight and your airline’s app. The Port of Seattle says its flight times are approximate and your airline has the exact update.

Find your SEA gate on the terminal map. If the departure time is still uncertain, wait on that concourse.

Pick a place by concourse

Your gate A practical place to wait after security If you need more
A Capitol Hill Food Hall by A5 is listed daily 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Floret by Café Flora by A1 is listed 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. For a private seat and desk, look for a Jabbrrbox near A5 or A8. The Club at SEA near A11 sells access subject to its entry rules.
B LouLou Market and Bar by B3 is listed daily 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. McDonald’s by B1 is listed daily 4 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Rel’Lish Burger Lounge by B7 is listed daily 4:45 a.m. to 11 p.m. Qdoba by B1 is open 24 hours. Hudson by B6 is listed daily 4 a.m. to 11:15 p.m. Charging points are listed by B5, B7, B9, B10, B11 and B15.
C Olympia Coffee & Lounge is listed daily 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. Le Grand Comptoir by C10 is listed 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Lookout is a free observation deck after security above C3. The Alaska Lounge near C16A is listed daily 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.
D Ballard Brew Hall by D7 is listed daily 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Camden food co. by D5 is listed 4:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Alaska Lounge near D1 is listed daily 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. D has charging points by D3, D4, D5, D7 and D8.
N Open Space Tap Room by N10 and P.F. Chang’s on the N mezzanine are both listed daily 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Alaska Lounge above N15 is listed daily 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. N is reached by the Green Line from C or D.
S Smith Cove by S1 is listed daily 6 a.m. to midnight. Peet’s Coffee by S8 is listed 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Club at SEA is above S10. Take the elevator beside S9. S is reached by the Blue Line from A or B.

If you’re on A late, Starbucks near A3 and Seattle Beer Union by A10 both list 11 p.m. closing times. Hudson by A9 lists daily hours of 4:15 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. Hudson by A4 lists 3:45 a.m. to midnight. On C, 11 p.m. is the listed closing time for Starbucks by C9, Ninth and Pike and Skillet by C10, plus Buffalo Wild Wings Go and Chili’s. The last two C listings give no gate location. DISH D’LISH by C11 lists 11:30 p.m. Hudson by C9 lists daily hours of 4:15 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

On D, Starbucks by D2 lists an 11 p.m. closing time. Hudson by D6 lists daily hours of 3:30 a.m. to midnight. In N, EMBARQUE Whiskey Grill by N3 lists 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wendy’s by N11 lists 4:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Bambuza Vietnam Kitchen & Bar by N19 lists daily hours of 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Pike and Pine by N2 lists daily hours of 4:15 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. On S, Hudson by S2 lists daily hours of 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. For food through the night after security, the Central Terminal has Starbucks and Dilettante Chocolates & Mocha Cafe, both listed for 24-hour service. Hudson in the Central Terminal is listed open 24 hours for snacks and travel essentials. If your gate moves, our food directory lists places on the new concourse.

Need quiet, power or a place to close the door?

The Jabbrrbox units by A5 and A8 are single-person booths with a seat, desk and door. Book on the outside of the unit in 15-minute blocks, up to two hours at a time. The units aren’t wheelchair accessible. Charging points after security on A are listed by A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A8 and A9, with FuelRod kiosks by A5 and A10. The Central Terminal has a charging station and two FuelRod kiosks after security. On B, the FuelRod kiosk is by B3. On C, there are two charging points by C20 and a FuelRod kiosk by C16. D has a FuelRod kiosk by D5. N has FuelRod kiosks by N9 and N11. On S, charging points are listed by S1, S3, S4, S6, S10 and S12, with a FuelRod kiosk by S10. Our charging guide has the other locations. At SEA, the map shows where to try.

If your wait runs long, SEA’s free SEA-FREE-WIFI network is available in the airport’s public areas. Water refill stations are listed by A2 and A4, B3, B8 and B9, and C2 and C3. In the Central Terminal, look by Hudson or Koi Shi Sushi. On D, look by D1, D3 and D5, in the D Gates Annex, or by D21 on the baggage claim level. On N, they’re by N1, N8/N9, N13 and N20, with others on the N Gates Mezzanine and train platform. The Port of Seattle’s airport map flags the N8/N9 station as before security. On S, they’re by S7 and S10. If you need help finding a place to wait, ask a SEA Pathfinder at the staffed information desk between A5 and A6 after security. Pathfinders can arrange on-demand interpretation, including American Sign Language. You can also call SEA Customer Care at (206) 787-5388. Before security, there are desks on the ticketing level between Checkpoints 4 and 5 and on the baggage claim level near Checkpoint 1.

SEA has two sensory rooms for anyone feeling overwhelmed or overstimulated. One is near the elevators in the A Station hallway. The other is above Gate C3, near the Lookout. Both are listed daily 4 a.m. to midnight and have bench seating, dimmable lighting and acoustic panels. Call (206) 787-5229 and press 1 for the key code. Space is limited, and children need adult supervision at all times. The prayer rooms in A and C are for prayer or meditation. There’s also a space before security by Skybridge 2. They’re listed open 24 hours Sunday, Friday and Saturday. Monday and Wednesday hours are midnight to 11:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday hours are 4 a.m. to midnight. Food, drinks, resting and sleeping aren’t allowed there.

For young children, SEA has play areas after security near A1 and D25. The A1 area closes for cleaning Tuesdays and Saturdays from 1 to 3 a.m. The D25 listing gives no hours.

If you want to pay for a lounge, the A Club across from A11 lists a $50 pass and daily hours of 5 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. The S Club above S10 lists a $60 pass and daily hours of 6 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Both list entry up to three hours before departure, so a later flight time may affect when you can enter. Ask the lounge before paying or leaving your gate. For other lounges, the lounge directory has their access rules. Those A and S hours tell you when the Clubs close, not whether they’ll admit you or have a seat.

When the wait stretches or the flight disappears

If delays seem to be spreading across SEA, check the FAA airport status page for airport-wide conditions.

If the airline cancels your flight or moves you to another one, get the new flight and gate from the airline before changing concourses. The Port of Seattle directs booking changes, baggage questions and accessibility arrangements to the airline. If you leave the secure area, use a checkpoint to return to the gates. Any checkpoint can lead to any gate, but opening hours differ. Checkpoint 4 is listed open 24 hours. Check our security page and the Port of Seattle’s live checkpoint page before heading back.

The Yellow Line links A and D if you need to change loops. During a train outage, the airport may use buses. Our terminal guide shows the SEA Underground routes.

Waiting overnight

The Port of Seattle doesn’t list public sleep pods, nap rooms or day rooms. Jabbrrbox has a seat and desk, but no bed. See our sleeping and resting guide for places to rest in the terminal. If you need a bed, check airport hotels and their courtesy shuttles. Hotel courtesy shuttles board at the courtesy island shuttle lane on garage Level 3, Islands 1A through 1D, 2A and 3A through 3C. Before you leave your SEA gate for garage Level 3, confirm the hotel’s pickup island.

Before security, 7-Eleven by Baggage Claim 15 is listed open 24 hours. The USO Center above Checkpoint 4 is for traveling military members and their families. It has a bunk room, and all its services are free. It is listed Sunday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. On Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, it is listed 8 a.m. to 4 a.m. the next day. On Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, it is listed 8 a.m. to midnight.

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