SEAAirport Guide

Dropping someone off at SEA

Use SEA's upper departures drive, or the lower drive when the upper drive is busy. Garage parking to walk someone in is $8 an hour.

A duffel bag on the departures curb beside the open rear door of a parked car at Seattle-Tacoma airport.
Departures curb, SEA

SEA’s upper departures drive puts your passenger at Level 5 ticketing. That drive is often congested from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. If it’s jammed, use the lower arrivals drive. Your passenger enters on Level 3 by baggage claim, then takes an elevator or escalator up to ticketing. The Port of Seattle recommends this switch when traffic builds on the usual drive.

Tell your passenger which level you’ve chosen before you reach the curb. SEA has one main terminal, so they don’t need a different terminal for a different airline. On the upper drive, aim for Door 29 for Alaska Airlines check-in, Door 17 for Delta Air Lines curbside check-in, or Door 19 for Icelandair check-in. Alaska and Icelandair check-in is on Level 5 before security. For another carrier, find its check-in location in our airline directory and place it on the terminal guide before you reach the drives.

Choose your drive before the split

The lower drive is often congested from 8 p.m. to midnight. For an evening drop-off, try the upper departures drive. Before you turn in, the Port of Seattle’s travel tips page links to Airport Drive Cameras and construction updates.

If an Uber or Lyft driver is taking you, they can use either drive for drop-off when one is congested.

Have the bags ready before you turn onto SEA’s terminal drives, and say goodbye at the curb. You can’t park or wait on the drives or the Airport Expressway shoulders. If you’re early for a drop-off and need to wait, use General Parking. The free Cell Phone Lot at 2623 S. 170th Street is for drivers waiting to pick up arriving passengers. It has a 20-minute limit.

If you need to go inside, park

Use General Parking if you’re helping with bags, check-in or the walk into the terminal. It’s drive-up parking on garage Floors 1–3 and 5–8. An hour costs $8. The daily rate is $37. If you need a guaranteed space, book Reserved Parking on Floor 4 online at least 6 hours before entry. It costs $47 per 24-hour period. Enter through the white Reserved Parking lane, not a blue General Parking lane. Cross one of the garage’s Level 4 skybridges into terminal Level 4, then go up to ticketing on Level 5. For an Alaska passenger, Level 4 also has self check-in kiosks, bag tag stations and bag drops by Skybridges 5 and 6.

The garage height limit is 6 feet 10 inches. If your vehicle is taller, use the outdoor Over-height Vehicle Parking lot. Enter from S. 182nd Street off Highway 99/International Boulevard, using the far-right lane at the entry plaza. The lot is first come, first served. It uses General Parking rates. You can walk to the terminal. For a wheelchair-accessible route, go through garage Floor 1 and take the elevator to the Main Terminal.

If you want coffee or food before your passenger goes through security, Sourced Market by Door 25 on Level 5 is listed open daily 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. Starbucks at Baggage Claim 6 on Level 3 is listed open daily 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Urban Market at Bag Claim 7 has food, water and toiletries. Its listed hours are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. For essentials later, 7-Eleven at Baggage Claim 15 is listed open 24 hours.

Want to accompany them past security? The free SEA Visitor Pass lets someone who isn’t flying go into the post-security area. Apply online up to seven days ahead or on the day. If approved, bring the pass’s QR code and an ID that matches your application. Enter through Checkpoint 4 from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Access ends at 10 p.m.

SEA marks accessible loading zones with blue signs on the drives. If you use the lower drive, call Prospect Airport Services at (206) 246-1550 when you reach baggage claim. They provide free wheelchair help from baggage claim to the ticket counter. The same service runs from the garage to the counter. Look for assistance points by Doors 7, 9, 17, 23 and 27 or Skybridge 5 on the Port of Seattle’s airport map. Arrange help from the counter to the gate with the airline.

In General Parking, accessible stalls are on Floors 1, 3, 5 and 7. Reserved Parking has more accessible stalls on Floor 4.

Give the person flying enough time after the curb

The Port of Seattle advises reaching the airport two hours before a domestic flight or three hours before an international flight. Use our security wait times guide to work out when to leave for that arrival target.

If you’re returning a rental car, follow Rental Car Return instead of either terminal drive. Our rental car return guide has the route and shuttle details.

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