Every way to get to and from SEA

A $3 Link light rail ticket gets you from SEA to downtown Seattle in about 38 minutes, according to Sound Transit. Route 560 goes to Bellevue. The 597 night bus goes downtown after the trains stop.

SEA’s pickup points sit on different levels. Garage Level 3 has taxis, standard app rides, Premier vans and courtesy shuttles. Baggage claim and the lower drive have rental car shuttles, many scheduled airporters and private pickups. Garage Level 4 leads to the Link station and buses on International Boulevard. Uber Black meets at your selected baggage claim door.

Choose your ride before you start walking

For a downtown fare comparison, see our downtown transport guide.

Link light rail: the downtown route

From baggage claim, find carousel 16 and go up one floor. Cross Skybridge 6, turn left through the garage and follow the Link signs to SeaTac/Airport Station. The station is beyond the parking garage, so you’ll need to allow for the walk as well as the train ride.

For downtown, board the 1 Line toward Lynnwood, then get off at the stop nearest your address. Sound Transit’s timetable puts Stadium 32 minutes from SeaTac/Airport, International District/Chinatown 34, Pioneer Square 36, Symphony 37 and Westlake 39. An adult one-way fare is $3, and an adult day pass costs $6, twice the one-way fare. The reduced-fare day pass costs $2. The pass is valid only on the day you buy it. Youth 18 and under ride free. Qualifying ORCA LIFT and senior or disabled riders pay $1 one way. Tap a credit or debit card or ORCA card before boarding, or use a ticket machine or the Transit GO Ticket app.

If you transfer to another ride, tap the same ORCA card or contactless bank card. You get credit for the first fare when you transfer within two hours.

The free Train-to-Plane cart runs between the station and garage Level 4 daily from 5 a.m. to midnight. Its garage stop is near the entrances to Skybridges 5 and 6. It is open to everyone and has room for bags at the back. For cart help, call SEA at (206) 787-4069 or Ground Transportation at (206) 787-5906. The cart covers the station-to-garage stretch, so you’ll still need to reach its garage stop from the terminal. For a free wheelchair from the Link station, garage or baggage claim to your airline’s ticket counter, call Prospect Airport Services at (206) 246-1550 when you arrive. Prospect operates from 4 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Your airline arranges wheelchair help from the counter through the gate. Ask before you fly. The same Prospect number covers the route from the rental car shuttle drop-off.

The first downtown-bound train leaves at 4:51 a.m. on weekdays, 4:48 a.m. Saturday and 5:58 a.m. Sunday. Sound Transit lists these intervals:

The last downtown-bound train is 12:05 a.m. on weekday nights, 12:06 a.m. on Saturday night and 11:18 p.m. on Sunday night. For help choosing a downtown stop, see the Link guide.

Buses: mind the two different stops

King County Metro’s RapidRide A Line serves Federal Way, route 161 serves Burien and Kent, and route 156 serves Southcenter and Des Moines. Their stops are on International Boulevard at South 176th Street, beside the Link station. Walk through the north end of garage Level 4 toward the station, then cross the pedestrian bridge over International Boulevard. The Port says the pedestrian bridge to International Boulevard is open around the clock, and the elevator and stairs on the west side of the station reach street level on International Boulevard. Ask the Ground Transportation Information Booth for a printed Metro timetable. Check our Metro bus page or Metro’s trip planner for the right direction and departure.

Metro route 124 also serves the airport overnight, about 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. Its stop is on the airport access road where it meets International Boulevard, south of the terminal. It leaves toward downtown at about 1:22 and 2:35 a.m., or 1:21 and 2:32 a.m. on Sunday night. Metro and Sound Transit buses accept an ORCA card, contactless credit or debit card, or cash. Bring exact cash because drivers don’t carry change.

Between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., Metro’s Night Stop lets you ask to get off between regular stops. Go to the front at least a block ahead. The driver decides where a safe stop is possible. Boarding stays at regular stops. Night Stop does not cover downtown between Battery and South Jackson Streets, the waterfront or Interstate 5.

Sound Transit route 560 boards on the south lower drive near Door 00 and serves Burien, Renton and Bellevue. For an overnight trip toward downtown or Lakewood, route 597 stops at International Boulevard and South 176th Street by the Link station. Use Bay 2 for downtown and Bay 1 for Lakewood. Lakewood-bound buses also stop at International Boulevard and South 182nd Street. From SeaTac/Airport Station, downtown buses leave from 12:26 to 4:26 a.m. Lakewood buses leave from 1:23 to 5:23 a.m. The bus runs about every 30 minutes. The weekend schedule shifts by an hour. Saturday-night buses run until 5:26 a.m. downtown-bound and 6:23 a.m. toward Lakewood, and Sunday-night buses start at 11:26 p.m. and 12:23 a.m.

You may see older airport information naming a 570 night bus or a 574 bus from SEA to Tacoma. Sound Transit identifies the airport night bus as 597. Check the 597’s direction and stop before you cross the bridge.

Taxi or rideshare: go to the right floor

SEA’s taxis are metered and operate around the clock. Follow the signs to the north or south taxi curb on garage Level 3. For an accessible taxi pickup, use the baggage claim level near Skybridge 2 and Door 10, or Skybridge 5 and Door 22. The minimum fare for a trip starting at SEA is $20, and an on-demand taxi may add a $1 surcharge. Wheelchair-accessible vans and 11-seat vans are available. Pay with cash or a card. Ask your driver which digital payments they accept. For curb help or an item left in an airport cab, call SP Plus, SEA’s taxi curbside manager, at (206) 708-6504.

For Lyft, standard Uber and prescheduled Wingz rides, cross a terminal skybridge on Level 4, then go down to the garage’s Level 3 Ground Transportation Plaza. App rides are available 24 hours a day. Follow Ride App Pick-Up signs to stalls 1 through 34 in the middle of the garage. Wait until your assigned car has parked before boarding. If you need an assisted pickup on an airport drive, call Ground Transportation at (206) 787-5906.

At departure, app drivers use the airport drives. The Port of Seattle says a driver may choose the arrivals drive when departures is congested. Take the elevator or escalator up to ticketing if that happens. Book through your app or use the marked taxi curb.

Shuttles: know which kind you booked

Rental cars. The free shuttle to the off-site Rental Car Facility runs around the clock from two stops outside baggage claim on the lower drive: near Door 24 at the north end and Door 2 at the south end. The Port of Seattle describes the ride to 3150 S. 160th St. as about five minutes. Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Fox, Hertz, National, Payless, Sixt and Thrifty operate there. Each bus has a wheelchair ramp and securements and takes one wheelchair per load. Tell the driver if you need wheelchair help at the facility. The driver contacts Prospect for an assistant at drop-off. If you need a rental car with hand controls, reserve it in advance. Hand controls are free. Rent-A-Wreck customers take the Rental Car Facility shuttle, then change to Rent-A-Wreck’s own shuttle there. On the way back, board the North or South terminal bus outside the rental counters for your airline. The shuttle drops you on the lower drive. See our rental car guide before returning a car.

Hotel and off-site parking courtesy shuttles. These use the courtesy islands on garage Level 3, including Islands 1A through 1D, 2A and 3A through 3C. Once you have your bags, call your hotel’s courtesy vehicle line and ask which island to use. These hotels list a shuttle that runs around the clock, except Red Roof Inn, which runs on the schedule shown:

Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center lists a five-minute walk from the terminal. Radisson Hotel Seattle Airport and Red Roof Inn Seattle Airport - SEATAC are within walking distance of Link. Our hotel directory lists the other hotels with terminal shuttles and their contact details.

Door-to-door vans. Premier Airport Shuttle offers shared and private van rides to addresses around the Greater Puget Sound area. Cross Skybridge 4 to its kiosk in the Door-to-Door Vans area on garage Level 3. For SEA to Everett, Premier lists a shared van at $94.60 and a private van at $199, subject to availability. Shared and private vehicles are available at least every 30 minutes. Rates vary by distance, passenger count and service. Get your fare from Premier at the kiosk or when you reserve. Gratuity isn’t included in most fares, and most customers tip 10% to 20%. Premier also lists seasonal cruise and downtown transfers.

Scheduled airporters. These run set routes from the south end of the baggage claim level. Most leave from the curb outside Doors 00 and 02:

• Bellair Charters serves northern Washington, including Bellingham and the Anacortes/San Juan ferry. Bellingham departures leave SEA at 8:30, 10 and 11:30 a.m., then 1, 2:30, 4, 5:30, 7:30, 9:30 and 11:30 p.m. The ride to the Bellingham Four Points stop takes about 2.5 hours. Bellair doesn’t run on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day or Easter.
• Bremerton-Kitsap Airporter serves Bangor, Poulsbo, Silverdale, Bremerton, Port Orchard, Purdy, Gig Harbor and northwest Tacoma.
• Dungeness Line leaves SEA for Port Angeles several times a day. Fares run $24 to $54 by distance, and a 15% fuel surcharge applies. The 1:45 p.m. express costs $54 and goes directly to Sequim and Port Angeles. The other trips run through downtown Seattle, the Edmonds-Kingston ferry, Port Townsend and Discovery Bay.
• Whidbey SeaTac Shuttle serves Mukilteo, Clinton, Freeland, Greenbank, Coupeville and Oak Harbor. Adult fares between SEA and Mukilteo are $55, between SEA and Oak Harbor or Clinton $64, and between SEA and NAS Whidbey $69. It runs nine trips a day, about every two hours. Be at the stop 15 minutes early.
• Island Airporter goes to Roche Harbor and Friday Harbor on weekdays only. It leaves SEA between 11 and 11:15 a.m., depending on the ferry schedule, and costs $75 to $95 per person one way with the ferry included.
• Friday Harbor Seaplanes flies to Friday Harbor, Roche Harbor and the San Juan Islands from South Lake Washington in Renton, 15 minutes from the airport, with a scheduled SeaTac shuttle and free parking. Its seasonal service runs from early May through early October.
• Wenatchee Valley Shuttle runs service to and from Wenatchee.
• Quick Shuttle goes to Vancouver, B.C.
• Rocket Transportation is a door-to-door shuttle serving the Olympic Peninsula. Call (877) 697-6258.
• FlixBus lists Everett and Seattle northbound, and Tacoma, Olympia, Portland, Corvallis and Eugene southbound.
• Greyhound and the Kenmore Air shuttle also board at SEA.

Most airporters use the arrivals-drive curb outside Doors 00 and 02, past baggage carousel 1 at the south end. Bellair, Bremerton-Kitsap, Quick Shuttle and Whidbey-SeaTac pick up outside Door 02. FlixBus, Greyhound and the Kenmore Air shuttle pick up outside Door 2 on the baggage claim level. Check in near Door 00 inside the Gina Marie Lindsey Arrivals Hall. Bellevue Airport and Cruise Shuttle runs to Bellevue hotels every hour from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. It costs $30 for one passenger, $50 for two, $70 for three, $90 for four, $105 for five or $125 for six. Infants two and under ride free. Board at Island 2A on garage Level 3, between Skybridges 3 and 4. Premier boards in the Door-to-Door Vans area on the same level.

For a cruise ship, Seattle Express runs a seasonal shared shuttle from SEA to Pier 66 or Pier 91. It costs $30 per passenger and takes about 45 minutes. Check in with its airport agent on the baggage claim level inside Door 4. You can take Link to Westlake, then walk or ride six minutes by car to Pier 66. Public transit does not reach Pier 91, which is 15 minutes by car from Westlake Station. A rideshare drops you about a 10-minute walk from that terminal, where a free shuttle covers the last stretch. A taxi can go to the entrance.

If your group booked a charter bus, collect everyone’s bags before calling SEA Ground Transportation at (206) 787-5906 for dispatch. From baggage claim 16, go up to the parking level and cross the skybridge. Take the blue and white striped elevator to garage Floor 1, then follow Cruise and Charter Buses signs to the North East Charter Bus Lot.

Driving, being picked up or arriving by bicycle

For a private pickup, agree on a door outside baggage claim after you’ve collected your bags. Accessible loading zones on the airport drives have blue signs. The Port of Seattle says not to park on the Airport Expressway shoulders. The Cell Phone Lot at 2623 S. 170th Street has 200 spaces and free Wi-Fi. Drivers can wait there free for up to 20 minutes, but must stay with their vehicles. Have your passenger collect their bags before driving to the arrivals curb. For drop-off, departures can clog from 6 to 8 a.m. and arrivals from 8 p.m. to midnight. Your driver can use the other drive. From arrivals, go up to ticketing.

If you’re driving yourself, General Parking is on garage Floors 1 through 3 and 5 through 8. Accessible spaces are on Floors 1, 3, 5 and 7. Reserved Parking is on Floor 4 at $47 per 24-hour period, with accessible spaces there too. An overstay costs $10 per hour, up to the daily maximum. Book at least six hours before entry, up to 120 days ahead. You can change or cancel up to six hours before entry. Scan the booking’s QR code to enter and exit. A reservation guarantees a space, but accessible and EV stalls cannot be reserved. Reserved Parking’s Floor 4 skybridges lead to the terminal. General Parking’s Floor 7 has 64 free Level 2 charging stalls. Reserved Parking’s Floor 4 has 30. Both sets are in Rows E and F and are first come, first served. Vehicles over 6 feet 10 inches use the over-height lot. It costs $8 hourly, $37 daily or $222 weekly. Enter from South 182nd Street in the far-right lane. The 78-space lot has four accessible spaces and regularly fills. For a wheelchair-accessible route from the lot, go through garage Floor 1 and take the elevator to the Main Terminal. Doug Fox Parking at 2626 South 170th Street offers an on-demand shuttle between your parking space and the terminal. At SEA, request pickup at garage islands 1A through 1D or 3A through 3C. For its ADA-accessible shuttle, call (206) 248-2956. Its rates depend on when you travel and book. Airport Park N’ Fly’s SeaTac Self Park at 17320 International Boulevard also offers a free shuttle around the clock. You can return to the airport by shuttle or walk via the RTA Skybridge. Get its parking price when you reserve. For a stay longer than 30 days, make an online extended-stay reservation or arrange it with the Public Parking Office at (206) 787-4069. Otherwise, SEA may tow the vehicle as abandoned. The parking guide covers longer stays and off-site lots.

Pre-arranged limousines use the arrivals drive for pickup and the departures drive for drop-off. A meet-and-greet driver may park in the designated limo stalls on garage Level 3. Arrange the fare and meeting point with the operator before you fly.

Cyclists can reach SEA from the north by the pedestrian bridge at the Link station, or from the south via Pacific Highway South and South 182nd Street through Door 4. Terminal bike racks are by Bag Claim 13, Doors 2, 4 and 6, and Skybridges 1 and 6. The Atrium rack by Door 4 and Carousel 2 holds 20 bikes and has a tire pump and repair stand. The rack between Carousels 12 and 13 holds five and has the same repair equipment. For Link, use the 20-bike Skybridge 6 rack on garage Level 4. The 10-bike Skybridge 1 rack is closest to international arrivals. Bikes left at a rack for more than two weeks may be removed. BikeLink lockers are near Pacific Highway South and South 176th Street, with a 10-day limit. You can take a bike on Link when the car isn’t crowded. Sound Transit limits bikes to 84 inches long, 23 inches wide and 50 pounds, and bars them from escalators. Metro buses also take bikes.

If your sign, app or driver sends you somewhere different, stop at the Ground Transportation Information Booth or call (206) 787-5906. Tell them your operator and ride type.

Sources

• Our transport directory
• Our parking directory
• Our hotel directory
• Our airport amenities directory
• Sound Transit’s airport guide
• Sound Transit’s route 597 page