SEAAirport Guide

Flying out of SEA in winter weather

SEA's terminal stays open in snow. Check your airline first, then plan your route, security stop and next move if the flight cancels.

The Seattle-Tacoma airport terminal and control tower under low grey cloud on a snowy day.
Terminal in snow, SEA

Before a snowy trip to SEA, open your airline’s app. The Port of Seattle clears runways and the terminal area, but your flight may still be delayed or canceled. Your airline decides whether it goes. If the flight changes, the airline handles your rebooking.

If your airline hasn’t announced a delay, the Port says to come to the airport expecting to depart.

Check your flight, then your route

Our flight information page displays the airline data shown on terminal screens. Check the Port of Seattle’s winter weather updates for airport-wide alerts, too.

Look at your destination or connection as well as SEA. Snow at SEA isn’t the only problem if your inbound aircraft or connecting airport is delayed. The Port says air traffic control handles arrivals and departures differently, so a delay in arriving flights doesn’t mean yours is delayed, and the reverse.

The Port of Seattle’s winter updates page links to Sound Transit service alerts, Washington State Department of Transportation road cameras near SEA, and King County Metro’s snow guide.

For flight updates, use your airline’s alerts, the FlySEA app and the Port’s website.

Choose a way to SEA that you can still use

The Port recommends Link light rail or other public transit when road travel looks difficult. An adult one-way fare is $3. The reduced one-way fare is $1 for ORCA LIFT riders and seniors or riders with disabilities. Youth 18 and under ride free. The station connects to the terminal through garage Level 4. The free Train-to-Plane cart boards at the Link station and on garage Level 4 near Skybridges 5 and 6. It runs from 5 a.m. to midnight.

If the train isn’t running, Sound Transit Express route 560 leaves from the lower drive at the south end of the Main Terminal, near Door 00. It serves Burien, Renton and Bellevue.

SEA clears its own drives and garage, while state and local agencies maintain the roads leading in. General Parking on garage Floors 1–3 and 5–8 is listed at $8 an hour, $37 a day or $222 a week. Reserved Parking on Floor 4 is $47 per 24-hour period. Book it at least 6 hours before entry. Check garage parking for availability before setting out. Snow or low temperatures can close garage Floor 8, according to the Port’s winter operations account.

For a very early departure, the Port suggests staying near the airport the night before if you can. Aloft Seattle Sea-Tac Airport, Cedarbrook Lodge and Coast Gateway Hotel all list shuttles to the terminal. Coast Gateway lists its shuttle as running around the clock. Ask the hotel whether its shuttle will run in the conditions you expect. If travel to SEA looks unsafe, ask your airline about changing your flight.

At the terminal, expect plans to move

The Port warns that a major storm may shorten hours for airline counters, security checkpoints, restaurants or shops when staff and supplies cannot get in. Check your airline’s counter information and SEA security wait times before joining a line. Any regular checkpoint can lead to any gate. Checkpoint 4 is listed as open 24 hours. If its line or staffing changes, the others list these hours. Checkpoint 1 is on the baggage claim level.

Checkpoint Listed hours
Checkpoint 1 4 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Checkpoint 2 4 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Checkpoint 3 4 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Checkpoint 5 4 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Checkpoint 6 4 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Keep a layer and shoes suitable for the weather in your hand luggage. The Port notes that some ground boarding may require a walk through snow or ice, even if your destination is warm.

Airlines de-ice their planes after pushing back from the gate, while SEA de-ices the runways and taxiways. A ground stop keeps aircraft on the ground when air traffic control can’t safely accommodate more traffic.

If the flight is canceled or you’re stuck waiting

Start the rebooking request with your airline, even if you’re already in the terminal. If you’re traveling with a connection, tell the airline about the whole itinerary. Ask where to collect a checked bag before leaving the airport, especially if your new flight is much later. If the bag does not appear where the airline directs you, use our delayed or lost baggage guide to find your airline’s baggage office and phone line.

If you need food during a long wait, our food directory lists 7-Eleven by Baggage Claim 15 before security and Qdoba by Gate B1 after security as open 24 hours daily. After security, Dilettante Chocolates & Mocha Cafe and Starbucks in the Central Terminal also list 24-hour service. The Central Terminal Hudson shop lists 24-hour service for snacks and travel supplies. For other options near your gate, use our food directory.

Our sleeping and resting page lists no public sleep pods or day rooms at SEA. If you need a bed, check the airport hotels and their shuttles. The USO Center has beds for eligible military travelers and their families. It is on the Main Terminal mezzanine above Checkpoint 4, before security. Its services are free, and the listing gives these hours:

Days Listed hours
Sunday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Monday, Wednesday, Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 a.m. the next day
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 8 a.m. to midnight

To reach the train from baggage claim, find Carousel 16 and go up one floor. Cross Skybridge 6, then turn left through the garage to SeaTac/Airport Station. From there toward downtown, the first train is listed for 4:51 a.m. on weekdays, 4:48 a.m. Saturday and 5:58 a.m. Sunday. The last is 12:05 a.m. on weekday nights, 12:06 a.m. Saturday night and 11:18 p.m. Sunday night. Check Link light rail service before relying on one of those edge-of-day trains.

After the last train, Sound Transit Express route 597 runs toward downtown about every 30 minutes. It stops at SeaTac Station on International Boulevard, across the pedestrian bridge from the Link station. Board at International Boulevard and South 176th Street, Bay 2, for downtown. Departures from SeaTac Station toward downtown are listed from 12:26 to 4:26 a.m. They run until 5:26 a.m. on Saturday nights and start at 11:26 p.m. on Sunday nights.

Taxis and Uber and Lyft rides are available 24 hours a day. Both use garage Level 3, but the pickup spots differ. Taxis wait at the north and south curbs. App rides use stalls 1–34 in the middle of the garage. Taxi trips from SEA have a $20 minimum fare, with a possible $1 on-demand surcharge.

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