SEAAirport Guide

Getting to SEA for a 6 a.m. flight

Be at SEA by 4 a.m. for a 6 a.m. domestic flight, 3 a.m. international. Check Night Bus 597, Metro 124, taxis, rideshare, shuttles and parking.

The elevated access roadway curving toward the terminal at Seattle-Tacoma airport.
Airport road, SEA

4 a.m. for domestic, 3 a.m. for international. That’s when to reach SEA for a 6 a.m. flight under the Port of Seattle’s two- and three-hour advice. Peak checkpoint waits can reach 45 to 60 minutes.

Your ride isn’t the whole trip. Leave time to walk from your stop or parking space and check a bag. Returning a rental car? Allow for the return and shuttle ride. See the SEA security wait-times guide for peak periods.

Can the first train get you there?

Check your arrival time at SeaTac/Airport Station, then allow for the walk through the garage to the terminal. Sound Transit’s published first trains there leave from the airport toward downtown. Their departure times won’t tell you when a train from your stop reaches SEA.

Enter your starting stop, travel day, and the airport arrival target above in Sound Transit’s trip planner. The adult one-way Link fare is $3.

From the station, it’s 379 steps to the main terminal. Follow the walkway through the north end of garage Level 4 toward the terminal skybridges. The free Train-to-Plane cart runs from 5 a.m. to midnight. It won’t help you meet a 4 a.m. airport arrival target. For wheelchair help with the walk, call Prospect Airport Services at 206-246-1550 when you reach the station. Sound Transit lists its hours as 4 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.

The night buses need a stop-by-stop check

Sound Transit route 597 is the Night Bus between downtown Seattle and Lakewood via SEA. It runs about every 30 minutes after the last train. From SeaTac Station it leaves toward downtown from 12:26 to 4:26 a.m. and toward Lakewood from 1:23 to 5:23 a.m. On Saturday nights the buses run an hour later, and on Sunday nights they start an hour earlier. Those times are for people leaving SEA, so check the inbound trip from your stop.

King County Metro’s overnight route 124 serves SEA roughly between 1 and 5 a.m. Its stop is on the airport access road near International Boulevard, south of the terminal, separate from route 597.

Use the operator’s trip planner for your actual boarding stop and day. Confirm the bus’s direction, the airport stop where you’ll get off, and the time it reaches that stop. Route 597 stops at International Boulevard and S 176th Street: Bay 1 toward Lakewood, Bay 2 toward downtown Seattle. It also stops at International Boulevard and S 182nd Street toward Lakewood. From the stop, head toward the Link station and follow the garage walkway to the terminal. That station-to-garage walkway stays open 24 hours. 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.

If transit misses the target

SEA lists taxis and app-based rideshare as available 24 hours a day. The $20 taxi minimum applies to trips starting at SEA, not your ride to the airport. A friend or driver can use either airport drive for drop-off. The Port says the lower Arrivals drive often moves faster in the morning. From there, go up to ticketing, or use Checkpoint 1 on the baggage claim level if you have a boarding pass and no bag to check. See the private-vehicle drop-off guide for the drive layout.

If you’re staying near SEA, Coast Gateway Hotel, Days Inn by Wyndham SeaTac Airport and Hampton Inn & Suites Seattle-Airport/28th Ave list around-the-clock terminal shuttles. They use the courtesy islands on garage Level 3: 1A–D, 2A and 3A–C. For overnight pickup, call Coast Gateway at 206-248-8200, Days Inn at 206-244-3600 or Hampton Inn at 206-244-5044. Check the airport hotels directory, then ask your hotel whether you need to reserve a seat. Returning a rental car that morning? Follow the Rental Car Return signs to 3150 S. 160th St. in SeaTac. The free rental-car shuttle runs 24 hours a day. The drive to the terminal takes about five minutes. The shuttle drops you on the lower drive outside baggage claim. Allow time to return the car and reach the shuttle.

Driving yourself? General Parking takes drive-up arrivals on garage Floors 1–3 and 5–8. It costs $8 an hour, $37 a day or $222 a week. Reserved Parking on Floor 4 costs $47 per 24 hours and requires a reservation. The Floor 4 skybridges lead to the terminal.

Once you reach the terminal

Checkpoint 4, nearest the Central Terminal and B and C gates, is open 24 hours. The other regular checkpoints open at 4 a.m. You can reach every gate from any checkpoint. If you’re there at 3 a.m. for an international flight, you needn’t wait for those other checkpoints to open. Check your airline’s bag-drop and check-in hours directly. The airport’s arrival recommendation does not establish when your airline starts taking bags.

For food before security, 7-Eleven at Baggage Claim 15 is open 24 hours. Sourced Market at Door 25 on the ticketing level and Neighborhood Cafe before security both open at 4 a.m. After security, Qdoba at Gate B1, Dilettante Chocolates & Mocha Cafe and Starbucks in the Central Terminal all list 24-hour service. Check our food directory for an option near your gate.

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