Missed your connection at Seattle: what to do first

Rebook with your airline first. The Port of Seattle sends reservation and luggage questions to the airline and says rebooking policies vary by carrier.

Your first ten minutes

When you reach an agent, say it in one breath: “I landed on ___, missed ___, and need the next flight to ___.”

Ask three things before you leave the counter:

• Is my seat confirmed on the new flight, or am I on standby?
• Where is my checked bag going? For a missing or delayed bag, call your airline or use the baggage claim numbers below. If no agent is at the airport, call Alaska at 877-815-8253 or Delta at 800-325-8224.
• Are the later parts of my booking still active?

Before security, find an information desk on the ticketing level between Checkpoints 4 and 5, or on the baggage claim level in the Gina Marie Lindsey Arrivals Hall near Checkpoint 1. After security, there’s one on the A Concourse between Gates A5 and A6. SEA Customer Care answers other airport questions at (206) 787-5388, daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time.

Landed from abroad? Alaska and Delta have agents for rechecks

The Port names Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines agents who help passengers recheck and rebook, and says their hours vary with demand. For any other airline, the Port says some carriers make you exit and recheck bags on the ticketing level, before security. Ask yours where its desk is.

If your international flight did not arrive from a pre-clearance airport, you’ll be interviewed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and claim your checked bags before entering the U.S. That includes connecting passengers. Processing can take 60 minutes or longer in peak periods, so the Port recommends at least 120 to 180 minutes between flights.

After customs, stay to the right to recheck your bags with the airline. Every connecting passenger then goes through TSA screening. The IAF Transfers checkpoint is open from 6 a.m. to 9:45 p.m., and it exits into the A Concourse. When it’s closed, the Port says you’ll exit to the pre-security side and screen at a main checkpoint. TSA PreCheck exists only at the main terminal checkpoints, so it can’t help you at the IAF.

If you need to collect a bag, our baggage claim guide has airline claim numbers. If your new gate is in another concourse, our connections page covers the transfer.

Domestic connection: who to see and where

Alaska and Hawaiian share a Guest Services point on Level 5. If your airline sends you to its ticket counter, the check-in points below are before security, so you’ll need to screen again afterward. Domestic bags come out on the baggage claim level.

The Port lists Sun Country at 651-905-2737. For another carrier, check its entry in our airlines directory. Tell every agent up front if your tickets are separate, and ask the second airline what it will do.

If you need a wheelchair between the Link station, baggage claim or the garage and your ticket counter, call Prospect Airport Services at (206) 246-1550. It is free and runs from 4 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.

Getting to the new gate

A, B, C and D are joined airside on foot. N and S are satellite concourses. Take the SEA Underground trains to reach them.

A train arrives every three minutes on the Blue and Green Lines. For an S Concourse departure, our international airlines guide shows which airlines use S and how to reach it by train.

If you left the secure side for an airline counter, you’ll have to screen again. Our security wait times guide shows when SEA’s checkpoints peak.

Who pays for the night

The Port’s connection page doesn’t say what an airline owes a passenger who missed a flight, on one ticket or two. Ask the agent directly: “Was this delay the airline’s doing, and does that cover a hotel, meals and transport?”

If you’re stuck until tomorrow

SEA has no public sleep pods or day rooms. The airport’s Jabbrrbox booths are on the A Concourse near Gates A5 and A8. Each has one seat and a desk. Book at the booth in 15-minute steps for up to two hours. The booths aren’t wheelchair accessible. For an accessible space, the Port points to a day pass for The Club at SEA on A or S. Both are after security. The A lounge is on the A Concourse and the S lounge is above Gate S10. Day passes cost $50 on A and $60 on S. The hours are 5 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. on A and 6 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. on S. Entry starts up to three hours before departure. The USO Center has a bunk room above Checkpoint 4 before security. It’s free for traveling military members and their families. Its listed hours vary by day:

For food and essentials overnight, 7-Eleven is listed as open 24 hours daily at Baggage Claim 15, before security. Qdoba is also listed as open 24 hours daily, after security at Gate B1 on the B Concourse.

The Ground Transportation Information Booth can help arrange a ride.

From baggage claim, look for Carousel 16. Go up one floor to the skybridge level, cross Skybridge 6, then turn left through the garage for the Link station. The free Train-to-Plane cart also runs between the station and garage Level 4 by Skybridges 5 and 6, from 5 a.m. to midnight. Our Link light rail guide covers the train, and the downtown guide covers other rides.

Sources

• Our connections page
• Our security checkpoints page
• Our hotels page
• Our transport page
• Our Link light rail (Sound Transit) page
• Port of Seattle: SEA Underground
• Sound Transit: 1 Line schedule, fares and Night Bus service