Overnight layover at Seattle airport

For a short night at SEA, staying past security saves a trip back through a checkpoint. There are no public sleep pods or day rooms. For a bed, check a hotel shuttle from garage Level 3. Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites offers a complimentary ride. The adult Link fare downtown is $3 one way. The last train leaves at 12:05 a.m. on weekday nights.

What each choice costs

Our hotels page lists places to stay near SEA.

Stay airside: where to rest

The only airport beds are in the USO Center on the Main Terminal mezzanine above Checkpoint 4, before security. They’re for traveling military members and their families. The bunk room, luggage storage, snacks and Wi-Fi are free. The USO opens Sunday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. On Monday, Wednesday and Saturday it’s open 8 a.m. to 4 a.m. the next day. On Tuesday, Thursday and Friday it’s open 8 a.m. to midnight. Our sleeping at SEA page covers Jabbrrbox booths and the lack of sleep pods or day rooms.

Alyssa Cotten’s vlog follows a midnight landing and a 6:50 a.m. boarding. One traveler reported finding the coffee shops open and the retail and food stalls shut. That traveler saw the stores begin opening after 4:30 a.m. Checkpoint 4 is the only checkpoint listed open 24 hours.

The 7-Eleven is the only 24-hour place our directory lists before security. N and S gates need the SEA Underground to reach concourse venues, so the all-night spots above sit across a train ride: the Green Line serves N and the Blue Line serves S. On S, the 24-hour Dufry Duty Free at Gate S10 is the one all-night listing. Alaska Lounge single-entry passes cost $65.

The next lounges to open are the United Club and the Delta Sky Club at A1 at 4:15 a.m. The Alaska Lounges and the Centurion Lounge open at 5 a.m. The traveler in that vlog had a lounge pass someone sent and walked in when it opened at 5 a.m. The Club at SEA sells passes regardless of airline or ticket class. It takes no airline lounge memberships and lets you in up to three hours before departure. Our lounge guide gives each lounge’s location, hours and entry rules.

SEA-FREE-WIFI is free in the public areas. After security, FuelRod kiosks stand by Gates A5 and A10 in A and by N9 and N11 in N. Before security, two FuelRod kiosks stand in baggage claim, one by Baggage Claim 9. Families can use the A1 play area near Qdoba, which closes for cleaning Tuesdays and Saturdays from 1 to 3 a.m.

For quiet, the sensory rooms are after security in the A Station hallway near the elevators and on Level 3 above Gate C3. Both are listed open daily from 4 a.m. to midnight. Call (206) 787-5229 and press 1 for the key code. The interfaith rooms are at A Station, above C3 and before security on Skybridge 2. They’re open around the clock on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from midnight to 11:30 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday, and from 4 a.m. to midnight on Tuesday and Thursday. Resting and sleeping aren’t allowed there. For a door you can close, Jabbrrbox booths near A5 and A8 book in 15-minute blocks for up to two hours. The booths aren’t wheelchair accessible.

Need a shower? SEA lists no public ones. Its map marks five after-security lounges with showers: Delta Sky Club at A1, Delta Sky Club & Delta One Lounge at A11, the Centurion Lounge in the Central Terminal, The Club at SEA on S by S10, and the British Airways Terraces Lounge by S9. The Club’s S lounge sells a $60 pass for entry up to three hours before departure, and asks you to confirm shower availability and any fee with the concierge.

Take a hotel when the night is long

Take the vlog’s schedule, a midnight landing and a 6:50 a.m. boarding. The traveler passed on a hotel. They reported shuttles every 15 to 20 minutes, with another 30-minute wait if they missed one. They’d also face a second screening. Hampton Inn Seattle-Airport lists a four-minute drive, but the time you get in the room also depends on the shuttle and check-in.

Shuttles board on garage Level 3, on the courtesy island lane at Islands 1A to 1D, 2A and 3A to 3C. Our courtesy shuttle page lists pickup details. These hotels list a shuttle that runs around the clock:

DoubleTree by Hilton is 0.25 miles from the terminal. Hilton Garden Inn is 0.48 miles away, and the Seattle Airport Marriott is 0.5 miles away. Call DoubleTree at 206-246-8600, Hilton Garden Inn at 206-734-4500 or the Marriott front desk at 206-241-2000 before you count on a ride after midnight.

Red Roof Inn’s shuttle runs every 20 minutes from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to midnight, so it isn’t a 2 a.m. option. Its courtesy vehicle line is 206-248-0901. Embassy Suites is 4.3 miles away, and its shuttle runs all night but charges per party. Call 425-227-8844.

Hotel guests screen again on the way back. Checkpoint 4 is the one open before 4 a.m., and our security wait guide shows when lines peak before an early flight.

If you’re connecting from an international flight

Claim your bags before passport control, even when you’re connecting, the Port of Seattle’s arrivals video says. After passport control, the connecting route goes right to the airline counters for bag recheck, then to the TSA checkpoint. To leave the airport for a hotel, go left and down the ramp to the public side.

When the IAF Transfers checkpoint is closed, exit to the public side and screen at a main checkpoint. Some airlines send you to ticketing to recheck bags first. Our connections page covers transfers.

Going downtown: last train, night bus, taxi

From baggage claim, find Carousel 16 and go up one floor to Level 4. Cross Skybridge 6, then turn left through the parking garage to the Link station. Our Link guide has the full route.

The Night Bus is route 597, running about every 30 minutes toward downtown until 4:26 a.m. On Saturday nights it continues an hour later. Toward Lakewood it runs from 1:23 to 5:23 a.m. It stops at International Boulevard and South 176th Street, Bay 2, near the Link station. Our pages list no fare for it, so check Sound Transit before boarding.

King County Metro route 124 also runs toward downtown overnight, about 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. It leaves the airport area around 1:22 and 2:35 a.m., or 1:21 and 2:32 a.m. on Sunday night. Board on the airport access road where it meets International Boulevard, south of the terminal.

Youth 18 and under ride free on Sound Transit, and ORCA LIFT riders pay $1 each way. A taxi charges the $20 minimum and may add a $1 on-demand surcharge. It boards on garage Level 3 at any hour, and Uber and Lyft pick up in the Ground Transportation Plaza on the same level. One traveler in Sharde’ Searches’ video reported looking up a ride to Pike Place, seeing about $60, and taking Link with a $6 round-trip day ticket instead.

After midnight the free Train-to-Plane cart between the Link station and the garage stops running. The walkway stays open 24 hours, so you’d carry your bags. 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.

Smarte Carte’s desk by Carousels 9 and 10 stores bags from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. It closes for breaks from 11:30 a.m. to noon and 6 to 6:30 p.m. Prices start at $20 for bags under 22 inches and reach $40 for bags over 34 inches. The price list doesn’t say whether those charges are per day or per stay. The traveler reported paying $30 with tax to store a carry-on and a book bag. Our bag storage guide has more detail.

Our downtown guide compares the routes, and our neighborhood guide covers where to stay.

Sources

• This site’s food directory, lounges, sleeping and resting page, sensory rooms and shower guide
• This site’s hotels page, courtesy shuttle page and security page
• This site’s transport page, King County Metro page, connections page and bag storage page
• Port of Seattle’s international arrivals video
• Sound Transit’s 1 Line schedule and timetable
• Sound Transit’s route 597 page