Taxi fare from Seattle airport
SEA taxis are metered with a $20 minimum and run 24 hours from garage Level 3. See the downtown cost against Link at $3 and Uber, plus the walk.
A taxi from the airport costs at least $20, and the meter decides the rest. King County Ordinance 19700 sets that minimum for every taxi trip that starts at SEA. The Port of Seattle says on-demand taxis may add a $1 surcharge on top.
Taxis load on Level 3 of the parking garage, at the north and south curbs, 24 hours a day.
What the meter charges
The Port’s taxi page describes metered cabs, and the meter charges per mile and per unit of time. You can pay by cash, card or digital payment.
The Port doesn’t publish a fare to downtown. The downtown figure in the table below is Uber’s estimate, so treat it as a ballpark.
Some companies advertise a flat taxi rate online. The Port’s on-demand taxi program is its system for registering taxi and for-hire drivers to pick up at SEA, and its flat-rate for-hire pilot became part of that program. Because the Port publishes no flat fare to downtown, ask at the Ground Transportation Information Booth before you ride.
Where to catch a taxi
From baggage claim, go up one floor to the skybridge level. Cross a skybridge into the garage, then go down one level to Level 3.
SP Plus staff manage the taxi curbside. The Ground Transportation Information Booth is at (206) 787-5906.
Wheelchair-accessible vans and 11-seat passenger vans are also available. For a mobility pickup on the baggage claim level, meet the taxi at Skybridge 2 near Door 10 or at Skybridge 5 near Door 22.
If you’ve left something in a cab, call the Port’s curbside management line at (206) 708-6504, which handles airport taxi lost and found.
Taxi, Uber or Link
| Ride | Price | Whose figure |
|---|---|---|
| Link light rail, adult, to Westlake | $3 | Sound Transit |
| Taxi, airport minimum | $20, plus a $1 on-demand surcharge allowed | Port of Seattle |
| Taxi to downtown, average | $40 to $50 | Uber’s route page |
| Uber to Seattle, average trip | $72 (UberX $74) | Uber’s route page |
| Uber at 6 p.m. on a Friday, cheapest option | $80 | One traveler, Mr Traveler channel |
That traveler skipped the Uber, rode Link and reported 40 minutes to Westlake, where Sound Transit’s timetable says 39. A FOX 13 Seattle report on rideshare prices cited a $6.50 airport usage fee at SEA. Uber and Lyft board at stalls 1 to 34 of the Ground Transportation Plaza on Level 3. The departures drive is busiest from 6 to 8 a.m., and the arrivals drive from 8 p.m. to midnight.
Link costs the least. Its last train toward downtown leaves at 12:05 a.m. on weekdays, and Sound Transit’s Night Bus then runs about every 30 minutes. Taxis run all night. Our Link light rail guide has the walk from carousel 16 and the ticket machines.
Cruise passengers heading for Pier 91
The Destination 4 Vacation channel says Pier 91 in Magnolia has no light rail stop. That traveler rode Link to Westlake and paid about $20 for an Uber to the pier, against the $50 or $60 the video puts on going straight from the airport. One traveler on the Travels Large channel paid about $22 for the ride from Westlake.
A taxi straight to Pier 91 skips the transfer but runs on the meter. Our downtown options guide compares the vans and shuttles that go door to door, and the Premier door-to-door page covers reserving one.
Sources
- Our pages on taxi and rideshare
- Our downtown options guide
- Our Link light rail guide
- Uber, Seattle Airport (SEA) to Seattle route page
- Mr Traveler, “How to: Seattle Link Light Rail Train from SeaTac Airport to Downtown Seattle”
- Destination 4 Vacation, “SeaTac Airport to Downtown Seattle for $3?”
- Travels Large, “Why Seattle’s Light Rail is a Game-Changer for Cruise Passengers”
- FOX 13 Seattle, “Seattle has the most expensive Uber prices in the US”