Millions expected to pass through Sea-Tac for summer travel season

It’s shaping up to be a busy summer at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Millions are expected to pass through the airport for the summer travel season, and even more could file through the airport throughout the year at a possibly record-breaking pace.

Airport officials have released some numbers that signal crowds could be the norm this summer.

On Friday, things were moving at checkpoint 3 at SEA. People were filing through and the situation was vastly different from Memorial Day weekend, when the checkpoint was closed for renovation. It reopened on June 14, just in time for the summer travel rush, and officials at SEA say modifications there and at another checkpoint will help process people through the gates this summer as travel picks up.

The scene about a month ago was definitely out of character for our region’s busiest airport. With checkpoint 3 shut down during one of the busiest travel weekends of the year on Memorial Day, there was confusion and chaos, with long lines at other checkpoints looking more like end-of-the-year holidays rather than the kickoff to summer.

Fast forward a month into June, and the difference is clear: all checkpoints are open and passengers filing through. During the Memorial Day weekend, complaints came fast from travelers trying to manage with fewer checkpoints. The circumstances may have changed, but travelers’ attitudes haven’t necessarily shifted too much. John Clough, who is traveling to Knoxville, Tenn., had a rough assessment of SEA.

“It’s pretty nuts! …It seems like there’s no organization.”

Travelers still seemed to have some trouble managing SEA, and it’s only going to get worse as far as crowds are concerned. A week ago, for the weekend of June 14 to 16, SEA saw more than 179,000 people pass through security checkpoints. And on Friday, we could tack on another thousand to that number.

For travelers like Vincent Tran, construction is the bigger issue.

“I think it just makes it a little harder. I mean, with entering, like driving through the airport and all, I dropped my dad off, he picked me up a few days ago, it took a while to get through.”

Martinique Bishop Juviana came to SEA and admitted that she’s not flying, but dropping her sons for a flight. She had traveled around the holidays in late 2023 and said the construction had an impact.

“It’s really crazy especially if you want to get your bags — the baggage claim — it’s all construction? It’s construction, it’s like a maze.”

Bishop saw her sons off for summer travel at checkpoint 3 — it and checkpoint 2 have more lanes that will help process 600 passengers per hour, according to officials familiar with airport operations. All the pain of the shutdown around Memorial Day pays off a bit this summer as travel rebounds.

Martinique says she does not have much travel planned for the summer.

“I’m an elementary school teacher. I need a break.”

She may not join the crowds at SEA, but airport officials estimate that the summer could see 15.5 million people passing through, roughly equal to 2019 levels.

That year was also when SEA set a record for travelers at 51.8 million. This year could see us hit a new record and may even surpass the 52 million mark.

Bishop says traveling at the end of last year gave her a clue that travel was set to rebound in a major way in 2024.

“I think people are trying to get out see the world, travel around. It’s just really crazy here under construction. Parking, getting around getting your bags, trying to get to your gate — you gotta be ahead.”