Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, commonly referred to as Sea-Tac, is one of the major airports on the west coast of the United States and offers direct flights to Far East destinations in addition to regional and national airports in North America.  The airport's official web site has information on all available flights.

Location: Sea-Tac is located southwest of downtown Seattle (13 miles/20 km) and Bellevue (15 miles/25 km) and north of Tacoma (22 miles/36 km) and Olympia (51 miles/82 km) and is adjacent to the southwest shore of Puget Sound.

Highway Connections:

The main entrance/exit for Seattle Airport is from Washington State Highway WA518 a short distance west of Exit 154 on Interstate Highway 5, which is also the southern junction of I-405 with Interstate 5. Interstate 5 runs north to Seattle, Everett and Bellingham and the US-Canada Border. Canadian provincial route BC99 extends I-5 to Vancouver, BC. Southbound points on I-5 include Tacoma, Olympia, Tumwater, McChord AFB, and Fort Lewis. Interstate 405 is recommended for a route to Renton, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, points north of Seattle and for a connection to Interstate 90 eastbound.

You can use our highway logs for Interstate 5 and Interstate 405 to calculate distances to specific points and places of interest on the highways.

The following routes and distances are measured from the airport connector to WA518 to a major intersection on the designated highway. Distances are rounded off to the nearest mile and kilometer.

Northbound on I-5: Junction West Seattle Freeway (10 miles/17 km), Junction I-90 (12 miles/19 km), Exit 165 to Seattle City Center (13 miles/20 km), Exit 167 to Seattle Center (14 miles/23 km), Exit 169 to University of Washington (17 miles/27 km), Shoreline (25 miles/41 km), Mountlake Terrace (27 miles/43 km), Everett (41 miles/66 km), Mount Vernon (74 miles/119 km), Bellingham (104 miles/167 km), Blaine (124 miles/199 km), United States-Canada border (124 miles/200 km).

Northbound on I-405: Bellevue at I-90 (13 miles/21 km), Bellevue at WA520 eastbound to Redmond (17 miles/27 km), Kirkland (20 miles/32 km), and junction WA522 westbound to Bothell and eastbound to Woodinville (25 miles/41 km).

Northbound on I-405 then eastbound on I-90: Issaquah (17 miles/27 km), Snoqualmie (29 miles/46 km).

Southbound on I-5: Federal Way (14 miles/23 km), Fife (Exit 136 to the Port of Tacoma - 20 miles/32 km), Tacoma (Junction I-705 - 23 miles/36 km), McChord AFB (32 miles/51 km), Fort Lewis (35 miles/57 km), Olympia (51 miles/82 km), Tumwater (52 miles/84 km), and Centralia (75 miles/120 km).

Road Conditions: Road conditions should be checked on the Washington Department of Transportation web site, especially from late fall through the winter and early spring when snow and ice may be factors.  This web site also has other information that will be of interest to travelers.  The site also has a map showing current traffic conditions in the Puget Sound area around Seattle.

Car Rentals: A good selection of car rental companies is available in the airport terminal.  Other car rental companies are available near the airport and in surrounding cities.

Parking: Short-term, long-term/economy and valet parking facilities are available on the airport grounds.  Some hotels near the airport provide stay-and-park programs that allow guests to leave their cars at their hotels for an additional charge while they are on a trip.

Airport Facilities and Services: In keeping with its status as a major airport, a wide variety of facilities and services is available.

Web Site:  The airport's official web site provides a good range of information on facilities, services and other important matters, and it should be checked for current information.

Ground Transportation: There is an excellent supply of transportation services - taxis, buses, shuttles, limousines, trains and ferries - that operate to and from the airport to Seattle, Tacoma and an extensive number of points well beyond the airport.

Metro Transit of King County has several bus routes that serve Sea-Tac airport and provide connections to other transit systems including the Washington State Ferries that operate on Puget Sound. The Metro Transit web site provides very useful information regarding these connections.  The Sound Transit also has a route to the airport.  It provides services to Everett, north of Seattle, and Tacoma, to the south.

Another important part of the transportation system in the Seattle/Puget Sound area is the Washington State Ferries. Their web site is very informative regarding routes, schedules and related matters. Information is also available on this web site for non-state ferry services operating to Victoria, British Columbia and other ports on the Puget Sound.

Pierce (County) Transit provides public transportation for the region south of Sea-Tac. Connections are available to Metro in King County and other adjoining counties.

The Intercity Transit system serves counties to the south of Seattle. 

Amtrak provides rail services to other northwest destinations and can be connected to at the local stations in Seattle and Tacoma. Rail service is available north to Vancouver, BC, south to a number of points in Washington and Oregon and east to Spokane and beyond.

Hotels, Motels and Restaurants: There is a large selection of hotels, motels and restaurants near the airport in the SeaTac-Tukwila area.  There is a large selection of lodging facilities in Seattle and along Interstate 5 and Interstate 405.  Several hotels and motels near the airport provide shuttle service to and from the airport.

Alternate Airports:  Airports that may serve as alternates for ground destinations in the area include Bellingham International and Portland International in Oregon.  Wenatchee and Yakima airports also serve points in Washington east of Seattle

Weather: The web site published by the U.S. National Weather Service is an excellent source of information for weather conditions and forecasts for the area of this airport and other parts of the United States. 

Attractions:  The Seattle Art Museum

Recommended Reading:  Let's Go - Seattle; Rough Guides - Seattle Miniguide

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