How Sea-Tac Airport Aims To Make Thanksgiving Travel Less Painful

SEATAC, WA - Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is preparing for a record-breaking 800,000 travelers this Thanksgiving season. To put that in perspective, that's equivalent to the populations of Seattle and Tacoma combined.

The bulk of those travelers - close to 400,000 - will pass through the airport on Wednesday, Nov. 23, and next Sunday and Monday. Thanksgiving Day will see the fewest number of travelers.

To ensure that everyone makes it to and from their destinations happily, the airport is making a number of moves to expedite travel and make the airport more comfortable.

One perennial area of concern at airports is wait times at TSA checkpoints. Here's how Sea-Tac plans to ease those lines:

• Optimized line configurations to improve traffic flow
• Digital displays of line wait times
• Dump stations for water bottles (because water bottles aren't allowed in carry-on bags)

The airport is also upgrading amenities to make travel more comfortable. Here are some upgrades they're making:

• New seating with built-in power and USB outlets, including work stations near gate areas
• More frequent restroom cleaning
• Upgraded LED lights that are twice as bright while using half the energy
• Digital display of arrival time for North Satellite train
• More airport way-finders working more hours of the day
• Volunteers to help travelers
• More traffic control staff to keep driveways moving

The airport has also created a webpage with travel tips. The top recommendation? Use alternative transportation like light rail or bus. The airport recommends it might be easier to pick up and drop off travelers at alternative locations like light rail stations or bus stops. Sound Transit recently opened a light rail station south of the airport at Angle Lake, which might save some south Puget Sound residents time getting to the airport.

Photo via the Port of Seattle