Connecting at SEA
A layover at Seatac: what fits the time you have
Under about five hours, stay inside the airport: getting back through security eats the rest. With five to eight hours and no checked bags to chase, downtown Seattle is about 40 minutes away by Link light rail, or by car. Arriving from abroad, you clear customs, recheck your bags and go through TSA again at SEA, so the Port suggests at least two to three hours just to connect.
- To downtown
- ~40 min by light rail
- Back through security
- Allow ~2 hours
- International connection
- 120-180 min, per the Port
- Free view
- Lookout at C, above Gate C3
What fits your layover
Count from landing to boarding, then take off the time to get back through security. What's left decides whether Seattle is worth the trip.
Under about 5 hours
Stay inside the airport
Leaving means the TSA line again on the way back, so a short layover is best spent airside.
- Watch the airfield from the Lookout at C, the free deck above Gate C3
- Eat in the Central Terminal, which looks out over the runways
- Find a lounge near your next gate; the N and S gates are a train ride away
About 5 to 8 hours
Pike Place and the waterfront
Enough time for downtown if you have no checked bags to worry about. Allow two hours to get back through security.
- Link light rail from SeaTac/Airport to Westlake takes about 40 minutes
- With bags or a group, a car by the hour waits for you, bags inside
- Leave carry-on bags in a storage spot near the market
8 hours or more
A guided tour from the airport
A private tour that picks you up at SEA, shows you the city's highlights and brings you back for your flight.
- About 6 to 8 hours, with pickup and return at SEA
- Book only when the layover leaves room for security on the way back
Overnight or a red-eye
A room, a shower or a nap
Several hotels by the airport run free shuttles, and The Club at SEA sells lounge day passes.
- Book a room near the airport for the night, or rest before an early flight
- Buy a day pass at The Club at SEA (A and S concourses)
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How long is your layover?
| Layover | What fits |
|---|---|
| Under 3 hours | Your next gate, food on the way, and a lounge if you have access. Don't leave the secure area. |
| 3 to 5 hours | Stay airside: the Lookout at C, the Central Terminal, a lounge day pass. Leaving only works with nothing to recheck and short security lines. |
| 5 to 8 hours | Pike Place Market and the waterfront by light rail, or a car by the hour that waits with your bags. |
| 8 hours or more | A guided tour from the airport, or a longer afternoon in the city with a meal. |
| Overnight | A hotel near the airport, many with free shuttles, and the first train or a ride back in the morning. |
Under 3 hours
Your next gate, food on the way, and a lounge if you have access. Don't leave the secure area.
3 to 5 hours
Stay airside: the Lookout at C, the Central Terminal, a lounge day pass. Leaving only works with nothing to recheck and short security lines.
5 to 8 hours
Pike Place Market and the waterfront by light rail, or a car by the hour that waits with your bags.
8 hours or more
A guided tour from the airport, or a longer afternoon in the city with a meal.
Overnight
A hotel near the airport, many with free shuttles, and the first train or a ride back in the morning.
Times are typical. Security lines and customs vary by day; check the waits before you leave the airport.
The details
Work out your free time first: the time between landing and boarding, minus customs if you're arriving from abroad, minus about two hours to get back through security if you leave. Under three hours left: stay airside. Three hours or more: Pike Place and the waterfront. Six or more: a guided tour that starts and ends at SEA. Overnight: a room near SEA.
Connecting from an international flight
Unless you were precleared before boarding, you clear U.S. customs at SEA's International Arrivals Facility, collect your checked bags, then recheck them with your airline; with some airlines that means going out to the ticketing level. Every connecting passenger goes through TSA again. The checkpoint by the arrivals hall is open 6 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. and doesn't offer PreCheck; outside those hours you re-screen at a main checkpoint. Customs alone can take an hour or more at busy times.
Leaving the airport
Link light rail leaves from SeaTac/Airport Station, a 7 to 12 minute walk over the garage's fourth-floor skybridge, and reaches Westlake downtown in about 40 minutes. Pike Place Market and the waterfront are a short walk from there. With bags or a group, a car by the hour from SEA keeps the same driver and your bags in the car while you look around, then drives you back.
Getting back through security
Come back with about two hours before boarding, more on holiday weekends and summer mornings. PreCheck and CLEAR lanes are only at some checkpoints, and the N and S gates need the underground train after screening.
If this happens, do this
You're arriving from abroad
Customs, rechecking bags and TSA all happen at SEA before your next flight.
Count those first; leave the airport only if real time is left after them.
Your layover runs overnight
The trains stop late at night and the airport gets quiet.
Book a room near SEA and come back on the first train or with a morning ride.
You're carrying bags
Light rail and a walk through the market are hard work with luggage.
Leave carry-ons in storage downtown, or book a car by the hour that keeps the bags with it.
Before you go
- 1Your next flight's boarding time and gate
- 2Customs and recheck time, if you're arriving from abroad
- 3Today's security waits before you leave the airport
- 4Somewhere to leave bags, or a car by the hour that keeps them
- 5Back at SEA about two hours before boarding
Common mistakes
- Leaving the airport on a layover under five hours
- Forgetting the TSA line on the way back in
- Missing a customs and recheck step on an international connection
- Counting on PreCheck at the arrivals-hall checkpoint, which doesn't have it
Check the flight, then book the ride
Add your flight number when you book a private ride to or from SEA, and the pickup is planned around your flight.
Official information
Last checked November 6, 2026. Airport services and hours can change, so confirm details for your travel day.