Landing at dawn
Landing at Seatac on a red-eye: what to do at 6 AM
Seattle hotel rooms are usually ready at 3 or 4 PM, so a red-eye that lands at 6 AM leaves you hours early. The sure way to a bed on arrival is to book the room from the night before. For a few hours instead, hotels near SEA sell day-use rooms from 7 AM. Or skip the rest: leave your bags at the hotel's front desk and start the day. Link light rail runs from about 4:51 AM on weekdays.
- Usual check-in
- 3 or 4 PM
- First Link train, weekdays
- 4:51 AM
- First Link train, Sundays
- 5:58 AM
- Day-use rooms near SEA
- From 7 AM
Your morning, planned
When do you land?
You land at 6:00 AM on Sat, Nov 21.
Your room ready when you land
Book the room from the night before, Fri, Nov 20. It costs one more night, and the room is yours when you get there around 7:00 AM: a shower, a nap, then the day. Otherwise check-in is around 3:00 PM, about 8 hours after you arrive.
Hotels from Fri, Nov 20 →A room for the morning
Only need a shower and a nap? Hotels near SEA sell day-use rooms from 7 AM, with free cancellation and many paid at the hotel.
Day-use rooms near SEALink light rail into town
Link is running by the time you reach the platform, around 6:30 AM (first train 4:48 AM). Westlake, downtown, is about 39 min on. $3.00 one way for adults, free 18 and under.
Or start the day free of your bags: exploring by 7:15 AM.
Leave them at your hotel
Exploring by 7:25 AM
Free
Your ride drops you at your hotel and the front desk holds your bags until your room is ready. Then it's about a 5 min walk to Pike Place Market.
Store them near your first stop
Exploring by 7:15 AM
A few dollars a bag for the day
Skip the stop at the hotel: your ride takes you straight to Pike Place Market. Leave your bags at a shop nearby and pick them up on the way to check-in.
The planner opens with your landing and the night before; add the flight and hotel there.
Opens a booking partner in a new tab; Seatac Co may earn a commission.
Which morning fits you?
| If you | Do this |
|---|---|
| Need a real sleep | Book your hotel from the night before. It's one more night, and the room is yours when you get there. |
| Need a shower and a nap | A day-use room at a hotel near SEA for a few hours, then on to your hotel in the afternoon. |
| Are staying by the airport | Many airport hotels run a free shuttle from garage level 3; some say 24 hours. Ask for early check-in when you call. |
| Want to start the day | Ride to your hotel, leave the bags at the front desk, and go. Or store them near your first stop. |
| Are taking the train | Link to downtown from about 4:51 AM on weekdays, 4:48 AM Saturdays and 5:58 AM Sundays; about 39 min to Westlake. |
Need a real sleep
Book your hotel from the night before. It's one more night, and the room is yours when you get there.
Need a shower and a nap
A day-use room at a hotel near SEA for a few hours, then on to your hotel in the afternoon.
Are staying by the airport
Many airport hotels run a free shuttle from garage level 3; some say 24 hours. Ask for early check-in when you call.
Want to start the day
Ride to your hotel, leave the bags at the front desk, and go. Or store them near your first stop.
Are taking the train
Link to downtown from about 4:51 AM on weekdays, 4:48 AM Saturdays and 5:58 AM Sundays; about 39 min to Westlake.
Link times from Sound Transit's timetable for this season. Some holidays run a Sunday schedule; check the day before.
The details
Decide by how tired you are and when you can check in. Need to sleep: the night before, or a day-use room near SEA. Need a shower and an hour: a day-use room. Ready to go: ride to the hotel, leave the bags with the front desk, and start exploring.
Early check-in isn't promised
Hotels give early check-in when a room is free, and most can't promise it the day before. If you must have a bed at 7 AM, the room from the night before is the only sure way. Booking with a dawn arrival, tell the hotel your landing time so they hold the room.
Bags first
Hotels will hold your bags before check-in, as a rule. Ride straight there, leave them with the front desk and you're free until the afternoon. Going somewhere first, bag storage shops near downtown sights keep them by the hour or the day.
Airport hotels with a free shuttle
Most hotels by the airport run a free shuttle from the courtesy islands on garage level 3, several of them around the clock. Staying one night by SEA before going into town is the cheapest way to sleep first.
The first train
Link's 1 Line leaves SeaTac/Airport Station, a 7 to 12 minute walk over the garage's fourth-floor skybridge. The first train north is around 4:51 AM on weekdays, 4:48 AM on Saturdays and 5:58 AM on Sundays, and it takes about 39 minutes to Westlake downtown. $3.00 for adults, free 18 and under.
If this happens, do this
You land before 5 AM
The first train hasn't left, and the night is nearly over.
Book the room from the night before, or ride straight to a hotel that holds it for you.
You're coming from abroad
Customs at SEA can add an hour or more before you're out with your bags.
Count it in; the first train and a 7 AM day room may fit better than they look.
You have a cruise or a meeting today
There's no time to lose to a nap you didn't plan.
Plan the day from the landing: the planner lays it out from the time you land.
Before you go
- 1Your landing date and time
- 2A room from the night before, or a day-use room, or neither
- 3Your hotel's address and phone, to ask about early check-in
- 4How you'll get there: the hotel shuttle, Link, or a booked ride
- 5Your first stop of the day
Common mistakes
- Expecting the room at 7 AM without booking the night before
- Missing that Sunday and holiday trains start about an hour later
- Dragging bags around the city before check-in
- Booking the night before on the wrong date: it's the night before you land
Questions people ask
Can I check in early in Seattle after a red-eye?
Only if a room is free. Most Seattle hotels have rooms ready at 3 or 4 PM. To be sure of a room when you land, book it from the night before.
When does the first Link train leave Seatac Airport?
Around 4:51 AM on weekdays, 4:48 AM on Saturdays and 5:58 AM on Sundays (some holidays too), northbound to downtown Seattle (about 39 minutes to Westlake).
Are there day rooms near Seatac Airport?
Yes. Hotels near SEA sell day-use rooms by the slot, from 7 AM, many with free cancellation and paid at the hotel.
Where can I leave my bags after an early landing?
At your hotel's front desk, before check-in. Going somewhere else first, bag storage shops near downtown sights keep them for a fee.
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 14, 2026. Schedules, services and hours can change, so confirm details for your travel day.