(UTC-7)
Airport

Seattle Tacoma International Airport TSA Wait Times Seattle Tacoma International Airport Live TSA Wait Times

IATA Code:

SEA

Timezone:

UTC/GMT -7:00 hours

Airport local time:

Friday, 5:10pm

Current conditions

Live Airport Status

Current wait times, updates and terminal information for this airport.


Wait times are falling (36% over last 3 hours)
Updated today, Friday 23 October 2026
5:01 PM (UTC/GMT -7:00 hours)
Add Your Time
  • Data

    Qsensor makes use of data from Seattle Tacoma International Airport.

  • Disclaimer

    Waiting times may not accurately reflect your experience. It is advisable to arrive at the airport well in advance and follow the recommendations of the airlines and airports.

  • Airport Last Updated

    5:01 PM (UTC/GMT -7:00 hours)

Terminal level wait times

  • airplane
    All Terminals
    9 mins wait time
  • airplane
    Terminal Checkpoint 3
    Queues: 1
    5 mins wait time
  • airplane
    Terminal Checkpoint 4 General
    Queues: 1
    15 mins wait time
  • airplane
    Terminal Checkpoint 5 General
    Queues: 1
    5 mins wait time
  • airplane
    Terminal Checkpoint 6
    Queues: 1
    10 mins wait time
Plan ahead

Forecasts, historical patterns and guidance to help plan your airport arrival.

What Will the Wait Time Be?

Pick a day and time to see the typical wait, based on historical data.

— min typical wait

Wait Times by Day of Week

Average wait times based on the last 3 weeks of data.

9m
Mon
8m
Tue
8m
Wed
9m
Thu
9m
Fri
8m
Sat
9m
Sun

Wait times today, hour by hour

Actual readings recorded so far today.
Current: 9 min (Similar to usual: avg wait time is 8 min)
Latest Airport Arrival Time
Domestic 1h 25m before departure
International 1h 51m before departure
How we calculated this

Bag drop closes 45-60 min before departure. With an estimated 25 min bag drop queue, you need to arrive at the desk 70-85 min early. After that, allow 9 min for security (avg on Fridays) and 12 min to walk to your gate, which closes 15-20 min before departure. Finally, add a 15 min buffer.

Best & Worst Times to Fly

Based on historical tsa wait times across all days of the week.

Best Time
Night
9pm - 4am
7 min avg wait
Worst Time
Morning
8am - 12pm
11 min avg wait
Flying in the Night instead of Morning could save you up to 4 minutes in tsa lines.

Other Wait Times at
Seattle Tacoma International Airport

SEA
Customs

Seattle Tacoma International Airport Customs

Airport Guide for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)

Commonly known as Sea-Tac is the primary commercial aviation gateway for the Pacific Northwest and serves as a major hub for Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines. Located approximately 14 miles south of downtown Seattle in the city of SeaTac, the airport handled a record volume of over 52.6 million passengers in 2024.

The facility features a central Main Terminal with four concourses (A, B, C, D) and two detached satellite terminals (North and South) that are accessible only via the automated SEA Underground train system. Recent modernizations include the International Arrivals Facility (IAF), which utilizes a unique “Bags First” clearance protocol.

Seattle Tacoma International Airport FAQ

Yes, the current TSA queue at Seattle Tacoma International Airport is approximately 9 minutes. Check the live data on this page for the latest queue times.

It currently takes approximately 9 minutes to get through TSA at Seattle Tacoma International Airport. Wait times vary by time of day and day of week — check the hourly chart on this page for the full breakdown.

TSA wait times at Seattle Tacoma International Airport vary throughout the day. Check the historical wait time chart on this page to find the quietest times.

No. The 4th Floor of the parking garage, formerly known as “Terminal Direct”, is now exclusively Reserved Parking. You cannot drive up and grab a ticket for this floor. You must book a spot online at least 6 hours in advance to generate a QR code for entry. If you attempt to enter without a reservation, you will be diverted to General Parking (Floors 1-3 or 5-8).

SEO Spotsaver Is a free service that allows you book a time go through security. Spot Saver is available daily from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Checkpoint 4 and TSA Checkpoint 2 using this link.

  • Important: Spot Saver users go through general screening (shoes off, laptops out). If you have TSA PreCheck, sticking to the dedicated PreCheck lanes is usually faster and more convenient.

It depends on the ride type:

  • Standard Rides (UberX, Lyft, etc.): You must walk to the 3rd Floor of the Parking Garage. Cross the skybridges from baggage claim to the garage (Level 4), then take the elevator down to Level 3. Look for the purple or orange stall numbers.
  • Uber Black: This is the only exception allowed to pick up at the curbside outside Baggage Claim. If you book Uber Black, you can wait at the arrival doors.

Yes, the walk from the terminal to the SeaTac/Airport Station is considered long (about the length of a concourse) and involves crossing the parking garage. However, the airport offers a free electric shuttle service that runs between the station and the airport skybridge for those with heavy luggage or mobility issues.

At SEA, all checkpoints lead to all gates. You do not have to use the checkpoint closest to your airline’s counter. If Checkpoint 5 is backed up, check the wait times on the FlySEA app and walk to Checkpoint 2 or 3, then use the airside corridor to reach your gate.

You must take the SEA Underground train; you cannot walk to these satellite terminals.

  • For N Gates (North Satellite): Take the Green Line loop.
  • For S Gates (South Satellite): Take the Blue Line loop.
  • Connecting: The Yellow Line shuttle connects the A and D stations within the main terminal if you need to switch ends of the airport quickly.

Yes. All main terminal concourses (A, B, C, D) are connected airside. You can walk from the A gates to the D gates without leaving security, though it takes about 15-20 minutes.

SEA uses a Bags First protocol which is different from many other US airports:

  • Claim Luggage: You pick up your checked bags before going through Passport Control.
  • Passport Control: Clear customs with your bags.
  • Re-Check/Exit: Drop your bags at the re-check counter if you have a connecting flight, or exit to the arrivals hall if Seattle is your final destination.

Yes. After clearing customs and re-checking your bags, you must go through TSA screening to re-enter the secure terminal. The International Arrivals Facility has its own checkpoint, but it closes at night (approx. 9:45 PM). If you arrive late, you may be directed to exit and use the main terminal checkpoints.

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Guides for this airport

Seattle-Tacoma Airport TSA Review: June Sees 125-Minute Peak Amid Stable Averages

Our June 2026 data for Seattle-Tacoma reveals a stable 7-minute average wait for TSA security, but this figure…

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Live data: For the majority of the airports we track we use live data from the airport. For the remaining airports we provide a modelled projection, combined with crowdsourced data.

Search: By airport name, IATA code, city, county, country or region. To save you time, we keep your last visited airports on the front page. If you can’t find an airport, contact us using the contact form and we will look to add it. 

Current average wait time: The airport’s latest average security, passport control or customs queue wait time. If the airport has multiple queues, we display the average of them. If you want a more granular view that includes wait times for individual queues, take a look at the terminal level wait times. We regularly update each airport’s data,  but make sure you click the “i” icon to check when the last update was made.

Terminal level wait times: The latest security or customs queue wait time for individual terminals. Click on the terminal to access more information at the terminal level. Please note that this data is not available for all airports. We are working to expand this functionality to as many airports as possible.

Historical wait times: The typical wait time on different days and times over the past 2 weeks. Click the filter at the top right of the graph to cycle through the days of the week.

Add a security or customs queue wait time: How was your airport security experience? Contribute to the community by inputting your wait time. This feature is only available for airports where Qsensor does not automatically track data. To add a wait time, simply click the “Add Your Time” button on the airports page and follow the instructions.

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Please note that this data is monitored and may be modified or deleted if found to be invalid.

Click the “i” icon to view and take note of more contextual information on each airport. “Airport Last Updated” denotes the last time the data was refreshed.

Our sources for wait time data vary and may include air travel data aggregators, federal agencies such as the TSA, CATSA CBP, or information from the airport and its affiliated service providers. For some airports, Qsensor utilises its proprietary queue modelling technology to project wait times. Additionally, we crowdsource data from passengers who have input their wait time using the “Add Your Time” button.

Qsensor is not affiliated with any airport, airline, or associated service provider.

We regularly check queue times and flight delays for accuracy, however all times are estimates and waiting times and delays may not accurately reflect your experience. It is advisable to arrive at the airport well in advance and follow the recommendations of the airlines and airports.

There are a wide array of ways that queue data is measured. Including but not limited to looking at how long a passenger takes to get from scanning their boarding pass to exiting the security or customs area. Auditing passengers on how long it took them to pass through security or customs as well as Qsensors’ proprietary system for user added wait times. 

For airport wait times, we currently support over 140 airports worldwide. Whether it be London Heathrow, Istanbul, or Miami – we have got you covered. More are added all the time. Is Qsensor missing an airport that you want to be supported? We are more than happy to accommodate your request, get in touch via the contact form. 

For flight delays and cancellations, we currently support 12 airports, with the goal of expanding coverage going forwards.

Qsensor automatically tracks wait times for a variety of airports including London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, Chicago O’Hare, Amsterdam Schiphol, Kempegowda Bangalore, Madrid Barajas, Hong Kong, Istanbul, and many more!

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Get insights into flight on-time performance and make better travel decisions. Please note, this feature is not available for all airports, but we’re adding more all the time!

To keep wait times relevant, the message “There is currently no data for this airport.” is shown when no traveller has recently inputted a wait time.

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