Airport Guide for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport sea

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  February 10, 2012  

Roughly 12 miles / 19 km to the south of downtown Seattle and 20 miles / 32 km north from the city of Tacoma, the Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA) lies next to Des Moines, Evansville, Normandy Park and North Hill. Often abbreviated as simply 'Sea-Tac', Seattle's airport prides itself on being as clean and green as possible, with energy-saving equipment and impressive recycling policies - even the new third runway was built using a special environmentally friendly 'fly ash' concrete.

Yearly passenger traffic at the facility has recently exceeded 30 million, with around 350,000 air operations and over 340,000 tons of cargo freight. Seattle Tacoma Airport regularly appears in the top 20 list of America's busiest commercial airports and features an array of impressive art installations around the three terminals, with no less than 100 art works of all descriptions in the Main Terminal, including Native American pieces.

Public transport at Seattle Tacoma International Airport offers an inexpensive way to reach the city and its many interesting districts. These include Ballard, Belltown, the Capitol Hill area, Pike Place Market, the northerly Freemont neighbourhood, the commercial area of SoDo, and the historic University District, home of the University of Washington and its 40,000+ students. Public Metro Transit and Sound Transit buses are especially popular, along with shared-ride vans, Airporter and Whidbey SeaTac shuttles, and cabs, operated by the Sea-Tac International Taxi Association (STITA).

Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA) Information: History and Facilities
Built by the Port of Seattle during the early forties, construction of Seattle Tacoma Airport cost more than $1 million. Post-war, commercial flights began operating and by 1950, a number of prominent airlines were based here, including Northwest Airlines, who offered services to Japan.

By 1960, the runway was extended to accommodate the modern, larger jet planes and the next decade saw further growth, resulting in the addition of a new runway. The 1970s were an expensive time for Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA), when over $100 million was spent buying up houses and nearby buildings, easing problems with noise pollution. More recently, a controversial new runway has been built, costing Sea-Tac more than $1 billion.

Facilities at Seattle Tacoma Airport are extensive and include a range of financial services, such as cash machines operated by US Bank, Travelex foreign exchange and coin changing machines. Airline passenger paging is also available onsite, while Seattle passengers in need of assistance should head to one of the airport's information and ground transportation booths.

Further airport facilities include mobile phone charging kiosks, a meditation room, Wayport Wi-Fi, a US mailbox, a massage bar, luggage storage, In Motion DVD rental, and the comprehensive Laptop Lane business center, which resides within the North Satellite terminal. Around 20 different shops can be found at Seattle Tacoma Airport, including favourites such as Borders Books, Hudson News, Made in Washington and Club Jet Duty Free. Also worth noting, more than 30 restaurants are now on site, including popular eateries such as the Alaska Lodge, Chili's Too and the Seattle Taproom, where microbrews and hearty American 'pub' meals are served, including meatloaf and burgers.

Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA) Information: About Seattle Tourism
Once a small town with little to offer in the way of tourism, Seattle has become of the fastest-expanding regions in the whole of the United States. Often known as the 'Emerald City', Seattle is famous for its coffee obsession and numerous neighbouring islands, boasting a beautiful mountainous coastline and many stunning modern landmarks. Highlights include Smith Tower Observation Deck, the iconic Space Needle, which was constructed for the World Fair in 1962, and the waterfront district, where many restaurants and local stores are based, particularly around the piers of Elliot Bay.

Serving Seattle, the biggest city in the whole of Washington, Sea-Tac Airport (SEA) is sited between two enormous bodies of water, Lake Washington and the Puget Sound. The airport is especially close to the suburbs of Burien, Normandy Park and North Hill.