The rush for leisure travel begins with more than 2 million passengers expected at Sea-Tac

SEATAC, Washington – Be prepared for some long lines before departing from Seattle.

The rush for winter holiday travel began on Thursday. More than 2 million people are expected to pass through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) in the coming weeks.

KOMO News reporter Theron Zahn was at Sea-Tac Thursday morning and noticed large lines forming as early as 3:30 a.m

“The crowds have gotten bigger since then,” he said.

Sea-Tac travel is expected to increase 2% this year compared to last year, but will be about 5% below 2019’s record numbers.

While you might think that the winter holidays are Sea-Tac’s busiest time, the summer travel season is busier.

Sea-Tac’s busiest day during the holiday season is expected to be Friday, with 172,000 people expected to arrive, depart or transfer.

Around 164,000 travelers are expected at Sea-Tac on Thursday. Travelers there said they didn’t encounter many problems.

“It was great. It was easy. We didn’t have a lot of traffic and everything went well,” said Cole McCurdy, who was traveling to Texas.

Meanwhile, others said that even if things went smoothly, they expected the worst-case scenario.

“I rarely check luggage on vacation and I did this time, so I’m nervous, but I always make sure I get there on time. If they suggest you get there two hours in advance, make sure you get there two hours in advance,” said Leslie Barranger.

If you travel by ferry, you can also expect long queues.

Officials expect more than 600,000 people to board a state-owned ferry between Friday, December 20 and Wednesday, January 1. Anyone boarding a vehicle should expect long lines and waiting times.

SEE ALSO | TSA begins using “Facial Match” technology at Sea-Tac Airport checkpoints

For those looking to save on airfare, Expedia suggests Christmas Eve and Christmas Eve are the cheapest days to fly, while Friday through December 22 are the most expensive days.

Nationwide, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) expects nearly 40 million people to be screened by January 2nd. That is more than 6% more than in the previous year.

Just a few weeks ago, on December 1, the TSA had its busiest day ever, screening nearly 3.1 million passengers at the nation’s airports to close out the Thanksgiving travel season.