SEA Airport Transportation: Getting to North Seattle

Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is about a 27-minute drive from Marco Polo Motel. SEA airport transportation options include Link light rail, buses, taxis, app-based rideshares, scheduled airporters, shuttles and rental cars.

Ground-transport pickup points are spread across the terminal drives and parking garage, so it helps to choose your mode before leaving the terminal. Link and several Metro bus stops are reached via the parking garage; taxis and rideshares also pick up there, while scheduled airporters use Arrivals Drive.

For a rail trip, follow signs from the terminal to the SeaTac/Airport Link station. The station connects to the airport parking garage’s fourth floor by a covered, level walkway leading toward the terminal skybridge. The Port of Seattle also offers a free Train-to-Plane shuttle between the station and the center of the garage.

Sound Transit’s 1 Line serves SeaTac/Airport, downtown Seattle and Northgate, continuing north to Lynnwood City Center and south to Federal Way Downtown. If you’re heading to Northgate, you can stay aboard through downtown without transferring. For more on onward connections around the city, see this Seattle public transport guide.

Sound Transit lists a one-way adult fare of $3.00. The fare is $1.00 for ORCA LIFT low-income adults and seniors or qualifying riders with disabilities, and free for riders age 18 and under.

You can buy a ticket at a station machine or in the Transit GO Ticket app, or pay with ORCA or a contactless credit or debit card before entering the fare-paid zone.

Link service runs from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 6 a.m. to midnight Sundays and holidays. Trains run every 7 to 15 minutes depending on the time of day.

To reach the station on foot from the terminal, go to the fourth floor and cross the skybridge into the parking garage; the shuttle is an alternative.

Metro buses stop on International Boulevard beside the Link station. From the terminal, go through the north end of the parking garage’s fourth floor to the station, then cross the pedestrian bridge, which is open 24 hours a day.

Routes at this stop include RapidRide A Line, Route 161 and Route 156. Route 124 runs on airport drives between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.

Other bus stops serve different destinations: Sound Transit routes 560 and 574 pick up at the south end of the main terminal’s lower drive.

Route 560 serves Burien, Renton and Bellevue; Route 574 serves Federal Way, Tacoma and Lakewood. ST Express Night Bus 570 toward downtown Seattle picks up at International Boulevard and South 176th Street, not at the main-terminal lower drive.

King County Metro and Sound Transit buses serving SEA accept cash, contactless credit or debit cards, and ORCA. Pay when boarding; drivers do not carry change.

Taxis

SEA has metered taxis on the third floor of the parking garage, at the north and south curbs. They operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The minimum fare for taxi trips originating at SEA is $20 under King County Ordinance 19700; an additional $1 surcharge may be added for on-demand taxis.

App-based rideshares

Uber and Lyft pickups are in the parking garage’s third-floor rideshare area. Lyft and UberPool/UberX use marked stalls 1–34 in the middle of the garage. Uber Black can pick up at the baggage-claim door selected by the passenger.

Scheduled airporters

Scheduled airporters pick up on Arrivals Drive near Door 00, by TSA Checkpoint 1. Airporter Shuttle/Bellair Charters serves northern destinations including Seattle, Paine Field, Marysville, Bellingham and Anacortes/San Juan Ferry. Check directly with the provider for operational updates.

SEA has no parking or waiting on the airport drives. Unattended vehicles can be ticketed and towed even if the driver is nearby, so arrange a pickup rather than waiting at the curb. The Port says the drives can get congested during morning passenger drop-offs and evening pickups; use the other drive if congestion builds.

Accessible loading zones are available on the terminal drives. Rideshare drivers may pick up there when additional assistance is needed, provided the passenger or driver coordinates with Ground Transportation. Many scheduled public-transit buses on airport routes are lift-equipped, and taxi and flat-rate vehicle services offer wheelchair-accessible vans. Confirm accessibility details with the provider or airport.

For ground-transport questions, the Port’s booth is on the third level of the parking garage and can be reached at (206) 787-5906.

Choose Link if your route fits the 1 Line and you’re comfortable getting to the station through the garage. A bus may suit you better if its route serves your destination; check the specific stop, since airport buses do not all depart from the same place.

For a direct pickup, compare the garage locations for taxis and rideshares, or use a scheduled air porter for a northern destination it serves.

Before you go, check the official site for Sound Transit, King County Metro, the Port of Seattle or your chosen transport provider, as appropriate, for current fares, hours, routes and pickup details.