Sea-Tac Airport sold out of pre-booked parking reservations. Here’s what to do

Are you flying out of town for Thanksgiving?

Have you booked your flight, a hotel on the other end, maybe even a rental car too?

Feeling proud, maybe even a little smug, about how prepared you are?

Did you remember to book a parking spot at the airport? Oh boy.

Add it to the list of things — crowds, lines, fees, relatives — that can make holiday travel seem insufferable.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport offers reservations for 500 of its 12,100 parking spots, spokesperson Perry Cooper said. But if you haven’t acted, you’re out of luck.

“Pre-booked parking is sold out for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays,” Sea-Tac’s website says.

“Pre-booking allows you to prepay for a spot and often get a savings deal versus the drive up price,” Cooper said. “There are only a small allotment for those at any time and they vary based on the volume.”

Wednesday is Sea-Tac’s single busiest day of the year, with an estimated 155,000 passengers expected to pass through the airport. Airport officials say passenger numbers have nearly recovered from pre-pandemic levels, with holiday traffic estimated at 95% of 2019’s volume.

There’s a good chance you could score a “drive-up” parking spot (the more depressing variation of the restaurant “walk-in”), but it’s not guaranteed, Sea-Tac says.

“We recommend booking a minimum of 14 days in advance to ensure availability,” reads the airport website. Booking parking, two weeks in advance: What a world!

Also, if you’re wise enough to book ahead or lucky enough to snag a coveted “drive-up” spot, it’s not cheap. You’ll be paying $34 to $42 a day.

It also will take a while.

“Plan up to 45 minutes to find a spot on the busiest days,” Sea-Tac says. Oy vey.

There is, of course, the light rail, which will take you all the way from Northgate (or one of 17 other stations) to the airport for no more than $3.50. There are taxis and and Ubers and Lyfts and shuttles. King County bus routes 156, 161 and RapidRide A will get you to the airport, as will Sound Transit routes 560 and 574.

There are off-site, third-party parking lots, but fewer than there used to be, Cooper said.

When passenger volume plummeted during the pandemic, several outside parking lots closed, Cooper said. That nixed 800 to 1,200 parking spots from a market that hasn’t added any parking lots since 2011, he said. And when people can’t find an off-site spot, Cooper said, they’ll often scramble at the last minute to the airport parking garage, compounding the supply issues at Sea-Tac.

“We’ve been trying to encourage travelers to use alternate ways to get to the airport not only for environmental purposes but also from a timing standpoint and ease of use,” Cooper said.

There are even some bike lockers, as well as beleaguered-looking bike racks in the parking garage, should you plan on cycling to the airport. Pack light.