What is the TSA wait at SEA right now?
Observed security history for Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is listed by hour. It is not a live reading. The current hour is chosen in the browser from that table.
HomeWashingtonSEA TSA wait times
Typical history
Seattle–Tacoma International Airport TSA wait times
SEA · KSEA · Seattle, Washington
Security wait
A live wait is shown in this space when the stored feed is under 15 minutes old.
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The current hour is filled from the observed-hour table in this browser.
Observed security history for Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is listed by hour. It is not a live reading. The current hour is chosen in the browser from that table.
Typical wait by hour
On Sundays, the quietest observed standard-lane hours are 2am (sample-weighted median 3 minutes) and 3am (sample-weighted median 3 minutes). The busiest observed hours are 11pm (sample-weighted 75th percentile 23 minutes) and 11am (sample-weighted 75th percentile 15 minutes). Hours with no readings are left out, not treated as zero.
Standard lane only. Average and 75th percentile are sample-weighted from observed history. A gap means that hour had no readings.
PreCheck
This airport's historical feed has no PreCheck lane readings.
CLEAR
CLEAR is not shown. We are not using a CLEAR source.
Departure delays
Historical on-time performance. Not a live delay.
79%
On-time departures, September 2025 through August 2026. A departure is on time when it left less than 15 minutes late.
Flights out of Seattle–Tacoma International Airport left on time 79% of the time from September 2025 through August 2026. The largest share of delay minutes was the airline (43%). That is a share of delay minutes, not a share of flights. The average delay among departures that were 15 minutes or more late was 57 minutes. 1% of scheduled flights were cancelled.
The highest on-time month was April 2026 (85%). The lowest was August 2026 (71%).
| Cause | Delay minutes | Share of delay minutes |
|---|---|---|
| the airline | 808,322 | 43% |
| late-arriving aircraft | 541,316 | 29% |
| the national airspace system | 439,274 | 23% |
| weather | 94,910 | 5% |
| security | 2,974 | 0% |
Customs and passport control
International arrivals. Not TSA security.
The current hour is filled from the customs table in this browser. It is not a TSA security wait.
| Hour | Average | Published maximum | Passengers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4am | 3 min | 20 min | 252 |
| 5am | 4 min | 22 min | 2,021 |
| 6am | 4 min | 23 min | 830 |
| 7am | 9 min | 25 min | 684 |
| 8am | 23 min | 54 min | 2,620 |
| 9am | 9 min | 34 min | 2,981 |
| 10am | 20 min | 55 min | 6,042 |
| 11am | 19 min | 59 min | 9,746 |
| 12pm | 17 min | 58 min | 9,230 |
| 1pm | 21 min | 71 min | 12,108 |
| 2pm | 22 min | 59 min | 4,726 |
| 3pm | 22 min | 66 min | 7,663 |
| 4pm | 18 min | 61 min | 10,188 |
| 5pm | 16 min | 52 min | 10,728 |
| 6pm | 12 min | 35 min | 5,770 |
| 7pm | 24 min | 72 min | 11,742 |
| 8pm | 19 min | 58 min | 5,857 |
| 9pm | 17 min | 37 min | 1,244 |
| Hour | Average | Published maximum | Passengers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4am | 6 min | 35 min | 234 |
| 5am | 6 min | 25 min | 1,657 |
| 6am | 4 min | 21 min | 800 |
| 7am | 3 min | 19 min | 650 |
| 8am | 4 min | 22 min | 780 |
| 9am | 13 min | 47 min | 1,511 |
| 10am | 27 min | 83 min | 8,193 |
| 11am | 27 min | 80 min | 8,521 |
| 12pm | 19 min | 60 min | 5,932 |
| 1pm | 25 min | 69 min | 9,514 |
| 2pm | 21 min | 60 min | 5,573 |
| 3pm | 20 min | 64 min | 7,444 |
| 4pm | 19 min | 62 min | 9,096 |
| 5pm | 15 min | 47 min | 9,198 |
| 6pm | 15 min | 45 min | 7,388 |
| 7pm | 19 min | 58 min | 8,650 |
| 8pm | 17 min | 40 min | 4,311 |
| 9pm | 6 min | 18 min | 786 |
| 10pm | 18 min | 31 min | 294 |
| Hour | Average | Published maximum | Passengers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4am | 4 min | 10 min | 302 |
| 5am | 5 min | 26 min | 1,636 |
| 6am | 16 min | 42 min | 1,598 |
| 7am | 5 min | 13 min | 368 |
| 8am | 35 min | 79 min | 4,151 |
| 9am | 29 min | 73 min | 4,252 |
| 10am | 30 min | 87 min | 7,162 |
| 11am | 27 min | 75 min | 11,376 |
| 12pm | 21 min | 54 min | 7,427 |
| 1pm | 29 min | 91 min | 10,402 |
| 2pm | 31 min | 81 min | 7,582 |
| 3pm | 26 min | 62 min | 7,484 |
| 4pm | 25 min | 65 min | 10,052 |
| 5pm | 23 min | 56 min | 11,413 |
| 6pm | 20 min | 54 min | 7,436 |
| 7pm | 25 min | 65 min | 10,454 |
| 8pm | 24 min | 52 min | 4,622 |
| 9pm | 16 min | 24 min | 178 |
| 11pm | 13 min | 29 min | 120 |
| Hour | Average | Published maximum | Passengers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5am | 5 min | 22 min | 1,812 |
| 6am | 3 min | 16 min | 1,067 |
| 7am | 0 min | 0 min | 114 |
| 8am | 7 min | 25 min | 248 |
| 9am | 14 min | 45 min | 2,860 |
| 10am | 34 min | 88 min | 6,535 |
| 11am | 27 min | 74 min | 8,932 |
| 12pm | 25 min | 62 min | 7,069 |
| 1pm | 27 min | 74 min | 8,359 |
| 2pm | 25 min | 65 min | 2,916 |
| 3pm | 23 min | 61 min | 6,315 |
| 4pm | 18 min | 51 min | 6,920 |
| 5pm | 21 min | 57 min | 11,123 |
| 6pm | 18 min | 43 min | 4,898 |
| 7pm | 20 min | 54 min | 7,573 |
| 8pm | 26 min | 54 min | 3,867 |
| 9pm | 21 min | 31 min | 160 |
| 10pm | 21 min | 43 min | 191 |
| Hour | Average | Published maximum | Passengers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5am | 7 min | 29 min | 1,817 |
| 6am | 9 min | 37 min | 1,049 |
| 7am | 12 min | 51 min | 813 |
| 8am | 24 min | 53 min | 2,149 |
| 9am | 29 min | 76 min | 4,752 |
| 10am | 36 min | 84 min | 6,333 |
| 11am | 30 min | 91 min | 10,404 |
| 12pm | 29 min | 80 min | 6,165 |
| 1pm | 30 min | 94 min | 9,557 |
| 2pm | 25 min | 78 min | 5,151 |
| 3pm | 28 min | 89 min | 7,679 |
| 4pm | 25 min | 95 min | 8,773 |
| 5pm | 18 min | 68 min | 7,708 |
| 6pm | 26 min | 87 min | 9,596 |
| 7pm | 34 min | 98 min | 10,216 |
| 8pm | 31 min | 84 min | 5,246 |
| 9pm | 14 min | 35 min | 1,350 |
| Hour | Average | Published maximum | Passengers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4am | 10 min | 36 min | 473 |
| 5am | 6 min | 28 min | 1,417 |
| 6am | 4 min | 17 min | 911 |
| 7am | 19 min | 39 min | 1,094 |
| 8am | 26 min | 62 min | 2,487 |
| 9am | 6 min | 24 min | 1,927 |
| 10am | 20 min | 59 min | 5,472 |
| 11am | 24 min | 80 min | 10,637 |
| 12pm | 23 min | 73 min | 7,060 |
| 1pm | 26 min | 97 min | 10,823 |
| 2pm | 26 min | 74 min | 6,220 |
| 3pm | 34 min | 105 min | 4,494 |
| 4pm | 26 min | 105 min | 12,551 |
| 5pm | 23 min | 88 min | 9,030 |
| 6pm | 19 min | 78 min | 6,996 |
| 7pm | 32 min | 103 min | 10,568 |
| 8pm | 29 min | 90 min | 5,380 |
| 9pm | 12 min | 32 min | 671 |
| Hour | Average | Published maximum | Passengers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5am | 7 min | 30 min | 2,687 |
| 6am | 4 min | 13 min | 398 |
| 7am | 18 min | 50 min | 974 |
| 8am | 38 min | 79 min | 3,628 |
| 9am | 23 min | 69 min | 4,612 |
| 10am | 36 min | 105 min | 8,020 |
| 11am | 34 min | 103 min | 12,315 |
| 12pm | 30 min | 90 min | 8,526 |
| 1pm | 34 min | 105 min | 12,297 |
| 2pm | 33 min | 95 min | 4,923 |
| 3pm | 19 min | 61 min | 4,633 |
| 4pm | 24 min | 72 min | 9,411 |
| 5pm | 21 min | 76 min | 11,292 |
| 6pm | 22 min | 81 min | 9,616 |
| 7pm | 34 min | 89 min | 12,159 |
| 8pm | 27 min | 64 min | 5,467 |
| 9pm | 14 min | 26 min | 496 |
When to be at the airport
TSA's published guidance is to arrive at the airport 2 hours before a domestic departure and 3 hours before an international departure. That is guidance, not a measured security wait.
Nearby airports
- King County International Airport - Boeing Field BFI · Seattle5 mi
- Tacoma Narrows Airport TIW · Tacoma18 mi
- Seattle Paine Field International Airport PAE · Everett32 mi
- Olympia Regional Airport OLM · Olympia43 mi
- Anacortes Airport OTS · Anacortes74 mi
Distances are straight-line miles.
Airport details
- Runways
- 3
- Longest runway
- 16L/34R, 11,901 ft
- Longest runway width
- 150 ft
- Longest runway surface
- CONC
- Longest runway lighting
- HIGH
- Elevation
- 432.3 ft
- Control tower
- Yes
- CY2024 enplanements
- 25,414,592
- Facility use
- Public
- Ownership
- Public
- Part 139 certificate code
- I E
- Fuel
- A,A1
- Last inspection
- 2026/01/16
FAA facility record date 2026/10/01. Runways: BTS NTAD Runways. Facility facts: BTS NTAD Aviation Facilities. Enplanements: FAA CY2024 commercial service.
Questions
Does TSACheck have a live security wait for SEA?
A live figure is shown only when the stored airport feed is fresh. Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA) also has observed history. A stored value that is too old is not shown as live.
How often do flights leave SEA on time?
Flights out of Seattle–Tacoma International Airport left on time 79% of the time from September 2025 through August 2026. The largest share of delay minutes was the airline (43%). That is a share of delay minutes, not a share of flights. The average delay among departures that were 15 minutes or more late was 57 minutes. 1% of scheduled flights were cancelled.
What is the customs wait at SEA?
Customs and passport-control history is in its own section. It is not a TSA security wait. The current hour is chosen from that table in the browser.
How early should I get to SEA?
TSA's published guidance is to arrive at the airport 2 hours before a domestic departure and 3 hours before an international departure. That is guidance, not a measured security wait.
Which airports are near SEA?
The nearest airports in this list are King County International Airport - Boeing Field (BFI), 5 straight-line miles; Tacoma Narrows Airport (TIW), 18 straight-line miles; Seattle Paine Field International Airport (PAE), 32 straight-line miles; Olympia Regional Airport (OLM), 43 straight-line miles; Anacortes Airport (OTS), 74 straight-line miles.