Want to spend the day at the airport even though you are not flying? You now can at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Effective immediately, Sea-Tac will allow 100 non-travelers per day through security checkpoints. The new SEA Visitor Pass program will require advance registration here for TSA approval. Approval comes within minutes and can be requested same-day.
Once approval is granted, a QR-code is generated. Simply print that and present it with your government-issued ID at the security checkpoint in Terminal 3. “Visiting hours” are from 8:00AM to 10:00PM, though you will not be allowed to enter the checkpoint after 9:00PM with a visitor pass.
SeaTac Mayor Erin Sitterley nostalgically recalled accompanying her husband, an Alaska pilot, to the gate.
“There’s a whole generation of people…who have missed out on the connections that are made at our airport.”
Lance Lyttle, the airport’s Managing Director, said:
“I remember a time when we could go…to the gate to say goodbye to our friends and loved ones. I remember the time when we could go…meet our friends and loved ones at the gate. After 9/11, all of that changed.”
The move, he said, returns Sea-Tac to “some degree of normalcy”. Lyttle added:
“Some people really just love to watch airplanes take off and land.”
Yes, yes, yes!
> Read More: Another Day Of Father-Son Bonding At LAX
Seattle joins three other major airports in the United States that will no longer require a valid boarding pass to visit the secure side of the airport. The other three include:
- Detroit (DTW)
- Pittsburgh (PIT)
- Tampa (TPA)
CONCLUSION
I am thrilled to see Sea-Tac and other airports “re-open” to the general public. You could complain that airline passengers are subsidizing these visits since there are no charges for passes but non-travelers must pass through security. But I see it differently. A return to normalcy after nearly 20 years is indeed a great opportunity to introduce a new generation to the joy of accompanying loved ones to the gate.
Would you visit the airport if you were not flying?
I hate the idea of airports allowing non-flying people through security in general but limiting it to 100 people per day I can be a fan of that approach.
Is that because you fear crowding will result? Or maybe homeless people? The homeless issue is a concern for me.
This really needs to be expanded – quickly. MSP and others need do the same, I would love to be able to meet my loved ones at the gate instead of sitting in the construction zone of baggage claim at MSP’s Terminal 1. Sooner would be better!
Make them pay. Use that money to improve services. $20 is a reasonable charge.
Don’t forget NOLA as well!
Do I get my TSA Pre-Check when going through security as a visitor? 🙂
Answer is no (I’ve gone through ORD and LAX before on media passes and had to go through standard security).
I do not like it that SEA got rid of all the good restaurants by not renewing their leases. No more Iver’s (seafood), Anthony’s (seafood), Burger King, etc.
That’s something I’ve always liked about Australia – anyone can go in on domestic. Made the days of picking up granny a lot easier by getting her from the gate.
It’s also said that those Qantas chairman’s card holders can also pop in for a free feed in the private lounge without flying too, though I’d be curious as to how many do that lol.
There are some airports I would go for the food like MSP which has really good local restaurants now at the airport. But SEA??? There is almost nothing worth eating there.
I remember, prior to 1973, when passengers were allowed to board flights without any screening, period. There were even planes where we could get on, without paying in advance, and pay on the plane (i.e. the Eastern Airlines Shuttle, and People’s Express). Then, people used to dress up on flights, with fancy business suits. One never saw pierced noses, pierced belly buttons, bikini type clothing on flights, tattoos on passengers, or encounter passengers with body odor problems. Flying at that time was not yet open to the masses. As a result, one never encountered air rage on flights, as passengers behaved in a civilized manner. Even the flight attendants, and the gate and ticket agents were very nice in those days.