Travel: Flights to Seattle-Tacoma

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport or just "SeaTac airport", (IATA: SEA), located in the city of SeaTac, connects Seattle to all regions of the world, with especially frequent transpacific routes. Alaska Airlines uses Seattle as a hub and therefore has nonstop flights to Seattle from many locations, and provides something approximating discount air fare to and from the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California. There are several choices for getting from the airport to the city center:

• Metro(city bus) - Routes 194 (express, 30 minutes) and 174 (45-60 minutes) will get you downtown for $2. Get exact change by buying a latte at the little Chinook coffee stand by the baggage claim downstairs, then exit the terminal, turn right and walk all the way to the south end of the building where you will find a couple of Metro bus stops with schedules posted. Be aware that the 174/194 at the first bus stop head downtown; the 174/194 at the second (adjacent) bus stop head out to Federal Way.
• Taxi - The trip is about 20 minutes by taxi (set price of $28 as of April 30, 2007); catch one on the third floor of the parking garage.
• Rental car - On a weekend, you might want to shop the internet for rental cars, since they can be less than $12/day (plus roughly 18% tax; also consider hotel parking fees, if any). Beware of the fact that taking a rental from the airport will incur an 11% "airport tax" surcharge. If you are able to rent a car from a downtown location you will not have to pay this and will save a considerable amount of money.
• Commercial shuttle buses are about $5-$12.75 and probably not faster than the bus if you are going downtown.
• Also a special note. In the fall of 2009 Sound Transit will begin operating a light-rail line between downtown Seattle and the Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) International Airport. (http://www.soundtransit.org/x1171.xml)