SEATTLE, WA — The Port of Seattle joined Alaska Airlines to celebrate the completion of major construction for the SEA Gateway Project. The project gave Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's (SEA) north end of the main terminal a major facelift, transforming the airport’s front door and the customer experience from curb to gate.
HOK and Hensel Phelps led the airport modernization, in partnership with Alaska Airlines and the Port of Seattle. After two years of construction walls and scaffolding, the SEA Gateway Project now offers a lighter, brighter, more efficient, and modern customer experience.
“Everyone has worked tirelessly to bring this multi-level project to life as a portal to the Pacific Northwest,” Port of Seattle Commission President Ryan Calkins said. “This level of customer service and ease is what people have come to expect of a top-tier international airport, and together, we’ve delivered.”
The $546 million project adds Alaska Airlines innovation technology with the first at-scale automated bag drops, efficiency upgrades, light-filled open spaces, Bridge Level check-in, upgraded baggage claim devices, digital monitors, new art displays throughout, a redesigned security checkpoint, upgraded restrooms, and new entry/exit doorways with safety bollards and accessibility ramp accommodations.
“From initial planning to final construction, this project has been years in the making in partnership with the Port of Seattle — achieving the goal of reducing the time our guests spend in line at the airport,” said Shane Jones, Senior Vice President of Fleet, Revenue Products, and Real Estate at Alaska Airlines. “We now have an amazing space with innovative technology in our lobby that provides for a more seamless travel experience.”
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Additional features of the SEA Gateway project are:
- Redesigned Checkpoint 6: Doubled the space in front, tripled the recompose area in the back, and reconfigured the six lanes for higher efficiency
- New bridge level check-in/bag drop: More ways for passengers to go through check-in between Skybridges 5 and 6
- Improved baggage claim level: New claim devices at 15 and 16, lighting, ceiling fixtures, digital monitors, widened seating areas, and multiple art display cases
- Upgraded drives: Refreshed and updated door portals, new access ramps at all entrance/exits updated to meet ADA standards, and longevity modifications for two glass elevators
- Updated restrooms: Six more women’s stalls, four more men’s fixtures, adult changing tables, nursing room, and water fountain and refill station
- Public art throughout: Eight major public art installations in the project (two on bag claim level, two on skybridge level, and four on ticketing and esplanade level)
- Sustainability: On track to achieve LEED Silver for commercial interiors certification due to the many energy-efficiency improvements incorporated into the design
- Infrastructure upgrades: HVA, electrical, plumbing, and fire and life safety systems
More project completions are on the way for SEA ahead of this summer. The C Concourse Expansion will add four new floors of amenities and services, while the Roadway Improvements Project will add two more lanes and efficiencies into the airport garage and drives.
These upcoming completions are in addition to projects that opened last year. Passengers started using the redesigned Checkpoint 6 prior to the winter holidays, and the new Checkpoint 1 at the south end of baggage claim opened in June 2025. Ninety-three percent of all passengers made it through security checkpoints in less than 20 minutes in 2024. Additionally, $62 million went into completing restroom renovations on B, C, and D Concourses. Plus, the A Concourse expansion for lounges is now ready.
