Fast-forward a few weeks … You’ve made it to Seattle for ARVO! Your first task: get from Sea-Tac Airport to your lodging place and check in! Thankfully there are many transportation options for all budgets and times of day.
Public transit
The Seattle area is served by Sound Transit and King County Metro. Both agencies accept cash or the ORCA Card, which can be purchased at ticket dispensers for $5 and reloaded online or at any light rail stop. The website OneBusAway provides real-time arrival and schedule information for both agencies. They have a free app for Android, iPhone, and Windows Phone that is immensely useful; if you plan on riding the bus at all, do yourself a favor and download it!
Sea-Tac Link Light Rail station viewed from the street.
Link Light Rail operates 5AM – 1AM with regular service from Sea-Tac airport, through downtown Seattle (including the Westlake Center stop near the Washington State Convention Center), and all the way to University of Washington. The entire route can be ridden for a mere $3. Because the light rail doesn’t get stuck in traffic, riding from the airport to downtown takes ~40 minutes any time of day. Sit back, check out the city, and maybe put some finishing touches on your ARVO presentation!
Ridesharing services
Seattle is served by two popular rideshare companies, Lyft and Uber, which recently started pickups at the airport 3rd floor parking garage. Both allow you to summon a car using a mobile app, and new users can get a free first ride up to $50 from Lyft and a free first ride up to $22 from Uber. Fares from Sea-Tac Airport to the downtown hotel zone run $27-30 for Lyft, $25-30 for UberPool, or $30-40 for UberX. While Lyft and Uber are convenient, a word of caution during busy times (typically rush hours and late night): both services employ some form of surge pricing when demand is high. The result can be a ridiculously steep charge to your credit card, but Surgeometer can help you avoid surprises.
Downtown Airporter operated by Shuttle Express.
If you are just looking for transportation between downtown Seattle and the airport, Downtown Airporter is an affordable shuttle that accepts walk-ups at their airport counter. It starts at $18 one-way (kids free), and they offer group discounts in advance if the whole lab is going.
Taxis
Map of downtown Seattle flat rate zone for Yellow Cab.
If your plane lands at 2AM when the light rail isn’t running and the rideshares are operating at 3X surge, you still don’t have to completely break the bank! Several taxi companies serve Sea-Tac airport and downtown Seattle for a flat rate. Double check that your hotel is in the flat rate zone – Flat Rate For Hire Cab offers a $29 flat rate, Orange Cab offers a $40 flat rate for up to 4 people, and both Yellow Cab and Farwest Taxi offer a $40 flat rate.
Have any other tips or thoughts on getting to and from the airport? We’d love to hear them in the comments below!