Sea-Tac Airport warns of record travel day heading into 4th of July holiday weekend
For the second time in as many weeks, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is warning that it could see its busiest travel day ever on Friday.
Sea-Tac projects 200,000 people will likely travel through the airport for the day -- that’s more than the population of Bellevue. It would be the highest volume of passengers in SEA’s history, but the final count could be lower depending on cancellations, delays, and other factors, according to spokesperson Perry Cooper.
Meanwhile, travelers have continued to be hampered by cancellations and delays thanks to poor weather across the country.
“Flights have been grounded -- the lady next to me had major delays,” a traveler from Texas at Sea-Tac told KIRO 7. “They were trying to catch a cruise, they’ve been three days delayed to try to get on the boat. She’s rushing to it right now, so I think delays are happening across the board. But we’re here!”
“This is the busiest airport I’ve been to so far,” another traveler from Arkansas said.
Driving won’t be any easier for Fourth of July holiday plans, with Washington still boasting the highest gas prices in the country. As of Friday, the average price of a gallon of gas in the state sits at $4.98. In the Seattle metropolitan area, it’s even higher at $5.11, while Tacoma is just under $5.
According to AAA, an estimated 43.2 million people are expected to drive over the holiday weekend.
About 4.17 million Americans are also expected to fly nationwide, which would set another record for a Fourth of July weekend.
