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The Podcast!
Subscribe to the only podcast devoted to helping people under the flight path everywhere. It’s definitely not just about noise!Most Recent: Ep #42 Data, Data Centers, and you (Raw!)
The Issues
The Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) is the blueprint for increasing flight capacity by one third in the next ten years. It will have the same community impact as the Third Runway. In fact, it is happening now. How this is possible, and what it means for us.continue...
Does your home have a Port Package of noise mitigation windows and insulation? Having problems with your windows? Mold? You're not alone. Help us help you.continue...
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The SAMP SEPA EIS Public Comment Period is open now from May 22 – August 20, 2026. Learn what is coming and what you can do to help reduce the noise, the pollution, and obtain the compensation we’ve deserved for decades.Top Story
Sea-Tac Airport’s Spot Saver program is going away this fall
September 10, 2026
Why this matters
The end of Spot Saver shows that despite all the growth, the airport knows how to expand. The number of sign-ups was never large. And as each of the Terminal improvement came on-line, fewer and fewer used it. Now most people find the flow efficient enough they don't bother with it. Good news for travelers. A bad omen for people living under the flight path.General screening passengers flying out of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport will see one fewer way to skip the lines at security checkpoints beginning this fall.
The airport announced Thursday that its SEA Spot Saver program — which allowed travelers to book a TSA security appointment in advance for free, skipping the line at the airport — will be discontinued on Nov. 30. Travelers can still book a time slot at the airport’s Checkpoint 4 between now and Nov. 29, according to airport representatives.
The Spot Saver program was launched in 2021 with a goal of reducing security wait times at Sea-Tac, which has since grown into the 11th busiest airport in the United States, said Perry Cooper, senior manager of media relations for the Port of Seattle and Sea-Tac.
Your guide to summer travel around WA, the PNW and more
The airport is also “the most space-constrained major airport” in the country, according to Thursday’s news release.
“We’re thrilled it was there when we had some challenges before,” Cooper said Thursday. “We’re going to say goodbye to it because it also … provides us an opportunity to be a little bit more flexible in the way that we have our lines queued up in front of those checkpoints.”
While popular, the program’s usage has declined in recent years as the airport rolled out broader upgrades to its security checkpoints. And while bookings peaked in 2025, at 1.58 million reservations, security checkpoints only recorded 826,333 Spot Saver scans last year, according to airport data.
At 52%, that rate of scans versus reservations was the lowest since 2023 — and so far in 2026, the rate has dropped further, to 42%. Through July of this year, 422,000 passengers out of 987,000 reservations used their scheduled appointments instead of waiting in general security lines upon arrival.
“What’s been happening is that we’ve seen the (SEA Spot Saver) program not needed as much as it has in the past,” Cooper said.
SEA Spot Saver gives travelers a 15-minute appointment window during which they can go through security; appointments can be scheduled between 4 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily, up to five days before a flight.
And while Sea-Tac is booming yet again this year, following a record 2025 in which 52.7 million passengers traveled through the airport — an average of about 144,000 per day — Cooper said infrastructure improvements have helped the airport outgrow Spot Saver.
The airport debuted a new Checkpoint 1 and a redesigned Checkpoint 6 last year, which Cooper says have helped lines move more quickly. More than 94% of travelers have gotten through security in 20 minutes or less this year, according to Sea-Tac data.
That includes the partial government shutdown in March, which left hundreds of Transportation Security Administration workers without pay and other airports around the country with hourslong waits. At that time, Cooper said, Sea-Tac was able to manage wait times typically between 10 and 15 minutes.
Since the Spot Saver program’s inception at Sea-Tac, airports across the country, including Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, have created similar TSA reservation programs.
With airport security wait times staying stable currently, Cooper said Sea-Tac does not have plans to replace the program. Outside of timesaving security programs like TSA PreCheck and CLEAR, Sea-Tac passengers can monitor live wait times online at portseattle.org and on digital signage inside the airport.
“We’ve got more lanes open in the checkpoints overall,” Cooper said. “And the lower wait times we’ve seen have really made a difference.”
Recent Stories
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Ep #42 Data, Data Centers, and you (Raw!)
This **raw episode** serves as an update to listeners affected by sound insulation issues. You are not forgotten despite our heavy focus on the SAMP (Sustainable Airport Master Plan) throughout the year. --- ## Key Topics Covered ### Sound Insulation as a Basic Right - The host frames sound insulation as a **fundamental right**, not an afterthought - The Port of Seattle conducted a **new Part 150 Study** as part of the SAMP - That noise study has been used to **further expansion plans** - A significant portion of SAMP advocacy has been directed toward securing **relief for affected residents** ### Port Package Update Program - Slow Progress - The Port proposed a **Port Package update program in 2024** - The process has been **slow-walked** since then - Concerns raised about: - **Window-dressing** by involved parties - **Opposition from some affected city councils** (described as "beyond shameful") ### 📋 Legislative Action - What's Coming -
Ep #41 Port Package Updates… update (Raw!)
This **raw episode** serves as an update to listeners affected by sound insulation issues. You are not forgotten despite our heavy focus on the SAMP (Sustainable Airport Master Plan) throughout the year. --- ## Key Topics Covered ### Sound Insulation as a Basic Right - The host frames sound insulation as a **fundamental right**, not an afterthought - The Port of Seattle conducted a **new Part 150 Study** as part of the SAMP - That noise study has been used to **further expansion plans** - A significant portion of SAMP advocacy has been directed toward securing **relief for affected residents** ### Port Package Update Program - Slow Progress - The Port proposed a **Port Package update program in 2024** - The process has been **slow-walked** since then - Concerns raised about: - **Window-dressing** by involved parties - **Opposition from some affected city councils** (described as "beyond shameful") ### 📋 Legislative Action - What's Coming -
CAWG Postgame: Regional Airport System?
Peter Kirsch explains how three separate airports could act like one This week’s Commercial Aviation Work Group meeting made clear that this is not a second airport committee. The main event was a presentation by Peter Kirsch. You can believe what Mr. Kirsch says because, in addition to being a principal at one of the -
American Airlines makes no money—But it will spend millions on Trump Accounts to build goodwill in Washington
by Gary Leff on August 31, 2026 American Airlines will contribute $1,000 to Trump Accounts opened for eligible children of its employees, matching the federal government’s $1,000 seed contribution. This is a parting gift from Nate Gatten to the administration as he leaves to head government relations for Apple, and helps to set the airline -
Ep #40 Thank you, Explorer!
What if the solution to decades of airport noise and community impacts has been hiding in plain sight all along? In this open letter to city managers across airport communities, we revisit a landmark yet largely forgotten document: the Sea-Tac Communities Plan of 1976. Built on the Port of Seattle's promise — *"As we do better, you'll do better"* — this collaborative plan was supposed to be the long-term answer for neighborhoods living under the flight path. So why has it been reduced to little more than an expensive property buyout program? The answer reveals a critical gap that neither elected officials nor community advocates can fill alone. Real, lasting solutions require sustained professional commitment to airport community planning — something that should have been established 50 years ago. If you work in city management, this episode speaks directly to you and the unique role only you can play in finally delivering on that broken promise.
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From The Web
The Port of Seattle has completed its $120 million acquisition of a three-building office complex in SeaTac, the sellers announced Tuesday. The deal follows the port commission’s approval of the purchase last fall. The sellers are Seattle-based Urban Renaissance Group and investment partner PCCP of San Francisco. The 548,704-square-foot International Place property sits on a [...]
From The Library
As the source for federal transportation grants, the Puget Sound Regional Council was charged with developing a system to meet the growing need for commercial aviation. When the search for a second airport failed, they authorized the Port of Seattle to build the Third Runway, with a mandate to develop a noise abatement and mitigation program. In their effort to stop the Third Runway, the ACC argued over every detail of the Port's efforts--including property buyouts and sound insulation. The dispute was meant to be settled by a three member Expert Arbitration Panel. This is their final report. It finds 2-1, that the Port's program was insufficient in several respects. Despite that, funding for the Third Runway was approved by the PSRC, and the 'Port Package' program, proceeded largely unchanged. Expert Arbitration Panel's final decision finding that the Port of Seattle had not shown sufficient reduction in real on-the-ground noise impacts to satisfy noise reduction conditions required for approval of a third runway at Sea-Tac International Airport. The majority decision concluded the Port's noise abatement programs were insufficient despite being impressive in scope.continue...
Under The Flight Path
Under The Flight Path: A Community History of Sea-Tac Airport. Help us complete the first comprehensive documentary of any major US airport; the impacts on the cities and the people.continue...
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