Officials offer tips for traveling during this holiday weekend

SEATAC, WA - Travel for the holidays is busiest this week and weekend, airport officials say, but there are some easy tips that may help you avoid some headaches.

Sea-Tac Airport officials say Wednesday to Saturday are the busiest days for airport travel.

“Today we’re at about 168,000 people going through the airport,” said Perry Cooper spokesperson for Sea-Tac Airport.

To avoid any holiday heartache at the airport cooper suggest planning ahead for your flight.

Here are some quick tips to make sure you get to where you need to go this weekend:

Arrive to the airport early (2 hours early for domestic, 3 hours early for international)

Check in before you arrive at the airport (most airlines offer this service 24 hours before your flight online or through its mobile apps)

Plan on TSA taking upward of 40 minutes (it probably won’t take this long, but officials say it’s better to be safe rather than sorry)

Make sure any gifts you are traveling with are TSA approved

Tell your ride, to go to the opposite level of your flight to avoid traffic. If you’re departing from Sea-Tac, get dropped off at arrivals; if you’re arriving at Sea-Tac, ask to be picked up at Departures.

Cooper also says using the Link Light Rail can help avoid any traffic issues that might happen at peak travel times at the airport.

If you are planning on driving, WSDOT offers travel information on the best and worst times to hit the road.