We’ve got good news about a new way to save time at Sea-Tac International Airport that we first told you about this past spring. SEA Spot Saver allows Alaska Airlines guests flying out of Seattle to make online appointments to get through general screening security checkpoints faster. It has been such a hit with flyers, it’s now a permanent fixture.

From early May (when the pilot program began) through the end of August, more than 125,000 Alaska guests took advantage of SEA Spot Saver on their departing flights from Sea-Tac. Interesting tidbit: The most reservations during that time were on Alaska flights between Seattle and Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Columbus and San Diego.

When we launched the new system with the Port of Seattle, our easy-to-use reservation process proved to be so popular we’ve now extended how far out you can book an appointment – from 24 hours before departure to 72 hours.

Here are a few comments we received from guests who used the program:

“I have artificial hips and knees that are titanium. I am always a nervous wreck. This service was comforting to me and the staff was very helpful. It was very organized as well. Thank you…will always use this when available.”

“I have an unvaccinated child, under 12. I am so nervous about flying with her. This service eased my mind. I’d love to use it again for our flight in October!”

“I wish all airports would use this system. I didn’t have to leave for the airport nearly as early as I would have if I didn’t have a security checkpoint appointment.” 

We’re thrilled so many of our guests are giving SEA Spot Saver great reviews and embracing like we are, new innovations and ideas to make traveling more convenient and less stressful,” said Charu Jain, Alaska’s senior vice president of merchandising and innovation. “Anything we can do to make the airport experience easier is always a win for our guests.”

If you’d like to give SEA Spot Saver a try on your next trip out of Sea-Tac (securing a slot is free and no membership is required), follow these pointers:

• Sign up online for an appointment. Again, you can do it as early as 72 hours before your departure. Just type in your date of travel, destination, flight number and how many are traveling in your party. 
• With your entire family listed on your reservation, everyone gets through security together. Super convenient. 
• You’ll receive an email with a designated 15-minute window of time – say 9-9:15 a.m. – to pass through an expedited security screening line at Checkpoints 3 or 5 on the day you’re flying out.
• Slots are issued every day between 4 a.m. to noon Pacific Time – the prime morning hours when the airport is busiest.
• If you have TSA PreCheck or CLEAR, you can still take advantage of SEA Spot Saver, but you won’t receive the benefits of those trusted traveler programs such as not having to remove your shoes and electronics. You’ll need to choose which program you want to use.

Guests can also take advantage of the program once they get to the airport by scanning the QR code on SEA Spot Saver signs around the terminal — the code will take you to the website to sign up.

With hygiene and safety concerns top of mind as many of us return to air travel, we’ve focused additional innovation efforts on making it easy for your journey to be almost entirely touch-free:

• Use the Alaska mobile app to do it all, from buying a ticket to checking in for your flight to paying for any bags you want to check.
• At our airport kiosks, you can scan your mobile boarding pass to print bag tags – without even touching the screen.
• If you need to check in with one of our agents, no need for handing over a paper trail: they can text you your boarding pass and email your receipts.
• During boarding, your boarding pass can now be scanned from up to six feet away to help maintain physical distance.
• Onboard your flight, enjoy the food and beverage you pre-ordered and paid for using a credit card stored in your Mileage Plan account. If you purchase a Signature Fruit and Cheese Platter and a glass of wine on the flight, our flight attendants can still use your stored credit card – no need to reach out and hand over a card.