Sea-Tac makes biggest jump in airport satisfaction rankings

Zoom in: The rankings, released this month, placed Sea-Tac 11th among 20 "mega airports" for customer satisfaction — up from 17th last year.

• That's the biggest year-over-year improvement of any mega airport, Michael Taylor, J.D. Power's managing director of travel, hospitality and retail, told Axios.
• Sea-Tac gained the most ground in ratings of its terminal facilities and food, beverage and retail offerings, Taylor said.

Catch up quick: Sea-Tac completed upgrades to the north end of its main terminal in January, including improvements to ticketing and baggage claim areas.

• Last year, the airport opened a new security checkpoint and finished the latest of several restroom upgrades.
• That's on top of a central terminal renovation completed in 2023, and other improvements since 2021.

What they're saying: Taylor said Sea-Tac's scores began climbing about a year and a half ago as more projects came online.

• "Restroom renovation is probably the biggest thing you can do at an airport," Taylor said, noting that bathroom ratings closely track passengers' overall perceptions of airports.
• At the same time, construction negatively affects airport rankings, which likely dragged down Sea-Tac's scores while work was underway, Taylor said.

Between the lines: Some of the airport's most recent projects may not be fully reflected in the rankings, which were based on surveys from July 2025 to July of this year.

• Sea-Tac's C Concourse expansion and recent roadway improvements, for instance, weren't completed until June.
• "Typically, these things take a bit to catch up in ratings," airport spokesperson Perry Cooper told Axios.

What's next: More upgrades are coming, including an overhaul of Sea-Tac's S Concourse and continued improvements to the airport's baggage handling system.