Seattle-Space Airport Warns Journey Quantity Growing to Pre-Pandemic Ranges

The Pacific Northwest’s busiest airport has seen a steady increase in travel this spring, in line with rising numbers in the US this year.

After the most recent holiday weekend brought a remarkable increase in passenger traffic to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, according to NBC subsidiary King5, a record high since the coronavirus outbreak began last March, officials warned of travel frequencies that were “pre- Pandemic ”is approaching. and urged travelers to be aware of ongoing public health concerns.

“You have to be here early,” said Perry Cooper, a Sea-Tac airport spokesman, in a statement on Seattle-based news channel KOMO News.

Acknowledging the continued surge in airport traffic since early 2021, especially given the record levels reported in the days surrounding Easter Sunday, Cooper underscored the importance of containing COVID-19.

“This is again more like a pre-pandemic trip,” the statement continued, according to KOMO News. “We have to distribute people more than we normally would, and that makes these queues look a lot longer than they did in the past.”

Traffic within Sea-Tac Airport – which is the busiest airport in the Pacific Northwest according to tripavvy.com – reportedly exceeded the number of trips seen every other week since the pandemic began over the Easter weekend.

While the airport’s weekly stats don’t yet reflect the volume of travel over the past weekend, photos shared on social media appeared to show crowded waiting areas and long lines in different sections of the building.

Similar to regulations being put in place by air travel authorities around the world, Sea-Tac requires travelers to adhere to a number of guidelines in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

The requirements, according to portseattle.org, reflect those issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and instruct travelers to wear face masks over their nose and mouth unless they are eating or drinking and keeping a distance of at least 6 feet of. another.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport officials this week warned of a steady increase in travel and advised people to arrive early for their flights amid ongoing coronavirus concerns. In the photo, travelers wait for security at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington state on November 29, 2020.
David Ryde / Getty Images

Sea-Tac Airport has seen a surge in travel in recent months, according to portseattle.org as the country pushes its COVID-19 vaccine rollout and people across the country slowly return to their previous travel habits.

Statistics, released weekly by the airport, showed that an average of 26,600 passengers passed daily security checks for the week beginning March 21, which was the highest number ever recorded at Sea-Tac during the pandemic. Compared to the same week in 2020, the number represented an average increase of 278 percent, but remained about 50 percent lower than the same week in 2019.

Newsweek reached out to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for additional information and comments, but did not receive a response in time for publication.

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