Sea-Tac tests allowing visitors beyond security checkpoints in attempt to recreate pre-9/11 airport experience
Sea-Tac Airport, it’s not just for travelers anymore. On Friday, the Port of Seattle launched a program allowing visitors past security, even if they aren’t booked on a flight, to greet loved ones at their gate or to see them off. The visitors — up to 50 each day — can also dine at one of the airport’s restaurants or shop in the so-called air-side area of its terminal. The “SEA Visitor Pass” program allows those without tickets to reach the domestic-travel gates provided they meet Transportation Security Administration (TSA) requirements, according to the Port of Seattle. Sea-Tac is one of the first airports in the nation to reintroduce the practice since it was suspended in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. The program gives visitors access to passenger-only areas that lie beyond the security checkpoints run by the federal government. “For me it is nostalgic,” Lance Lyttle, managing director at Sea-Tac, said by phone. “As a child I used to go to the airport and watch lo