Seattle airport debuts Concourse C expansion

The “Upgrades in Progress” signs along Concourse C at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) have been up for about three years, shielding travelers from the major renovation project.

But they came down early Thursday morning, just in time to welcome the first soccer fans coming to town for the set of locally hosted World Cup games that kick off on June 15 and run through July 6.

TPG joined the pre-opening day festivities for SEA’s new Concourse C.

Ribbon Cutting Concourse at C — HARRIET BASKAS FOR THE POINTS GUY

“SEA is one of the most space-constrained airports in the country,” the airport’s managing director Wendy Reiter said during the opening ceremony. “We couldn’t go out, so we had to go up. Using the same footprint, and not losing any gates, we’ve created more comfort and utility for our travelers.”

The updated, $399 million project delivers a space with plenty of light and a 30-foot-tall ceiling, and it expands the concourse by 145,000 square feet. There are four floors where there was once just one, close to a dozen new restaurants and retail spots — many of them local — and six retail kiosks displaying the wares of small and emerging businesses in the region.

observation patio — HARRIET BASKAS FOR THE POINTS GUY

Located between the C and D concourses and accessible to all passengers and visitor’s pass holders once they pass through security, the upgraded Concourse C area features several additions to the airport’s art collection as well as a sensory room, a nursing room, meditation and prayer rooms, and a covered outdoor observation patio — the airport’s first outdoor viewing space.

In the center, a massive tree-like structure, appropriately called the “Tree at C,” creates a canopy for tiered, auditorium-style bench seating dotted with tables with power ports and artwork.

Sensory room — HARRIET BASKAS FOR THE POINTS GUY

Alaska Airlines plans to open a massive, two-story lounge in Concourse C, but that won’t happen until sometime in 2027.

The Concourse C upgrade project at SEA took dozens of teams and hundreds of workers, including the design team of The Miller Hull Partnership and Woods Bagot and Turner Construction.