Seattle–Tacoma International Airport

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (KSEA) sits 14 miles south of downtown Seattle. Commercial service is dominant — KSEA is the principal Alaska Airlines hub and a major Delta hub — and the field handles a meaningful flow of business aviation alongside it. For Seattle-area private aviation, KBFI (Boeing Field, 5 miles south of downtown) is the dedicated GA reliever and typical broker default; KPAE (Paine Field in Everett, 30 miles north) is the Boeing test-flight hub and handles some additional charter. The three runways at KSEA handle every current business jet without restriction. Two FBOs (Signature and Modern Aviation) handle business movements. Field elevation is 433 feet, no density-altitude concerns. The dominant operational considerations are Pacific Northwest weather (persistent low ceilings, frequent precipitation, occasional winter snow events), slot pressure during peak commercial banks, and the steady volume of Asia-Pacific widebody operations that share the airfield. KSEA makes sense for private aviation primarily for international and transpacific arrivals where CBP on a major hub matters, and for large-cabin charter where the major-airport experience is preferred. For most Seattle metro charter, KBFI is the practical answer. Ground time to downtown Seattle is 20–30 minutes; Bellevue and Microsoft are 30–40; Tacoma is 25.