More than 600,000 travelers will go through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport during the Thanksgiving holiday week, with the busiest traffic days when everyone is headed home. It’s not the busiest time of the year (the summer is) but it may feel like it for travelers, so here are tips and some numbers for a little context.

Holiday traffic numbers

The busiest days for the November holiday season:

• Sunday, Nov. 30 (106,800 passengers)

• Monday, Dec. 1 (102,300)

• Wednesday, Nov. 26 (100,900).

The lowest traffic numbers will be Thursday, Nov. 27 (67,746).

An average summer day (June-August) will see over 110,000 passengers and is the peak air travel time for Sea-Tac. August is traditionally the busiest month of the year followed by July, June and May (December is 5th, November 10th).

For 2014, through September, passenger traffic is up 6.5% over 2013, including a 5.6% rise for international traffic. That trend will result in another record year at Sea-Tac with a projected total over 37 million!

This is not the busiest time of the year at Sea-Tac, but it can feel like. Why? While there aren’t as many overall passengers, there are many inexperienced travelers who may only fly once or twice a year – inexperience can back up checkpoint lines. Plus, picking up relatives for the holidays means more traffic on the airport drives.

Congestion tips

Sea-Tac continues to make improvements designed to reduce congestion on the airport drives, including better quality signage, use of variable message signs and traffic control by Port of Seattle Police. Of significant note, shuttles for the Rental Car Facility have reduced the number of vehicles on the drive by more than 160,000 each month or about 2 million for the year.

• THINK OPPOSITE! Pickup on the departure drive, drop-off on the arrivals drive – If traffic is congested, look for the opposite airport drive for relief. Try meeting your arriving guests one level up from baggage claim at the less crowded departure drive. Those with only carry-ons can go straight out the ticketing level. For drop-offs, reverse it. Go to the arrivals drive and travelers only have to go up one level to ticketing. Remember, the busiest times are mornings for departures and evenings for arrivals.

• Don’t get stuck in traffic! — Park in the airport parking garage on the Terminal Direct floor for only $4 per hour; it’s the quickest and most convenient option for meeting arriving passengers. It’s just a short walk from the main terminal to the parking garage via any connecting skybridge. Or use any other floor for $3 per hour.

• Try the cell phone waiting lot — Parking in this lot is free and drivers can wait up to 30 minutes until arriving passengers have deplaned, collected luggage and called to be picked up outside of Baggage Claim. Take advantage of the posted QR code to scan for the most recent flight arrival information. Remember, there is no parking or waiting allowed on the airport roadway shoulders.

General Travel Tips

• Do Some Advance Planning – Confirm your travel details and make sure the name on your boarding pass and your government-issued ID match.

• Pack with Security in Mind – Know what is and isn’t allowed in carry-ons and checked luggage by checking the TSA website. Also see if you qualify for the new TSA PreCheck program.

• Get your Boarding Pass Early – Print it online before you arrive or use convenient check-in kiosks in the airport garage or at airline check-in counters. Passengers with only carry-on baggage can go directly to the security checkpoint. Passengers with luggage can go to airline bag-check points.

• Check the status of your flight online or via email notification – Check our flight status page for updates online or through email alerts.

• Arrive at least two hours before your flight – give yourself time to get through security.

• Park in the Airport Garage – Save time, stay dry and be close. No shuttles, covered skybridges, and you are right next to the terminal.