SEA airport to open Concourse C for World Cup

SEA airport – Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is racing to get its expanded Concourse C ready for the FIFA World Cup, after years of navigating construction walls. The $399 million project will nearly triple the space, add new dining and retail, and even bring a roofto

For more than two years, anyone passing through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s Concourse C has had to steer around construction walls marked “Upgrades in Progress.” But once those barriers come down—sometime in late May or early June—the view will look radically different.

The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport expansion solves a long-standing space problem with a vertical move: the old concourse’s footprint constraints will be “creatively solved” through four new floors built on top of what was once a cramped single-story space.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has not set an exact opening date yet. Airport spokesperson Perry Cooper said the team wants “to get it all pretty and right before opening.” Even without a final calendar day. the destination is clear. The airport’s expansion is designed to be fully operational when Seattle welcomes an estimated 750. 000 fans for the FIFA World Cup between mid-June and early July.

The scope is big—$399 million big. Concourse C will grow from about 81,000 square feet to over 226,00 square feet, nearly three times its previous size. Travelers can expect a broad mix of new dining venues. retail options. art. and amenities. including a rooftop solar photovoltaic array that will generate nearly 15% of the building’s energy.

One of the defining features is the enclosed outdoor viewing deck. And in the longer arc of what passengers will experience there. Concourse C is also where Alaska Airlines is building a two-story lounge: it will cover 40. 000 square feet. become the largest in Alaska’s lounge network. and open in late 2027.

When people move through Concourse C itself, the building is planned around multiple layers of experience. Large windows will offer views out to the airfield and the Olympic Mountains beyond. A central hub area will feature stadium seating beneath a tree-shaped sculpture called the “Tree at C.” On the upper levels. there will be restaurants and a glass-enclosed lookout deck for views and fresh air.

Behind the scenes, the design team includes The Miller Hull Partnership and Woods Bagot, with Turner Construction overseeing the build.

Food and shopping are set to multiply too. The expanded concourse will bring about a dozen new dining, drinking and retail options. Western Washington will get its first outpost of the international restaurant chain Chili’s. along with a Port of Subs and a Buffalo Wild Wings. Many other outlets will be branches of. or new offerings from. well-loved local and regional brands including Bite Society (gift cookies and snacks). Great State Burger. Nanny’s BBQ. Olympia Coffee. Seattle Macaron Co. and Taco Street—chosen through SEA’s Sparks Incubator Program.

There are also practical spaces that are easy to miss until you need them: an interfaith prayer and meditation room, a nursing suite, a pet relief area, and a live music stage.

The project continues Seattle’s airport art momentum, adding nine artists’ work to the existing public art collection. Planned additions include video wall art. table art for the Tree at C grand stairs. and an installation of blown glass bears by Crystal Worl. an Alaska Native artist who designed the livery for Alaska Airlines’ Xaat Kwaani (salmon people) aircraft.

The lounge plan offers a different kind of separation. Alaska Airlines’ two-story lounge in Concourse C will include approximately 700 seats. multiple bars. showers. and a la carte dining with chef-curated seasonal menus. Both levels will look out toward the Olympic Mountains and the airfield, but they will serve different passengers.

The main level will be open to Alaska Lounge members, day-pass guests, and eligible first-class passengers. The upper level will be reserved for international long-haul passengers flying in the Suites and lie-flat seats, as well as eligible Atmos Titanium members flying internationally.

For the summer events themselves, though, most travelers won’t have to wait for late-2027 lounge openings to enjoy Concourse C’s upgrades. After passing through security, all passengers will be able to use the new amenities and views in the Concourse C extension.

Nonticketed passengers can access Concourse C and other postsecurity areas at SEA through a SEA visitor pass. The pass issues 300 passes a day to people without plane tickets who want to meet an arriving passenger. accompany someone to the gate. or dine. shop. listen to live music. see great art. or plane spot at the airport.

The Concourse C expansion isn’t the only change arriving before the FIFA World Cup season. In anticipation of this summer’s games in Seattle. Cooper said SEA has recently completed a slew of other projects passengers can enjoy. including a new Checkpoint 1 on the baggage claim level. the SEA Gateway and its expanded Checkpoint 6. plus roadway improvements.

By the time the World Cup crowd rolls into town between mid-June and early July, Concourse C is expected to be ready to trade the feeling of construction detours for a new sense of space—built not just for the next few months, but for how Seattle’s airport will host arrivals for years to come.

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