Is it Sea-Tac Airport or SEA?

If the Port of Seattle is successful, referencing the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport as "Sea-Tac" will go the way of Qwest Field, Washington State Convention Center, and KeyArena.

Locals colloquially, and perhaps lovingly, call it "Sea-Tac Airport," but in case you haven't noticed, the Port of Seattle really wants you to say "SEA" when referring to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. As in spelling it out "S-E-A," like JFK or LAX.

"One of the reasons we've done this is we've really grown from an airport, not only locally, but internationally as well," Port spokesperson Perry Cooper said. "The number of flights that we've got coming in here, and what we've found with our international folks, our marketers ... they don't recognize what Sea-Tac is. They recognize SEA and that's a big part of our global recognition."

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Ever since 2020, the Port has pushed out reminders to heighten the profile of "SEA." Yet, there has been some pushback, with locals insisting they will never give up saying "Sea-Tac."

The fervor over "Sea-Tac" seems to defy echo chambers — whether on X or BlueSky. Locals were united in their response to the Port of Seattle's recent reminder that the airport is officially called "SEA," and not "Sea-Tac."

Responses have been less, "You down with S-E-A ... Yeah you know me!" and more, "You can't touch this." At least, I'm sure that's how Millennials would put it. It's prompted a conversation over what to call the region's major airport.

What's in a name?

Would an airport by any other name feel as crowded or harshly yell at you to keep your car moving?

Washington's international airport has a history of sparking name controversy. In 1983, it was briefly renamed after the late six-term U.S. Sen. Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson. That lasted about four months after considerable objections. Another effort in 1944 to rename it after Boeing President Phil Johnson also didn't go far.

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"SEA" is on tickets and it's what's posted in other airports. It's been that way since airport codes were created in the 1940s. Officially, the Port prefers using the full name or the airport code. The recent campaign to increase the profile of "SEA" started in 2020, but Cooper says that the effort was quickly overshadowed by the pandemic and other headlines.

"Our timing, granted, was very terrible," Cooper said. "So that doesn't help. But we have been doing that now going on six years."

To be clear, despite the snarky social media post, the Port of Seattle isn't going full Ted Mosby on Washingtonians. It doesn't care if locals refer to the airport as "Sea-Tac." Rather, leaning into "SEA" is more about marketing, considering world travelers.

"They recognize SEA and that's a big part of our global recognition," Cooper said. "So that's part of why we did that ... we're seeing even more international growth here now, too. Especially, looking ahead to this spring and summer with the World Cup coming."

With recent construction and new signage, there has been an emphasis on "SEA" at the Port. You'll notice it across various programs: SEA Gateway, SEA Spot Saver, SEA Pups.

Name confusion has also caused some friction with the neighboring city of SeaTac. Cooper notes that the city often gets phone calls intended for the airport. But, clearly, the difference is obvious: One has a hyphen and the other doesn't ... duh.