$2.75 gets you up and down International Blvd all night
King County Metro RapidRide A Line runs 24/7 along SR-99/International Blvd, making it the budget move between SEA’s Main terminal motels and spots like Des Moines. Typical SeaTac–Des Moines rides land in the 10–25 minute range, with buses every 10–20 minutes most of the day and roughly 20–30 minutes apart late at night. Think of it as the cheap airport hotel shuttle for the Highway 99 strip, not a direct link into downtown Seattle.
You do not board the A Line inside the airport or at the Link station: you walk out to International Blvd and use the RapidRide stops near the airport. Regulars call this out on r/Seattle because visitors often assume they can just follow Link signs. Check current stop names and directions: you want the northbound stop for hotels toward Tukwila and the southbound side for Des Moines and farther down SR-99.
How to ride it from SEA in 7 steps
- 1. From the Main terminal baggage claim, follow signs to ground transportation, then exit toward International Blvd/SR-99; plan on a 5–10 minute walk depending on your gate.
- 2. Open Transit or OneBusAway and look up “RapidRide A Line” stops near SeaTac; riders say they never trust just the printed timetable, especially after 22:00.
- 3. Pick the correct direction: northbound for Tukwila/airport-area hotels along International Blvd, southbound for Angle Lake and Des Moines; Reddit threads are full of stories of people boarding the wrong way.
- 4. Have $2.75 ready for the adult one-zone Metro fare or use an ORCA card; fares are valid for 2 hours across Metro buses.
- 5. Board using the front door at night, tap your ORCA on the reader or pay cash at the farebox, and keep your luggage close since there are no baggage racks.
- 6. Sit toward the front if it’s late; frequent riders say the back of the bus can feel rough on some overnight runs.
- 7. Pull the yellow cord or press the stop button about a block before your hotel or transfer point; stops along SR-99 come quickly when traffic is light.
What regulars do and watch outs
Locals often walk one or two stops away from the main airport segment of SR-99 to board at quieter stops for nearby hotels. They also warn that the A Line can get stuck at big intersections, so a three-mile hop might take closer to 20 minutes in peak traffic. Late-night riders describe the vibe as “pretty grim” at times, so don’t zone out with bags in the aisle. One practical tip: check real-time arrivals before you leave the Main terminal; missing a 01:30 bus can mean standing 20–30 minutes on the curb instead of already being in your motel.