SEA cargo and terminal
Airport pet transport at SEA
A pet flying on its own starts and ends its trip at airline cargo, not the passenger terminal. We arrange the ride from your home to SEA cargo and the check-in, the pickup at SEA cargo when your pet lands, and help at the terminal when you fly with your pet.
How pet cargo works at SEA
When a pet flies on its own, it travels as airline cargo. That means a different building, a different counter and different paperwork from a passenger flight. Your pet is handed in at airline cargo a few hours before departure, the airline loads the crate into the hold, and someone collects it from cargo at the other end.
At Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, pets fly as cargo through Alaska Air Cargo, which runs its own cargo facility in SeaTac, a short drive from the passenger terminal. Hawaiian Airlines cargo is booked through Alaska Air Cargo too, under the same pet rules.
With us, you do not have to find the right building, bring the forms or wait at the counter. Your pet is picked up at home in its crate, with the paperwork, and taken to SEA cargo for check-in. We let you know once your pet is accepted.
Times and paperwork
SEA cargo drop-off and pickup
| Alaska Air Cargo at SEA | |
|---|---|
| Where | Alaska Air Cargo, SeaTac, near the airport. Not at the passenger terminal. |
| Drop-off | No more than 4 hours before departure, with all paperwork done |
| At drop-off | Health certificate, air waybill, a signed note that food and water were offered in the last 4 hours, dishes on the crate door, flight numbers on the crate |
| Pickup after landing | Usually about 1 hour after landing. Photo ID needed |
| Not collected | Pets must be collected within 4 hours of landing, or the airline may need to place them in a kennel |
Step by step
SEA cargo drop-off
- 1
Pickup at home
Your pet is picked up in its crate at the time we agreed, timed for the airline's drop-off window.
- 2
At SEA cargo
The paperwork is handed over, and the airline checks the crate, weighs it and accepts your pet.
- 3
Checked in
We send you a message once your pet is accepted, with the air waybill number.
- 4
In the air
We follow the flight and tell you when your pet has landed and been collected.
Moving to Seattle
Pickup at SEA cargo when your pet lands
On moves into Seattle, your pet is collected at SEA cargo when it is ready, usually about 1 hour after landing, and brought straight to your new home. You do not need to come to the airport.
We arrange delivery anywhere in the Seattle area, including Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Renton, Kent, Federal Way, Tacoma, Burien, Tukwila, SeaTac, Des Moines, Auburn, Issaquah, Sammamish, Bothell, Shoreline, Lynnwood, Edmonds, Everett, Puyallup and Mercer Island. In Seattle itself that covers every neighborhood, from Downtown, Capitol Hill, Ballard, Fremont, Queen Anne, West Seattle, Beacon Hill, Columbia City, Green Lake, University District, Wallingford and Magnolia.
The pickup at SEA is part of a full pet relocation: home pickup in the other city, the flight, and delivery here. See the routes into Seattle.
How the ride is priced
The ride is priced on the driving distance between your home and SEA cargo, the same way in both directions. It is part of the price for your move, together with the flight and the other end.
On most routes you see the price on screen in about three minutes. When we price by hand, you hear from us within 24 hours.
Flying with your pet?
Help at SEA when you fly with your pet
Some people fly on the same plane as their pet, with a small pet in the cabin or a bigger one checked into the hold. Moving day is busy, and getting a dog in a large crate to the terminal by taxi is hard. We can take that part off your hands.
- Your pet is picked up at home, in its crate or carrier.
- You travel to the airport separately. Owners do not ride along.
- Your pet is brought to the terminal and handed to you for check-in.
- You book your pet on your flight with the airline and pay the airline's pet fee yourself.
For a pet checked into the hold on Alaska Airlines or Hawaiian Airlines, check-in opens no more than 2 hours before departure and closes 90 minutes before. The pet needs a health certificate issued within 10 days of the first flight. In the cabin, the carrier must be soft-sided and up to 17 x 11 x 9.5 inches.
Read the details in the Alaska Airlines pet policy and the Hawaiian Airlines pet policy. We sell airline crates, and we can arrange the ride to your vet for the health certificate before the trip.
Book airport help
Choose "I am flying with my pet" in the quote form. Add the crate and the vet ride if you need them.
Last checked against the official pages on October 6, 2026.
Airlines and states change their rules. Always check the official page before you book.
Airport pet transport at SEA: questions
Where is pet cargo at Seattle-Tacoma airport?
How early is a pet dropped off for a cargo flight from SEA?
How long after landing can a pet be picked up at SEA?
Can you take my pet to the airport if I am flying with them?
Which areas do you cover for SEA pickups?
What does airport pet transport cost?
Planning your pet's flight?
Tell us about the move and your address. On most routes the form shows your price right away, with the ride to SEA included.