What do you call Seattle-Tacoma International Airport? If you’re from the area, you probably say “Sea-Tac”—but the airport would actually rather you didn’t. Officials are encouraging travelers to shorten the airport name to “SEA” instead of “Sea-Tac,” and to say it letter by letter: S-E-A.
The push is part of a “SEA” branding campaign rolling out ahead of this summer’s FIFA World Cup matches, when the airport anticipates an influx of international visitors. In January, the airport shared a playful video on social media declaring, “Still calling us Sea-Tac? Whoops… it’s SEA.” The clip features “SEA” signage displayed throughout the terminal while Meghan Trainor’s song Whoops plays in the background. Comments on the video were largely unsupportive, with one person writing, “Been calling it seatac for over 30 years. Good luck with the name change guys.” Another commented: “SeaTac just flows better. People will still call it that no matter what.”
To clarify, the airport’s official name is not being changed. A spokesperson told Axios that emphasizing “SEA” helps prevent mix-ups with the nearby city of SeaTac. In the past, travelers searching for missing luggage have mistakenly contacted city offices, which then had to reroute those inquiries to the airport.
So why “SEA”? It’s the airport’s official international code — similar to PDX or LAX. As the airport explains in its FAQ:
The name of the airport remains ‘Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.’ SEA has been the official identifier for the airport since 1943. It’s the airport code people see on their luggage tags and when they book a reservation online. It is more readily recognized by people outside our region than the nick-name ‘Sea-Tac,’ and reduces confusion with the municipal government of our neighboring community, the City of SeaTac. Except in rare circumstances, (i.e. dictated by size constraints), the new airport logo will include both SEA and the full name of the airport.”
Not everyone is on board with phasing out the “Sea-Tac” nickname. “To eliminate [Tacoma] after being in the name for over 75 years is really a public slap in the face,” Axios reader Kathy Mills Rozzini said. In the 1940s, leaders from Tacoma, the Port of Tacoma, and Pierce County contributed $100,000 to help secure the airport’s current location.
Even so, fans of the old nickname don’t need to worry. The airport’s FAQ makes it clear that “Sea-Tac” isn’t going anywhere:
“‘Sea-Tac’ is a nickname for the airport,” the site states. “People throughout our region know and have affection for the name and will likely continue using it. And that’s great.”