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Reputation: 80

Should I take light rail at 5:30 in the morning on Christmas Eve to get to the airport for an 8 am flight or is that just tempting fate?

Somebody recently told me he thought it was risky to take light rail to the airport for the first time during the holiday rush. My other options are a spendy cab or a bus. Am I taking too much of a risk if I try walking downtown from Capitol Hill to catch the thing at 5 am?

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9 Answers

  • Gold-head_small
    Reputation: 5995

    The thing about trains is, they're not really affected by rushes the way cabs and buses are. They're not in traffic. The train's going to take about the same amount of time no matter what's going on or how many people are on it.

    5 AM is freaky early, even in a holiday rush. You won't have a problem (assuming there's no mechanical problem with the train). You might get pretty cold on your walk, though.

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  • Crazy_small
    Reputation: 195

    This sounds about right. If the train comes at 5:15 am and takes 35-45 minutes to get to the airport, that puts you there just two hours ahead of your flight.

    The extra time provides a buffer against unexpected glitches. The $2.75 fare is a huge savings over a $40 cab fare. And won't you feel better being ready and waiting at the airport than agitating about getting there some other way?

    I took the light rail south with hundreds of disappointed Seahawks fans Sunday afternoon and whilst the train was crowded, the crowds flowed smoothly and the trains arrived every 15 minutes.

    I think your plan is a solid one. Best of luck and safe travels.

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  • Medog_small
    Reputation: 3

    I made the mistake of trying to take the light rail home last night from my 12:05 arriving flight Christmas Day morning. Sure it was late but I read online that the trains ran until 1 am. Well after I walked all the way over to the new airport train station - yes it's far! Farther than you really want to have to walk after waiting and waiting for your luggage to arrive. My flight was 4 hrs and 45 min. I don't see how anyone would want to subject themselves to more waiting and walking. I did. I got to the station at 12:35 am. There were no signs about any delays or cancellations or anything. So i chose the option to go to Westlake Station Downtown for $2.50. Paid my fair and hauled my bags and myself up the escalator. There is no indoor to this station. It's all exposed and it was COLD! I could hear one train leaving as I reached the top. My luck! I stood there and a nice lady from Sound Transit noticed my ticket and asked me if I had taken the train before and where I was going. I told her I was going to Westlake Station. She then told me that I wasn't going there tonight. That the trains stop at the Mt Baker Station and do not actually go into downtown. WHAT??? No way???? Oh I can take the bus? It's super quick? NO!!!!!!!!!!! This is not the light rail that I need. If you're going to have trains they need to run as promised. And if not, then don't sell a ticket that says it can go that far. I ended up walking back to the terminal and just catching a cab. Sure it was $40 but in the end it was worth it. If It was during the day and not so cold I might have really been ok with taking a bus the last bit of my journey. But the cab got me home before 1 am. And THAT was worth $40. Get your act together Sound Transit. Oh and the reason they don't run trains into downtown that late? Noise! People complain the trains are too loud?? I was stunned. So beware of their schedule before you give this a try.

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  • Kevinland_small
    Reputation: 152

    The advantage light rail has over all other options listed is that if the airport is very busy, Christmas busy, you won't run into the back-up and slooow crawl that can happen to traffic approaching Airport Drive.

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  • Tomato_small
    Reputation: 1045

    I agree with those recommending you take light rail. Barring a mechanical issue, the trains stay on schedule and don't get hung up in traffic. Any other method (Airporter, Taxi, etc.) have their own risks - dispatchers forget you, vehicles break down etc.) plus the risk of getting stuck if there's an accident on the freeway. Plus, you'll have a bunch of extra saved cash to spend on a bloody mary (make it a double for a buck more) while you wait, basking in your ahead-of-time-edness.

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  • N100000495103080_8761_small
    Reputation: 44

    I concur. The light rail is reliable and full of awesome. Wear your coat, take a nice brisk "wake-up" walk down the hill, hop the train, and have a stress free morning. I've dones this more than once; there's no better way.

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  • N1241068568_9744_small
    Reputation: 0

    I've done it both ways (light rail, bus) actually and found the 194 to take 25 minutes. I believe the light rail was closer to 40. This was not during the Holiday however. Good luck!

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  • Kermitsex_small
    Reputation: 2420

    Yep, go with the light rail. l've ridden it several times, and it's pretty reliable. Because it doesn't go all the way to the airport just yet, there's a shuttle that is almost always waiting to run you over to the terminal, which is only about ten minutes away. This is WAY more efficient than a bus (which can take a while simply because of all the stops on the way) or a taxi (which is just plain old expensive).

    l know l'm being repetitive, but holiday travel SUCKS, l wouldn't wish any extra bullshit on my worst enemy, and if you're going to make life easy for yourself, this is the way to go. Especially when you can rest assured that even if you miss one, the next one will arrive shortly thereafter without fail.

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  • Bauhaus_small
    Reputation: 650

    Personally, I wouldn't risk it. I might chance it any other day than Christmas Eve, but the 24th is mad CRAZY just about everywhere travel related.

    I've had really good luck with the Grey Line Airporter that you catch at one of the hotels downtown. It stops at the Madison Renaissance, the Crown Plaza, the Four Seasons, and the Warwick (a few others).

    Was just looking at the site:

    http://www.graylineseattle.com/airportexpress1.cfm

    It's $11 now one-way (used to be $7) - so, I don't know if that affordable for you or not. A round-trip ticket (if you know when you're returning) makes each way cheaper.

    Good luck traveling on Christmas Eve...and happy holidays!

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