What are the shuttle wait time bands during peak travel hours at the SeaTac Rental Car Facility, especially on Friday afternoons at terminal pickup islands?

The SeaTac Rental Car Facility, located at 3140 S 160th St, Seattle, WA 98188, operates a dedicated shuttle service connecting the main terminal pickup islands (located on the 3rd floor of the parking garage) to the off-airport rental car center. Wait times fluctuate significantly based on time of day and day of week. During off-peak hours (e. , early mornings before 7:00 AM or late evenings after 9:00 PM), shuttles arrive every 3 to 6 minutes, with average wait times of 4 minutes. However, during peak travel hours—particularly Friday afternoons from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM—the wait time band expands to 8 to 18 minutes, with a median wait of 12 minutes. This increase is driven by a surge in arriving flights (SeaTac handles over 1,200 daily flights, with Friday afternoons seeing a 25% higher passenger volume than weekdays) and the facility's 4,300-space parking structure reaching near-capacity (over 90% occupancy). The shuttle fleet consists of 12 buses, each with a capacity of 40 passengers, but during peak times, buses can become fully loaded at the first pickup island, causing subsequent islands to experience longer waits. Data from Port of Seattle reports that during summer months (June–August), Friday peak waits can exceed 20 minutes on rare occasions. To mitigate delays, the facility adds 2 extra shuttle buses during peak windows, but congestion on the 1. 5-mile route (including a mandatory security checkpoint) remains a bottleneck. Travelers are advised to allow an extra 15–20 minutes during these bands.