SEATAC, Wash. — People heading to SEA Airport Monday afternoon experienced delays getting there because of a protest that blocked the roadway for hours.
"Everyone's entitled to their own opinions, but to shut down the biggest airport in the region ... yeah, that's kind of annoying," said Sherrie Siverson, a traveler.
State Route 518, which leads up to the airport, was shut down for about three hours. Nearly 50 pro-Palestinian protestors were a part of the demonstration that was calling for the U.S. to stop providing money to Israel.
According to Perry Cooper, the spokesperson for SEA, over 20 flights were delayed due to the protest. Most delays were under 20 minutes. Flight crews for two international flights got stuck and those flights were delayed by more than an hour. One by 77 minutes the other 90 minute delay.
Port of Seattle police responded to the protest in 15 minutes and gave several dispersal orders before arrests began. Cooper said the biggest challenge for officers was the group of people connected to one another by PVC pipe in between two rows of cars blocking the roadway.
Cooper said they are prepared for these types of situations.
“I feel like we had a very positive response to it. We do understand some people were delayed and those kind of situations we’re always trying to avoid,” he said.
It was a rush for the light rail when arriving passengers realized they couldn't be picked up by car.
"I've never seen that many crowded people ever in my life coming out of the airport going to the train," said Abdi, an airport employee. "It's usually a very few, minute number of people you can count on your fingertips."
Others resorted to walking into the City of Seatac.
"Walk all the way around and you'll get out to the 99. And then you can take a cab," Siverson was told.
But that's not doable for everyone, said Siverson.
"My cousin has been sitting in the cell phone parking lot since 2 o'clock. She's coming to pick us up," she said.
Her 90-year-old aunt was with her, sitting here in a wheelchair, surrounded by their luggage.
It's been a waiting game for Siverson and her aunt, Joyce, so they were thrilled when the roads reopened.
The family remained optimistic and proved that a little positivity pays off.
"After 10 days of travel and lots of things going on, it's like, we really want to get home," Siverson said. "But, we're not that far away; we're in Tacoma, so we'll get there."
Similar protests played out across the country, and airport officials knew April 15 could bring protests but didn’t expect the airport to be the location.
“We did not have intel initially that this could be a place here at the airport, but there were some ideas that maybe it would happen at a different location around the region,” Cooper said.
CAIR, a grassroots advocacy and civil rights organization based in Seattle that serves the Muslim community across Washington state, sent KING 5 a statement that read, in part:
“The fact that it is up to activists to block hubs like Sea-Tac airport in an effort to slow the flow of resources to Israel speaks to the desperation of the situation in Palestine, which has been at a crisis level for over six months. We cannot allow ourselves to turn our heads away during a genocide. Our tax dollars are funding the ethnic cleansing and forced famine taking place in Gaza—there is no going back to business as usual.”