Remember those long lines at Sea-Tac Airport? They're back ...

SEATAC, Wash. - Travel volumes are creeping up at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, with security lines snaking out the door into the parking garage at peak times.

With so many people flying, airports are trying to stay on top of pandemic safety measures by spacing everyone out.

And airport officials are warning travelers that they need to plan on arriving earlier to get to their flights.

"You need to get here early. This is more like pre-pandemic travel again," says Sea-Tac Airport spokesperson Perry Cooper.

He and others say airports are turning into pressure points for a spring rush of passengers.

According to Sea-Tac, travel volumes in March were still down 37% from last year when the pandemic started - but those numbers are going up.

With more than 30,000 people are passing through security checkpoints every day, lines are longer to create six feet of space between people. That cuts line space down by 70%.

"We've got to spread people out more than we normally would and that makes those lines look a lot longer than they have been in the past," Cooper said.

And another bump may be on the way as some of the region's largest local school districts will soon be on spring break.

The Transportation Security Administration is trying to hire another 6,000 people nationwide to deal with the increase in airport traffic.

The advice now is to get to the airport a full two hours ahead of time for a domestic flight and three hours early for international flights.

Lines are longest at Sea-Tac between 6 and 10 a.m. and are shortest in the afternoons and evenings.