Nestled in the top northwest corner of Washington State is Bellingham International Airport (BLI). The airport is 23 miles from the Peace Arch Border Crossing, a key gateway into Greater Vancouver. Bellingham is a city of just over 90,000 inhabitants; however, when you include the metropolitan population of Vancouver (2.6 million), it makes the airport extremely worthwhile as a low-cost alternative to Vancouver International Airport
(YVR).
Crossing the border to avail of cheaper domestic air tickets and taxes is common for those living north of the 49th parallel. High taxes for departing Canadian flights have led many to flock to the United States by car to use airports dotted along the nation’s border.
Photo: Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport
Other similar US airports seeing high numbers of Canadian travelers include Grand Forks (North Dakota) and
Plattsburg
(New York). While for some, crossing the border just to save a few dollars might seem overboard, sometimes the savings can be substantial, given less domestic tax, more competition within the US airline system, and an increasing number of US ultra-low-cost carriers.
While Bellingham has seen several ULCC’s operate in the past, today, just Allegiant Air
paves the way for low-cost fares, however Alaska, and San Juan Airlines provide services to the airport.
Related
Allegiant Air Sees Slight Passenger and Load Factor Decline But Capacity Increases In July 2024
Load factors declined 3.7% over 2023.
History of BLI
The states Works Programme Administration started exploring potential airport locations in Whatcom County in 1935, and the state endorsed a plan by the end of that year. In 1936, Whatcom County purchased 200 acres to start the construction of the airport. Three runways were initially planned, with one opening by June 1, 1940. 
United Airlines
stated conversations about basing aircraft there, such as its DC-3s, but only if the airport maintained its Port of Entry status (which it did).
In 1940, the US Army Corps of Engineers expanded the airport’s construction to three runways and revetments for parked aircraft. The airport expanded to 350 acres and officially opened to the public on December 7, 1941. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the airport offered the use of the airport to the military, which seized possession on December 10.
During World War II, the airport was utilized as an air defense base for the Pacific Coast and later used by the Air Transport Command and Air Technical Service Command for lend-lease aircraft being flown to and onward to the Soviet Union.
The US Army Air Forces closed their facilities here in 1946, and the airport was slowly but surely returned to the people of Whatcom County. Redeveloped as a civil airport in the late 1940s, the airport had rising costs for repair, and the airport was sold to the Port of Bellingham for $1 in 1957. Due to the overall repair cost at BLI, the Port only resurfaced the longest runway, which is still in use today (16/34) and provides year-round wind coverage for arriving and departing aircraft.
Inside the terminal
With initial upgrades taking place in the 1980s, more recently, the airport underwent a $38.5 million dollar terminal expansion in 2010. The first phase was completed in 2011, which increased the gate capacity from two to five. At this time, the boarding area was expanded to 20,000 feet, which was expanded again in 2014 to 104,000 square feet. The ticketing lobby area was tripped, and baggage claim was increased with a 450 ft
baggage carousel
for arriving passengers. These upgrades were covered by surcharges charged for parking and passenger fees.
Low-cost fares for Washington State
In 2008, Allegiant Air opened its sixth base at the airport, which still sees aircraft stationed here today. The airport offers direct services year-round to Las Vegas
, Los Angeles, Oakland, Palm Springs, and Phoenix/Mesa. Due to increased low-fare competition in the state of Washington, Alaska Airlines added multiple services to and from Bellingham in the 2010s, initially serving Portland
, Las Vegas, Honolulu, Kahului, and Kona. However, all of these have now been discontinued. The airport remains a popular port for general aviation, with several flights oriented towards sightseeing over the picturesque San Juan islands and Victoria, British Colombia.
For neighboring Canadians, the airport is located just 54 miles (87 kilometers) from Downtown Vancouver
and 23 miles from the Peace Arch border crossing, which means that those who live north of the border can be at the airport within less than an hour on the road (excluding border crossing times). Travel times from key Vancouver suburbs are noted below:
- Richmond to Bellingham International Airport: 45 miles / 60 minutes
- Surrey to BLI: 41 miles / 56 minutes
- North Vancouver to BLI: 52 miles / 81 minutes
- Abbotsford to BLI: 29 miles / 52 minutes
The distance itself between Bellingham International Airport and Vancouver International Airport
is exactly one hour and covers just 46.7 miles.
Alaska Airlines and San Juan Airlines are the two other key airline figures at Bellingham
, both retaining services as outlined below:
|
Alaska Airlines |
Seattle/Tacoma |
|---|---|
|
San Juan Airlines |
Eastsound, Friday Harbor, Lopez, Point Roberts |
In 2021, 
Southwest Airlines
even took a punt at Bellingham, operating services to Oakland and Las Vegas; however, earlier this year, on April 25, the ULCC decided to halt its operations to BLI from August 4.
Related
Flight Review: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 Bellingham To Oakland
A first impression of the Southwest Airlines way of flying customers from booking to landing.