Southwest Airlines Announces Plans to Come to Bellingham International Airport in 2021

Mar. 8—After several years of declining passenger traffic and fewer destinations, the Bellingham International Airport could bounce back in a big way with a major airline arriving later this year.

In a letter to employees, Southwest Airlines Chairman and CEO Gary Kelly on Monday, March 8, announced plans for the air carrier to expand passenger service to three airports this year, including Bellingham International Airport. The other two markets Southwest is expanding into are Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Eugene, Oregon.

The airline didn't immediately announce what destinations it will fly to out of Bellingham. Being one of the largest airlines in the world, it means quite a few possible connections. The Dallas-based airline currently serves 103 cities across the U.S. as well as 10 countries.

While Southwest isn't announcing destinations yet, the plan is to offer year-round, daily service to Bellingham, said Brad Hawkins, spokesman for the airline. It will not only bring in visitors, but it plans to be a foundational provider of air service in the community.

"We're positioning the value and flexibility of Southwest in places where we know our arrival will bring low fares paired with access to the Southwest network," Hawkins said in an email.

In the letter to employees, Kelly appeared to indicate that the Canadian market, and the reopening of the border, would be major factors.

" Southwest service in Bellingham positions us just south of metro Vancouver, British Columbia," Kelly wrote. "Following the reopening of the Canadian border, we expect a return of the value-minded travelers who already drive to this alternative airport to escape high fares and taxes — and that's very, very typical for Southwest destinations. Southwest provides a great value for them."

Impact at the airport

The Southwest announcement is a tremendous economic boost "akin to igniting the afterburner of a jet engine," said Sunil Harman, director of aviation for the Port of Bellingham.

Port Commission President Ken Bell agreed, saying Southwest's ability to deliver frequent and reliable flights at a good value will make it easier to serve the economic needs of Whatcom County.

"You have to really hand it to our staff at the airport; they worked tirelessly to make this happen," Bell said in a phone interview.

Bell doesn't know which destinations Southwest will ultimately select for Bellingham, but he's hopeful that there are some eastbound flights like Denver, Chicago, Salt Lake City or Houston.

"Going east has been a priority for the port," Bell said, noting that hitting those major hubs would really help open up business travel opportunities for this area.

Bell believes that Southwest's decision to come to Bellingham will make other airlines step up their game in this area.

"With Southwest coming here, many other airlines will give Bellingham a second look," Bell said.

Like many U.S. airports dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, Bellingham had a huge drop in passenger traffic last year. A total of 99,673 passengers flew out of Bellingham, down from 343,628 in 2019.

Before the pandemic, the Bellingham airport was seeing less airport traffic as airlines shifted priorities and the nearby Paine Field airport in Everett began adding commercial flights. Bellingham's peak year for air traffic was in 2013, when nearly 600,000 passengers flew out of the airport.

Harman said Bellingham's airport could see a surge of passenger traffic the second half of 2021, but several key factors would have to fall into place: Vaccines continue to knock down the virus numbers, Southwest begins offering flights and restrictions are eased at the Canadian border.

Southwest joins Alaska Airlines and Allegiant Air at Bellingham International Airport. Alaska flies daily to Seattle/ Tacoma, while Allegiant has nonstop service to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Oakland, Palm Springs, Phoenix (Mesa), and San Diego.

Previously, the airport has hosted a variety of other air carriers, including Frontier Airlines (2012-2015), Delta Airlines (2006-08), United Express (1989-2001), Pacific Southwest Airlines/ U.S. Air (1985-91), Western Airlines (2007) and Skybus Airlines (2007).

Bellingham International Airport is working to ensure travel is safe during the pandemic, Harman said. It recently became the location for a new COVID-19 testing site. The site is open daily from noon to 3 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Parking Lot A. Appointments can be made at TestDirectly.com.

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