Like most Vancouverites, you’ve probably
done a price comparison flying out of the USA compared to Vancouver. Also like
most Vancouverites, you’ve stumbled upon Allegiant Airlines, a discount air
carrier that flies out of Bellingham. Allegiant can be a great option for this
looking to save some money and don’t mind the short travel time to the USA.
The drive to the Bellingham Airport is only
about 20 minutes past the border making it quick and easy especially if you have
a Nexus card. Finding the airport is easy from the highway, just follow the
signs and parking is just as easy. Lots of parking right near the door and only
$10 USD per day.
The Bellingham Airport is quite small with
only 5 gates. However, they have done a lot to keep up with the amount of
Canadian travellers choosing to fly down there. They’re in the middle of
renovating the airport, and they’ve added in a Scotty Brown’s Social House – a
casual dining restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks. They
also have a few small gift shops where you can pick up waters, snacks, and
books.
Back to actually flying Allegiant. Like
other discount carriers, Allegiant makes a lot of its money from add-ons. You
have to pay for bags, seats, and if you want early boarding. I strongly
recommend having your travel agent pre-pay your bags at the time of booking.
Checked bags can be prepaid for as cheap as $20 USD per direction and carry-on
bags can be prepaid for as little as $15 USD per direction. Keep in mind that
Allegiant has a 40lb weight limit for checked bags. If you choose to pay for
you bags at the airport, Allegiant charges a steep $50 USD per checked bag per
direction and $50 USD for a carry-on per direction!
Seat selection is also a charge that can be
paid at the time of booking. Prices vary depending on where you want to sit on
the plane, the closer you want, the more expensive it will be. You can wait and
do free seats at the time of check-in or at the airport. Having flown them a
few times, we’ve figured out a trick for this. Normally we encourage people to
check-in as soon as they can 24 hours prior. However, with Allegiant, when you
check-in, it automatically assigns you a seat starting from the back of the
plane. Once you’re assigned this seat, you have to pay to change it. They can’t
even help you at the airport. I’ve waited until the airport and gotten a seat
as close as row 10 without a problem.
They also aren’t able to seat you with somebody you’re travelling with
if you’re on a separate booking, their system doesn’t allow it so make sure you
have everyone you want to sit with is on the same file as you.
Once you’re on the plane, they do not have
any entertainment onboard so make sure you bring your own. They also offer paid
drinks and some paid snacks so make sure to grab something before you board!
Overall, I am a big Allegiant fan. They
bring great value to those looking to save some money. And as long as you know
that you’re flying a discount carrier, you won’t have any big surprises coming your
way.
Contact us at The Travel Group to help you
fly out of Bellingham or any other city.
The Travel Group, Vancouver BC .
604-681-6345 .
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