Allegiant Airlines offers $99 one-way fares from Bellingham to Hawaii

No-frills, limited-luggage Bellingham price close to Canadian departure taxes alone, says travel expert

VANCOUVER -- If you’re dreaming of a sunny, warm holiday relaxing by the pool, Allegiant Airlines has a treat for you. The airline is offering flights to Hawaii from Bellingham for just $99 each way, including taxes.

The deal is limited to select seats on certain flights on certain dates, and will come with added fees if you want to carry on luggage, reserve a seat or eat on the plane, but nonetheless it’s certain to lure some Lower Mainland travellers away from Vancouver International Airport.

Claire Newell, a Vancouver-based travel expert and owner of Travel Best Bets, said the flights are great news for the consumer, but yet another blow for YVR, which loses about 950,000 passengers to the Bellingham airport each year, according to a report prepared by the Canadian Airports Council in March.

Senator Dennis Dawson is chair of the Senate committee that wrote the report, and he said at the time that Canada is losing $1 billion a year in air travel alone from Canadians who choose to travel out of U.S. airports.

“We are losing a huge amount from our economy, and not just the taxes and fees, but also the employment,” Newell said. “It’s a real shame.”

Canadians make that choice not only because of lower base fares, but also because the taxes and fees are lower.

“This fare is probably less than most Canadian departure taxes for a flight to Hawaii,” Newell said, adding that there are fees added to the Bellingham flight, including an online booking fee that brings the lowest fare to $206.

Comparable fares out of YVR found online on Friday started at about $500 including taxes and fees and went up from there.

That fare doesn’t include any luggage that won’t fit under the seat in front of you. A carry-on bag that will be stowed in the overhead bins costs $50 return, while a checked bag is $70 return, Newell said.

The low fare is offered sporadically on Allegiant’s booking calendar.

“Anybody looking to go to Hawaii this season should book now,” Newell said. “They will sell out very soon.”

The Bellingham airport is in the middle of a $17-million, 60,000-square-foot addition to the main terminal, ticketing and baggage claim area, and a 20,000-square-foot renovation of the passenger gates was completed last year. Parking at the Bellingham airport recently went up to $15 a day, Newell said.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com