Southwest Airlines sets BLI flights

Southwest Airlines announced the company would begin flights out of Bellingham International Airport (BLI) on November 7.

In a June 10 media release, Southwest said it would service Oakland, California twice daily and Las Vegas once daily. Southwest Airlines coming to Bellingham means travelers from the almost 40 airports Southwest flies will now be within reach of B.C., the statement said.

Southwest announced in March that it would fly out of BLI, located at 4255 Mitchell Way, before the end of 2021. Allegiant Air also flies to Oakland and Las Vegas.

BLI’s top destinations from April 2020 to March 2021 were Las Vegas, Seattle and Oakland, according to Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Flights were down considerably during the pandemic, with 2020-21 flights less than a quarter of the previous year’s.

Southwest Airlines will be the fourth airline to fly out of BLI, with Alaska Airlines and San Juan Airlines servicing the airport in addition to Allegiant Air.