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Vancouver Deals Blog
Tagged Pages Archive | Seattle
2012
6
December
The Official Guide For Canadians Flying Out Of U.S. Airports (from Vancouver & area)
6
December
This guide will attempt to organize everything someone living in the Vancouver area might want to know about flying out of U.S. airports.
If you see anything in this guide that looks incorrect, out of date, or could just simply be improved with better info, please don't hesitate to contact me and I'll fix / update it.
Flying out of Bellingham, Washington (BLI)
How long of a drive is it?
Bellingham airport is one hour from Vancouver (80 km each way). map link
Don't forget to account for border-crossing times in each direction. You can find estimated wait times online.
estimated wait times at U.S. border
estimated wait times at Canadian border
Tips:
- If you travel to the States a lot you may wish to get a NEXUS card for $50 (US) for 5 years and eliminate the line ups at borders and airports. [Info on how to apply for NEXUS]
Are there good deals to be had?
Good deals out of Bellingham are typically found on 2 airlines, Alaska Air and Allegiant Air. (Although there has been the occasional deal on Delta). There's also Frontier Airlines which flys to various U.S. cities (Chicago, Dallas, Denver, etc).
A lot of people used to fly out of Bellingham for cheap flights to Las Vegas. But now Swoop has cheap flights from Abbotsford.
Allegiant can also have good prices from BLI to cities in California and Arizona, but these same cities are now routinely well priced from Vancouver as well.
Internationally, deals out of Bellingham are less likely to be much cheaper, or can involve more complicated and lengthier routes than flying out of YVR. It's a smaller airport, and it's strengths are serving the U.S. destinations listed above.
Also, when comparing costs, be aware that Allegiant charges extra for absolutely everything, including even carry-on luggage now.
These days, I would say that BLI is no longer an attractive airport to fly out of for most Vancouver residents.
How much would I have to save for it to be worth the drive?
This is a tricky question, because the answer is different for everyone, based on the variables involved. But costs you should consider factoring into your comparison (besides the roundtrip flight price) include:
- extra fuel costs (how fuel efficient is your vehicle?)
- baggage costs
- parking your vehicle at the airport
- cost of hotel if it requires an overnight stay
- how much your time is worth
- extra vehicle depreciation
I've created an Excel spreadsheet to help calculate what the true savings are when flying out of Bellingham:
click here to download the spreadsheet in Excel format
or
try the U.S. Airports Savings Calculator via Google Docs
screenshot: (click to enlarge)
Go to the YVR vs BLI worksheet and enter in a few variables to calculate what your true savings would be. Using common averages, I've found that if the flight from Bellingham is about $100/person less than the flight from Vancouver, the average person is only breaking even.
In my opinion, when the flight from Bellingham is at least $200 less per person than the flight from Vancouver, it becomes worth the drive. This is based on my calculations using average factors, and 2 people in a vehicle. You can see the example in the spreadsheet that was used to draw this conclusion.
How much is parking?
Parking is currently $9 to $10/day, according to the Bellingham Airport website.
You can also park at WikiWiki Park N Shuttle for $8/day.
There is also a company called Designated Park & Ride which offers parking for $5/day, but it looks like you would also need to pay for a taxi ride of $8 each way, and reservations are required.
Is there any public transportation from Vancouver to Bellingham airport?
QuickCoach
BoltBus
Amtrak Train or Bus
Links
Flying out of Seattle, Washington (SEA)
How long of a drive is it?
According to Google Maps, Seattle airport is 2 hours and 40 minutes from Vancouver (250 km each way). map link
Don't forget to account for border-crossing times in each direction. You can find estimated wait times online.
estimated wait times at U.S. border
estimated wait times at Canadian border
Tips:
- If you travel to the States a lot you may wish to get a NEXUS card for $50 (US) for 5 years and eliminate the line ups at borders and airports. [Info on how to apply for NEXUS]
Are there good deals to be had?
Seattle is a major U.S. airport, with practically every airline you can think of. There have been some truly amazing deals out of Seattle in the past, notably to international destinations.
strengths:
Being a relatively large U.S. airport, with so many airlines serving it, the chances of a great deal out of SEA are high. It's usually a question of whether the price differential is great enough to warrant the nearly 3 hour drive each way.
weaknesses:
The 3 hour drive each way!
How much would I have to save for it to be worth the drive?
This is a tricky question, because the answer is different for everyone, based on the variables involved. But costs you should consider factoring into your comparison (besides the roundtrip flight price) include:
- extra fuel costs (how fuel efficient is your vehicle?)
- baggage costs
- parking your vehicle at the airport
- cost of hotel if it requires an overnight stay
- how much your time is worth
- extra vehicle depreciation
I've created an Excel spreadsheet to help calculate what the true savings are when flying out of Seattle:
click here to download the spreadsheet in Excel format
or
try the U.S. Airports Savings Calculator via Google Docs
screenshot: (click to enlarge)
If you've downloaded the Excel file, please note that you will need to switch to the YVR vs SEA worksheet at the bottom of Excel.
Go to the YVR vs SEA worksheet and enter in a few variables to calculate what your true savings would be. Using common averages, I've found that if the flight from Seattle is about $250/person less than the flight from Vancouver, the average person is only breaking even.
In my opinion, when the flight from Seattle is at least $350 less per person than the flight from Vancouver, it becomes worth the drive. This is based on my calculations using average factors, and 2 people in a vehicle. You can see the example in the spreadsheet that was used to draw this conclusion.
How much is parking?
Parking is currently around $13/day, $75/week at Park N Fly Seattle.
At SeaTac Park the rates are $11/day, or $70/week
If you stay at a hotel near Seattle airport, parking your car is often free while you travel.
Is there any public transportation from Vancouver to Seattle airport?
Bolt Bus
Amtrak Train or Bus
Quick Coach
Some great advice from YVR Deals member Karen about transportation between Vancouver and Seattle, who has done this trip many times:
Driving/Rideshare: fastest, comfy, often cheaper, all depending on driver/car
Bolt Bus: My pick, wifi, fast, reliable, friendly, cheaper
Quick Shuttle: direct to airport, expensive, less reliable, slow to leave
Greyhound: Set price, slower, sometimes wifi, less reliable
Amtrak Train: Nicest, comfiest, can walk around, great views, food for sale, slowest, expensive
Plane: never done it, most expensive, least time sitting but probably travel time similar to driving by the time to you go through security.
Links
Getting To U.S. Airports from Victoria
To Seattle
The most direct option from Victoria to Seattle is the Victoria Clipper - passengers only - $99 roundtrip.
Otherwise, and probably best only if you have a car -- ferry to Port Angeles and then drive to Seattle, or the Swartz Bay - Tsawwassen BC Ferries route (more sailings, but then the Peace Arch border crossing instead of the very fast Port Angeles check)
To Bellingham
There are no really great ways to get to Bellingham quickly and easily.
There USED to be a ferry service between Sidney and Anacortes (which is closer to Bellingham). But the Sidney-Anacortes ferry route is not expected to return until 2030. The ferry service was year round, but in the summer there were more regular sailings.
You can take a shuttle to YVR from the bus station downtown, and then another "quick shuttle" service from YVR to Bellingham airport. But the wait times can really start to add up.
See Something Wrong?
If you see anything in this guide that looks incorrect, out of date, or could just simply be improved with better info, please don't hesitate to contact me and I'll fix / update it.
2012
9
October
Seattle to Orlando, Florida - $164 roundtrip after taxes
9
October
2012
9
July
Seattle to Tokyo, Japan - from $387 roundtrip after taxes
9
July
UPDATE: Deal now appears to be dead. Congrats to those who got in on it in time, have fun in Japan!
--------------
2012
2
May
Seattle to Tokyo, Japan - $567 roundtrip after taxes
2
May
There are some really crazy prices from Seattle to Tokyo showing on Vayama.com at the moment. They're about 50% of what they usually cost.
Read more
2012
30
January
Seattle to Amman, Jordan - $586 roundtrip after taxes
30
January
^^ Yes, it's the Treasury from Indiana Jones.
2011
19
November
Seattle to Belize - $435 roundtrip after taxes
19
November
United/Continental just dropped some of their early December flights from Seattle to Belize by a significant amount. Even from Seattle this price is about 40% cheaper than usual. And they're fairly quick flights too, with just a short stop in Houston each way.
Read more
2011
26
August
Seattle to Beijing, China - $400 roundtrip after taxes
26
August
There are some ridiculously cheap flights out of Seattle to Beijing, China in October, November, and even early December at the moment. Even from Seattle this is over 50% off the usual bottom price.
Read more
2011
22
June
Seattle to Chicago - $139 roundtrip after tax
22
June
United and Continental seem to be having a huge fare war to Chicago at the moment out of SEA.
Read more
2011
6
April
Seattle to Boston - $181 roundtrip after tax
6
April
Delta just dropped certain fares to Boston by about 50%, down to $181 roundtrip after tax. Even from Seattle that's a ridiculously cheap price.
Read more
2011
9
March
Seattle to Louisville, Kentucky - $150 roundtrip after tax - Kentucky Derby anyone?
9
March
United just dropped the price of their flights to Louisville, Kentucky to less than 50% lower than the next cheapest airline for their flights between the end of March and the first half of May.
Read more
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