Bellingham International Airport
I remember the first time I flew into the Bellingham International Airport. It was the fall of 2000. It was night, and I was overwhelmed with the smell of evergreen trees...it was quite pleasant. Since that brisk fall day nearly 7 years ago, I have made numerous trips in and out of Bellingham through the airport. I would not have thought there was much change going on; however, I have recently learned of some interesting statistics regarding our airport.
In 2002 the estimated yearly travelers from Bellingham International Airport was 60,000. This year, that number is expected to be 250,000! The biggest reason for this has been the addition of several new carriers such as Allegiant. There round trip flight to Las Vegas, Palm Springs, and Reno are opening up a lot of new traffic.
Most people would also be surprised to know that the single largest revenue producing activity at the airport is parking fees. They account for nearly $2 million dollars annually! Some of these dollars will be sued to buy new equipment designed to speed up the baggage handling procedures. FTA requires that every bag be visually inspected, which allows Bellingham handlers to process about 90 bags per hour. With new computer x-ray equipment, handlers would be able to process 200 bags per hour.
Skybus is one of the newest airlines that will be coming to the Bellingham area. They are out of the Ohio area, and they will be making many stops through the US. this will enable Bellingham residents and travelers to have fast travel and connection times throughout the US.
The Heritage flight museum is also located in the Bellingham International Airport. One can see nearly 30 aircraft from all eras of flight. Every third Saturday of the month, there is an Open House at the museum.
Bellingham International Airport is growing quickly...almost as fast as Whatcom county. The services they provide to travelers is making Bellingham a more convenient place to fly in and out of. Surprisingly, with all the growth, the airport only has 11 full-time employees! 8 of those are federally required fire fighters. I am excited to see what changes are in store for our airport.
In 2002 the estimated yearly travelers from Bellingham International Airport was 60,000. This year, that number is expected to be 250,000! The biggest reason for this has been the addition of several new carriers such as Allegiant. There round trip flight to Las Vegas, Palm Springs, and Reno are opening up a lot of new traffic.
Most people would also be surprised to know that the single largest revenue producing activity at the airport is parking fees. They account for nearly $2 million dollars annually! Some of these dollars will be sued to buy new equipment designed to speed up the baggage handling procedures. FTA requires that every bag be visually inspected, which allows Bellingham handlers to process about 90 bags per hour. With new computer x-ray equipment, handlers would be able to process 200 bags per hour.
Skybus is one of the newest airlines that will be coming to the Bellingham area. They are out of the Ohio area, and they will be making many stops through the US. this will enable Bellingham residents and travelers to have fast travel and connection times throughout the US.
The Heritage flight museum is also located in the Bellingham International Airport. One can see nearly 30 aircraft from all eras of flight. Every third Saturday of the month, there is an Open House at the museum.
Bellingham International Airport is growing quickly...almost as fast as Whatcom county. The services they provide to travelers is making Bellingham a more convenient place to fly in and out of. Surprisingly, with all the growth, the airport only has 11 full-time employees! 8 of those are federally required fire fighters. I am excited to see what changes are in store for our airport.
Labels: airport, bellingham
