Airline report: Bellingham above average for flight vacancy rates in one-year survey
A recent report analyzed flights across the country to find which airports, airlines and routes had the most empty seats, and Bellingham International Airport made the Top 100 airports for higher-than-average vacancy rates.
According to the report by Luxury Link, an online booking platform, 19.2% of seats were empty on flights both in and out of Bellingham International Airport — nearly one out of every five seats. The national average was 18.9%.
Luxury Link conducted the report by analyzing data from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ Domestic Airline Consumer Airfare Report with the latest flight data from Nov. 1, 2023 through Oct. 31, 2024.
The report found that Bellingham and airports across the country had more empty seats on shorter flights and budget airlines, compared to longer flights or higher-cost carriers like Delta, American and United Airlines.
The report says there were an average of 99 flights per week in and out of Bellingham, an average of 25 empty seats per flight, and approximately 1,481 passengers per day.
Juneau International Airport in Alaska had the highest percent of average empty seats per flight at 40.8%, and Flint Bishop International Airport in Michigan had the lowest at 12.9%. Out of all 192 airports included in the report, Bellingham had the 87th highest percent of average empty seats per flight.
Port of Bellingham officials said via email that they are not able to verify the data and declined an opportunity to comment.
Southwest Airlines announced last May it would cease all Bellingham flights by August, citing a first-quarter 2024 net loss of $231 million. Southwest officials attributed the loss to changes in customer travel patterns and preferences, higher fuel prices, and Boeing’s aircraft delivery delays.
Elsewhere in the region, the report lists a vacancy rate of 18.6% for Spokane, 18.1% for Portland and 16.9% for SeaTac.
This story was originally published February 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
