Bellingham airport expanding West Coast flights. Here’s what to know

Bellingham International Airport is expanding its Portland service less than a year after launching the nonstop route. A second daily flight starts Nov. 1, giving travelers a midday option alongside the existing morning departure.

Here are key takeaways:

• Bellingham International Airport is adding a second daily nonstop flight to Portland International Airport on Alaska Airlines starting Nov. 1, with the new midday option arriving from PDX at 11:55 a.m. and departing BLI at 12:35 p.m.
• The original Portland route launched in March and marked the first direct PDX connection from Bellingham in nearly eight years, with airport officials crediting strong community response for Alaska’s decision to now double the schedule.
• Alaska Airlines first announced the nonstop service in a December 2025 social media post, with BLI Director of Aviation Matt Rodriguez calling the route “our gateway in the beginning of our route expansion” to add more direct flights out of Bellingham.
• The roughly one-hour flight is an alternative to what Rodriguez described as a four-and-a-half to five-hour drive between the two cities, cutting travel time and the stress of the highway route.
• The nonstop option reduces travel time to about one hour, compared with more than three hours via a Seattle-Tacoma layover on Alaska Airlines.
• BLI now offers nonstop flights to destinations including Seattle, Portland, Oakland, Palm Springs, Burbank, Phoenix Mesa, Las Vegas and the San Juan Islands, according to the airport’s website.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.