Alternative Airports to Use for Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics

Most of the time when you’re planning a trip, you choose the airport closest to your house and the airport closest to your destination as the beginning and ending points of your travels. And most of the time, that makes sense. But when you’re on the hunt for all the possible ways you could save money on a flight that looks like it’s going to be more costly than you’d hoped, you learn to think outside the box.

In this case, “thinking outside the box” means looking for airports other than Vancouver International Airport as an entry point for your trip to the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Yes, the Olympics are in Vancouver. Yes, Vancouver’s is the closest airport to the city and most of the events. But that doesn’t mean it’s the only airport you should check for flights - especially if you’re waiting until the last minute and trying to avoid the high costs of a last-minute flight (assuming the flights aren’t all sold out by that point anyway). There are a few other airports in the area which are worth looking at, whether you’re planning ahead or buying at the 11th hour.

Here are the alternate airports you might want to consider for a trip to Vancouver for the Winter Olympics.

>> Remember, U.S. citizens now need to have a passport to get into Canada!

Bellingham International Airport (BLI)

The tiny Bellingham airport is usually overlooked by travelers, but it’s so close to the Canadian border that it’s quite rightly considered a “reliever airport” for Vancouver. In fact, at least one airport calls the airport the “Bellingham/Vancouver” airport, although the airport itself doesn’t use Vancouver in its official name.

There are only four airlines that fly into Bellingham - Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, Horizon Air, and San Juan Airlines. Depending on where you’re coming from, if you’re flying into Bellingham the chances are good that you’ll have to connect to one of these airlines via another airport - often Las Vegas or Seattle.

Bellingham is roughly 47 miles from Vancouver. You can rent a car at the Bellingham airport and make the drive, but perhaps the easiest way to get from the airport into Vancouver is via the regularly scheduled bus service - called QuickShuttle - that runs from SeaTac airport to Vancouver airport. The bus stops at Bellingham’s airport last before it continues it service to the Vancouver airport, making it simple and relatively quick to get across the border.

Abbotsford International Airport (YXX)

The airport at Abbotsford is primarily used for general aviation, meaning the vast majority of the time you’ll see only very small planes coming and going from this airport. But especially if you’re coming from somewhere else in Canada, you might be able to find a cheap fare on one of those tiny planes into Abbotsford.

As small as the Abbotsford airport is, it’s only second to Vancouver in terms of airport size in the region - so although it’s small and Vancouver’s airport is usually favored, Abbotsford is also considered a “reliever airport” to Vancouver. There are only a handful of airlines serving Abbotsford, but they include a few budget carriers - which is another reason you might be able to find a good deal on a short flight.

Abbotsford is about 41 miles from Vancouver. You can rent a car at the airport, or take advantage of the Airport Link Shuttle - it provides service from the Abbotsford airport to the Vancouver airport or the Vancouver cruise terminal (which is downtown). You do need to reserve a spot on the shuttle, however.

Seattle SeaTac International Airport (SEA)

Seattle’s airport is actually in the town of SeaTac, roughly 13 miles south of Seattle. The airport’s name, which refers to the two cities of Seattle and Tacoma which call it a home airport, ended up becoming the city’s name eventually - not the other way around.

SeaTac is a hub for Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, both of which serve several cities in Canada (including Vancouver). Other airlines that have frequent incoming and outgoing flights at SeaTac are Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and Northwest Airlines.

The distance from SeaTac to Vancouver is more than 130 miles, which might seem a bit daunting, but - as mentioned above - there’s the handy bus that runs regularly from SeaTac up to Vancouver. It’s called QuickShuttle, and it stops in downtown Seattle and again at Bellingham’s airport before continuing on to Vancouver’s airport. From there, you can get easily into central Vancouver.

>> Read more about getting from Seattle Airport to Vancouver

Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)

Okay, I know Toronto is nowhere near Vancouver, but hear me out for a minute.

Toronto’s airport is Canada’s biggest and busiest. It’s one of the main entry points into the country, and a major hub for Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz, Air Transat, Skyservice, Sunwing Airlines, and WestJet (among others). Thousands of people pass through the Toronto airport every day.

All this adds up to the fact that if you’re coming to the Olympics from somewhere other than the western parts of the U.S. or Canada, you might be routed through Toronto to begin with. So why not see if you can get a cheap flight into Toronto in the first place?

Now, if you’re able to score a great deal on a flight into Toronto, you will still have to get a separate ticket on a flight from there to Vancouver - but making the arrangements in this way gives you more flexibility to search for a cheap flight from Toronto to Vancouver rather than limiting yourself to just the big airlines.

Hey, it may not work - but it’s worth a try.

>> Read more about finding cheap fares to Vancouver for the Olympics

photo by doviende