Those who don't drive can get to Washington Airport by train or bus.
Travelers heading to some major destinations around the world may want to look for cheaper options at cross-border airports.
Bellingham International Airport (BLI) and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) require a drive across the Canada-US border, but round-trip airfare can be over $100 cheaper – and depending on your travel dates, hundreds of dollars cheaper – than flying from Vancouver International Airport (YVR).
If you don't drive, you can get to SeaTac Airport by train or bus.
If you're flying out of Washington airports, here are some options that are usually cheaper.
Las Vegas
Travelers looking for cheap last-minute trips to Sin City should book their flights at an airport south of the border.
Flair Airlines offers round-trip flights from YVR to Las Vegas for just $160 in October (see slide 2), but flights from the Lower Mainland increase significantly in the summer, with round-trip prices ranging from $250 to $350 from June through September.
Flights from BLI are more than $100 cheaper than the cheapest ticket from YVR in June. For example, a flight leaving Bellingham on June 15th and returning on June 21st costs $122 on Allegiant (see slide 3).
Bellingham has the majority of budget flights, but Seattle has some even cheaper dates: A flight leaving on June 8 and returning on June 12 on Spirit Airlines costs just $98 (see slide 4).
Chicago
Vancouver residents planning a trip to the Windy City can save more than $150 on tickets by driving to Seattle.
Round-trip fares for flights departing from YVR typically start at around $400. For example, a flight departing on June 6th and returning on June 20th costs $394 (see slide 5).
Flights from Seattle to Chicago start at just under $250 for a multi-day round trip in May, with a flight departing June 11th and returning June 18th costing $223 (see slide 6).
London
Travelers can also save more than $100 on a flight from Seattle to London.
The cheapest flight from Vancouver to London is just over $900 round trip. For example, a flight departing Vancouver on October 10th and returning from London on October 17th costs $920 (see slide 7).
Tickets for a flight departing from Seattle on October 1st and returning from Vancouver on October 8th cost $716 (see slide 8).
The Vancouver and Seattle flight itineraries each include one stopover.
Los Angeles
A flight from Vancouver to Los Angeles is the cheapest route south of the border from YVR, although it's still more affordable for travelers to fly from Seattle.
The cheapest flights from Vancouver start at about $150 round trip: a trip leaving YVR on Sept. 10 and returning from LAX on Sept. 17 costs $146 on Flair Airlines (see slide 9).
Round-trip tickets from Seattle to Los Angeles from September 11th to September 18th are $84 (see slide 10).
All prices are listed in Canadian dollars.
Sign up for VIA's weekly travel newsletter, The Wanderer, to get in-depth information, travel deals and tips on amazing destinations in British Columbia and around the world. Travel deals may sell out, so sign up for our daily Travel Deals newsletter to be the first to know the day they are posted.
If you would like to learn more about a specific destination or have a travel concern or idea you would like VIA to write about, [email protected]If you have a story about a recent vacation you went on or a tip you'd like our readers to know, send it to us!
