Home / Routes / Anacortes to Bellingham Airport
Route · Anacortes ↔ Bellingham International (BLI)Private car service from Anacortes to Bellingham International Airport covers 48 miles in 50 to 65 minutes, north on I-5. Starting fares are $160 for a standard sedan, $250 for a luxury SUV, and $525 for a Ford Transit van. This is our shortest and least expensive airport transfer — roughly half the distance and half the fare of the Sea-Tac run.
This page covers both directions, when BLI beats Sea-Tac, and connections to the Alaska ferry terminal at Fairhaven.
Private car service from Anacortes to Bellingham International starts at $160 for a standard sedan carrying two passengers, $250 for a luxury SUV carrying six, and $525 for a Ford Transit van carrying ten. Fares are quoted per vehicle rather than per person, so a group of six pays one SUV fare between them.
| Vehicle | Passengers | Luggage | One way from | Round trip from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Sedan | 2 | 2 | $160 | $290 |
| Premium Sedan | 3 | 3 | $175 | $315 |
| Mini Van | 4 | 4 | $205 | $370 |
| Luxury SUV | 6 | 6 | $250 | $450 |
| Ford Transit Van | 10 | 10 | $525 | $945 |
| Mercedes Sprinter Van | 14 | 14 | $680 | $1,225 |
Round-trip fares apply a ten percent discount against two one-way bookings. Add-ons are selected at checkout.
Bellingham International is 48 miles from Anacortes against Sea-Tac's 90, and the transfer costs a little over half as much. It is a single-terminal airport with a short walk from curb to gate and security queues that bear no resemblance to a major hub.
For a domestic West Coast or southwest route that BLI serves, this is not a close decision. You save on the fare, you save an hour of driving each way, and you need considerably less lead time at the airport. A whole travel day gets shorter.
The constraint is coverage. Bellingham serves a focused route network, and international, long-haul, and most connecting itineraries still mean Sea-Tac. But it costs nothing to check before you buy the ticket, and a surprising number of people never do.
It is also our pickup point for travellers connecting onward toward Vancouver, BC.
Bellingham, WA
Three airports, three distances, three fares. Worth comparing before the ticket is booked rather than after.
| Bellingham (BLI) | Paine Field (PAE) | Sea-Tac (SEA) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | 48 mi | 60 mi | 90 mi |
| Drive time | 50–65 min | 65–85 min | 90–120 min |
| Sedan from | $160 | $250 | $300 |
| SUV from | $250 | $350 | $450 |
| Lead time needed | ~90 min | ~2 hours | ~3–3.5 hours |
| Route coverage | Focused | Focused | Comprehensive |
| Direction of travel | North | South | South |
Bellingham is the only one of the three that is north of Anacortes. You never touch the Everett corridor, which is the single biggest source of unpredictability on the southbound routes. That is why the BLI drive-time range is the narrowest we publish.
The drive covers 48 miles and typically takes 50 to 65 minutes. It is the most predictable airport run we operate, because it heads north and away from every mainland bottleneck.
Door pickup on Fidalgo Island. Driver texts 30–60 minutes ahead.
East across Fidalgo and the Swinomish flats to the freeway at Burlington.
North past Alger and Bow. Rarely any congestion on this stretch.
Exit for the airport just west of the city.
Dropped at the terminal door. It is a short walk from there.
Bellingham needs the least lead time of any airport we serve. These are planning figures — we confirm your exact pickup when you book.
| Flight departs | Pickup in Anacortes | Total lead time | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6:00 AM | 4:15 AM | 1h 45m | Empty roads and a terminal you clear in minutes |
| 8:00 AM | 6:10 AM | 1h 50m | Light northbound traffic even on a weekday |
| 10:00 AM | 8:05 AM | 1h 55m | Morning traffic, still nothing like the southbound run |
| 1:00 PM | 11:15 AM | 1h 45m | The easiest departure of the day to plan |
| 4:00 PM | 2:15 PM | 1h 45m | Mid-afternoon, minimal congestion northbound |
| 6:00 PM | 4:05 PM | 1h 55m | Slight afternoon build-up around Burlington |
A 10:00 AM flight from Sea-Tac means a 6:30 AM pickup in Anacortes. The same departure time from Bellingham means 8:05 AM. That is not a marginal difference — it is most of a night's sleep.
Bellingham → Anacortes
The return leg is priced identically to the outbound for the same vehicle class, and booking both directions together applies the round-trip discount.
Arrivals here are about as simple as air travel gets. Single terminal, baggage claim a short walk from the gate, and your driver waiting close to the door rather than across a multi-level ground transportation complex.
Give us your flight number and we track it. Delays and early arrivals are absorbed on our end, so there is nothing to call about and nothing to rebook.
Meet-and-greet is available, though fewer people need it here — at a terminal this size, finding your driver is not the problem it can be at a large hub.
This is the route where driving yourself has the strongest case, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. It is only 48 miles. Here is where a car still makes sense.
| Private car service | Drive & park | Rideshare | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost, 2 people, short trip | From $290 round trip | Parking + fuel, usually less | Two fares, surge dependent |
| Cost, 6 people | One SUV fare, split six ways | Possibly two cars | Two vehicles each way |
| Cost, longer trips | Fixed regardless of duration | Parking accumulates daily | Two fares |
| Miles on your own car | Zero | 96 round trip | Zero |
| 3–6 AM availability | Reserved in advance | Always available | Few drivers in Anacortes |
| Flight delays | Tracked, pickup adjusts | Your car waits | Rebook on arrival |
| Winter on SR-20 | A driver who does it weekly | You, in the dark | Variable |
Two people on a three-day trip should probably drive and park — the numbers favour it and the drive is short. Book us when the group is larger, the trip is longer, the departure is pre-dawn, or the weather is doing something on SR-20 that you would rather not deal with at 4:00 AM.
A short run, so comfort matters less here than on the Sea-Tac routes. Match the passenger count, then check the luggage figure.
Two passengers with two checked bags. Our least expensive transfer of any kind.
More space and finish, and the vehicle we assign for executive and client travel.
Sliding doors make child seats far easier, with genuine luggage room behind the rear row.
Handles winter conditions on SR-20 and takes a family's full luggage without argument.
One vehicle instead of two, arriving together. Common for Alaska ferry parties.
The practical ceiling for a single-vehicle group transfer, with full luggage capacity.
Private car service starts at $160 for a standard sedan, $250 for a luxury SUV, and $525 for a Ford Transit van, one way. Fares are per vehicle rather than per person and include all taxes, fees, flight tracking, and luggage assistance.
Forty-eight miles by road — east across Fidalgo Island on SR-20 to I-5 at Burlington, then north. It is our shortest airport route.
Typically 50 to 65 minutes. It is the most predictable airport run we operate, because heading north avoids the Everett corridor entirely.
If your route flies from BLI, almost certainly. It is 48 miles against Sea-Tac's 90, the transfer costs a little over half as much, and you need roughly half the lead time. Sea-Tac still wins for international, long-haul, and connecting itineraries.
Less than anywhere else we serve. It is a single terminal with a short walk and light security queues, so around ninety minutes ahead is comfortable for most domestic departures.
BLI serves a focused route network to West Coast and southwest destinations. Check current routes with the airline directly, since schedules change seasonally.
Yes. Fairhaven is the southern terminus of the Alaska Marine Highway, and we run Anacortes to ferry terminal transfers timed against your sailing. Flag the luggage count — Alaska sailings involve a lot of it.
Sometimes not, and we would rather say so. Two people on a short trip will usually find driving and parking cheaper. It tips our way with larger groups, longer trips, pre-dawn departures, and winter weather on SR-20.
Yes. Pre-dawn departures carry no premium and the fare is identical to any other hour.
Yes. We time pickups against Washington State Ferries sailings from Ship Harbor for travellers coming off the San Juans and flying out of Bellingham.
Enter your address, your flight, and your passenger count. You will see your total before you confirm anything.
