Allegiant to add new building to Bellingham Airport

May 01--BELLINGHAM -- It appears Allegiant Air is ready to put down deeper roots in Bellingham.

The airline, which made Bellingham one of its operation bases four years ago, is planning to build its own 9,000-square-foot building at Bellingham International Airport. Port of Bellingham commissioners will vote on a 30-year lease of the property to Allegiant at the port's Tuesday, May 1, meeting.

It's one of several changes taking place at the airport in the coming months, along with the completion of the Scotty Browns restaurant, the beginning of a new phase of expansion work and the arrival of Frontier Airlines.

The Allegiant building will be constructed near the airport's control tower and have office space as well as a rest area for the airlines' flight crews and a storage area for its operations, said Daniel Zenk, Port of Bellingham's aviation director. Up to this point Allegiant has used temporary buildings on the north side of the airport.

If approved on Tuesday by Port commissioners, plans will then go through the permit process. Construction is expected to start this summer and take around a year to complete. Carletti Architects of Mount Vernon is designing the building, which will have a northwest theme, Zenk said.

"The building shows a real commitment to Bellingham," Zenk said.

Allegiant currently bases five of its MD-80 planes in Bellingham. Including maintenance crew and other personnel, Allegiant employs about 150 people in Bellingham.

"Our service at Bellingham International Airport has been very successful, and we look forward to continuing to serve the area with our affordable, convenient travel options," said Keith Hansen, Allegiant travel director of airport planning, in an email. "Building a permanent space at the airport will lower costs and increase the efficiency of our operations, allowing us to pass that savings on to our travelers.

"The airport has been a great partner to us, and we are pleased to invest in the future of that partnership."

Here's an update on what else is happening at the airport:

--The construction wall is coming down this week and the finishing touches are under way on the new Scotty Browns restaurant, which is inside the airport's secure waiting area. The 1,400-square-foot restaurant is expected to be ready by May 15, Zenk said.

--Construction fencing will go up this week at the unloading area near the front doors of the airport, which may impede some of those waiting to pick up travelers. Zenk recommends if you're picking up people flying into the airport, park in the "cell phone" parking areas, such as near the east roundabout, or to go into the parking area, where the first 30 minutes are free.

This phase of construction to remodel areas including ticketing is expected to take six to nine months.

--Frontier Airlines is scheduled to begin its daily nonstop service between Bellingham and Denver on May 24. The seasonal service is scheduled to end Sept. 16.

--In March the airport set a new record when it comes to passengers flying out of Bellingham. According to statistics gathered by the Port of Bellingham, 52,872 passengers took flights out of the airport, topping the previous record of 51,421, set in July 2011. Of that March total, 30,399 flew on Allegiant while 22,473 used Alaska Airlines or Horizon.

Reach DAVE GALLAGHER at [email protected] or call 715-2269. Visit his business blog online at blogs.bellinghamherald.com/business or get updates on Twitter at twitter.com/BhamHeraldBiz.

Copyright 2012 - The Bellingham Herald, Wash.