Cheap airport parking a ploy to draw Vancouver flyers

Vancouver International Airport is hoping a holiday deal will prompt Christmas travellers to park and fly from there rather than head to Bellingham, where flights and parking rates are usually considerably cheaper.

Canadians have been flocking to the Bellingham facility in droves over the last few years, drawn by the bargain airline deals and the $9-a-day parking.

At YVR, parking will cost you anywhere from $32 to $15.75 a day, depending on how close the lot you choose is to the terminal.

But the airport is offering a deal next month for just $39.85 a week — cheaper than Bellingham — although some conditions will apply.

“That's if you exit our long term lot between Christmas Day, December 25th and January 6th,” said airport spokesman Christopher Gilliland.

“We're definitely going to, kind of, gauge the effectiveness, and we know just by the price drop that it's going to be very successful. So after we get all the information, we're going to look at how we can use this to our advantage in the future.”

Vancouver airport has 3,000 long-term parking spots and it expects to fill them all during its holiday promotion.