Allegiant Air Moving Some Flights to MCO

[Ed]

Allegiant Air moving some flights to Orlando International Airport

Airline moving at least some flights from Sanford to OIA to counter new AirTran service

By Sara K. Clarke, Orlando Sentinel
December 2, 2009

Allegiant Air, the primary passenger carrier at Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB), said Tuesday it plans to move at least some of its growing operations to the Seminole County airfield's much larger rival, Orlando International Airport (MCO).

Citing increased competition from Orlando-based AirTran Airways, Allegiant said it will begin flying in February from OIA to 10 of the 31 cities it currently serves from Sanford. The low-cost airline said that, if things go well at Orlando International, it may transfer the rest of its flights there as well.

"There are pluses and minuses to both of the airports," said Robert Ashcroft, vice president of planning for Las Vegas-based Allegiant. "The advantage of Orlando International is that it's closer to where a lot of people want to go."

Six of the destinations that Allegiant will start serving from OIA are routes on which it faces direct or indirect competition from AirTran, another discount airline whose headquarters is located at Orlando International. The cities involved include Knoxville, Tenn.; Lexington, Ky.; Allentown, Pa.; and Des Moines, Iowa. Four other cities will serve as test routes, Ashcroft said.

"Part of this is just to make it clear to our friends at AirTran that, you know, we're not a soft option," Ashcroft said. "We thought we needed to become a little more competitive with them."

The loss of Allegiant would be a big blow for Orlando Sanford International, where Allegiant is the busiest carrier. For OIA, the nation's 11th-largest airport, the move adds nonstop flights to several second-tier cities that it lost more than a year ago when skyrocketing fuel prices caused many larger airlines to cancel much of their regional jet service.

"It just offers the traveling public more ways to get here," said Vicki Jaramillo, director of marketing for the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, which operates OIA.

Tourism officials in Seminole County emphasized that Allegiant will continue to serve 21 destinations from the Sanford airport.

"Their flights all seem to be coming in full and going out full," said Sharon Seas, executive director of the Seminole County Convention & Visitors Bureau. "It's certainly something that we hope that Allegiant will reconsider," she said of the February transfer of service.

If Allegiant decides to leave Sanford altogether, it would leave the airport with mainly international and charter service. Officials at Orlando Sanford, known for its easy accessibility and its lower costs, said Tuesday they don't expect the airline to leave.

"They assured us that they're going to have a continuing, growing operation out of here," said Larry Dale, Orlando Sanford's chief executive officer.

But Allegiant officials suggested otherwise, noting that, while they have been happy — and profitable — flying in and out of Seminole County, they have always wondered if they chose the right Central Florida airport when the airline first arrived in the area more than four years ago.

Ashcroft said the company will "let the data decide."

"It doesn't make any sense on a continuing basis to have two bases in the same city," he said. "We've been back and forth thinking about this a long, long time."

[Mousemates]

good news for those of us who fly in from the knoxvegas area...been hoping they would do this for a long time.

[BigRedDad]

That's good news for some areas. I hope Alegiant decides to pull some flights from Greensboro, NC to Raleigh-Durham to curb some of the AirTran and SW prices.

[Ms. Mode]

Charleston, WV is one of the ten cities...next time I'm flying

[Ed]

Here's Allegiant's press release:

ALLEGIANT AIR ANNOUNCES NEW BASE AT ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Airline to Offer Nonstop Service between 10 U.S. Cities and Orlando International

Introductory Fares as Low as $45.99* One-way

ORLANDO, Fla. – Low-cost airline, Allegiant Air, LLC, a subsidiary of Allegiant Travel Company (Nasdaq: ALGT), today announces it will establish a new base at Orlando International Airport (MCO) beginning Feb. 1, 2010. The low-fare carrier will initially serve 10 U.S. cities from the base.

Allegiant currently offers nonstop, scheduled service to Orlando from 31 U.S. cities via Orlando-Sanford International Airport. The 10 selected cities reflect a portion of the company's current operation at Sanford, Fla. which will move to Orlando International Airport, starting Feb. 1, 2010. The move provides Allegiant customers with more convenient access to the popular theme parks in Orlando and allows the carrier to remain competitive in the markets it serves. Allegiant will continue to offer flights to Orlando-Sanford International Airport from the other 21 cities currently served by the airline.

Robert Ashcroft, vice president of planning for Allegiant Air, said, "Moving these markets from Orlando-Sanford to Orlando International accomplishes two things for Allegiant. First, it allows us to be responsive to the many Orlando travelers who prefer the proximity of Orlando International to the most prominent attractions in the Orlando area, including, most obviously, Walt Disney World. Second, it improves our position relative to competitors with service to Orlando International."

"The decision by Allegiant to launch service from Orlando International Airport adds new air service options and access for Central Florida travelers," Vicki Jaramillo, director of marketing for Orlando International Airport, said. "It also positions this airport as Florida's leader in service by low-cost carriers by adding the Allegiant's schedule to the current 2900 flights operating per week."

To kick off the new service, Allegiant is offering introductory fares as low as $45.99* each way to/from MCO (listed chronologically).

1. Knoxville, Tenn. — flights begin Feb. 1, 2010 with fares as low as $49.99* each way
2. Lexington, Ky. — flights begin Feb. 1, 2010 with fares as low as $57.99* each way
3. Allentown, Penn. — flights begin Feb. 8, 2010 with fares as low as $59.99* each way
4. Greenville/Spartanburg, S.C. — flights begin Feb. 8, 2010 with fares as low as $45.99* each way
5. Grand Rapids, Mich. — flights begin Feb. 12, 2010 with fares as low as $79.99* each way
6. Springfield, Mo. — flights begin Feb. 15, 2010 with fares as low as $79.99* each way
7. Tri-Cities, Tenn. — flights begin Feb. 15, 2010 with fares as low as $47.99* each way
8. Huntington, W.V. — flights begin Feb. 16, 2010 with fares as low as $59.99* each way
9. Youngstown, Ohio — flights begin March 4, 2010 with fares as low as $59.99* each way
10. Des Moines, Iowa — flights begin March 5, 2010 with fares as low as $79.99* each way

By March 5, 2010, the leisure-focused carrier will base five, 150-seat, MD-80 series jet aircraft at MCO. The new base is the carrier's eighth scheduled service base, the airline also has scheduled service bases in Las Vegas; Sanford, Fla.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Bellingham, Wash.; Phoenix; Los Angeles and St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Fla. Allegiant currently provides nonstop scheduled service to/from 69 U.S. cities.

[DisneyAddict62]

Just saw this on our local news last night for our Youngstown, OH airport. Only thing is, it looks like they are changing their travel days from Friday and Monday to Sunday and Thursday.

[ThanxForNoticin]

It'll be interesting to see how they handle people who already have purchased tickets to/from Sanford in March, April, and May. I suppose many of the flights will be a straight change from Sanford to Orlando. Other changes are going to significantly impact some travel plans.

[sgdisney]

Charleston, WV is one of the ten cities...next time I'm flying

Allegiant does not fly out of Charleston, but does fly from Tri State Airport in Huntington, which is on the list. This does make for a nice alternative to AirTran's direct flights from Charleston.