» Airline addition:
Airline features ultra-low fares
Allegiant, a Las Vegas-based ultra-low-cost airline, will begin nonstop direct service between Milwaukee and five warm-weather destinations in the U.S.
Allegiant, a Las Vegasbased ultra-low-cost airline, will begin nonstop direct service between Milwaukee and five warm-weather destinations in the U.S. this year, the airline said Tuesday.
The airline essentially sells a base fare ticket and then charges for a la cart items such as early boarding, seat placement and checked bags. Once on board, snacks, beverages and even merchandise such as souvenirs are available for purchase with a credit card.
The business model allows travelers to customize and pay for only the services they want for their trip, said Kim Schaefer, public relations manager for Allegiant who attended a news conference Tuesday at Mitchell International Airport to announce the new service.
Allegiant plans to begin flying between Milwaukee and Phoenix and between Milwaukee and Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando and Tampa, Fla., according to the airline’s statement.
Introductory one-way fares on the new routes will start at $35, Allegiant said. The flights must be purchased by Thursday for travel by Feb. 13.
Schaefer said the airline doesn’t necessarily enter a market and take travelers away from other airlines. Allegiant tends to attract travelers who may have opted to drive instead of fly or those who opted for a “staycation” rather than pay the cost of airfare.
“We stimulate traffic that might not already exist in a
community,” Schaefer said.
Allegiant will be competing with other airlines on the new Milwaukee service but won’t be competing on the same exact routes.
For example, Southwest, Frontier and American offer nonstop service from Milwaukee to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. Allegiant’s nonstop service will go from Milwaukee to PhoenixMesa Gateway Airport in nearby Mesa, Ariz.
On the Milwaukee to Orlando route, Southwest, Delta and Frontier offer nonstop service to Orlando International Airport. Allegiant will fly between Milwaukee and Orlando/Sanford International Airport in nearby Sanford, Fla.
On the Tampa route, Southwest flies from Milwaukee to Tampa International Airport. Allegiant will fly to St. PeteClearwater International Airport in nearby Clearwater, Fla.
Part of Allegiant’s strategy is to establish service at underused airports that are part of bigger metro areas. Allegiant is converting its fleet exclusively to Airbus A320 and A319 jets.
Allegiant’s business model is clearly focused on leisure travelers, said Robert Mann, president of R.W. Mann & Co. Inc., a New York based airline industry consulting firm.
“They are essentially a travel wholesaler that happens to own an airline,” Mann said. “They will sell you a vacation, part of which is your seat on the plane.”
“In general, they don’t compete for business travelers,” Mann added.
That’s because Allegiant might offer two flights a week to a destination while other carriers might offer two flights a day to the same destination.
The business model has proven successful over time, but the airline has seen its share of growing pains, according to a newspaper investigation.
“They’ve have some operational issues but I think that’s associated with changing from an (aging) MD-80 fleet to an Airbus A-320 fleet,” Mann said. “They are well on their way to doing that.”
Milwaukee is the second Wisconsin city to be served by Allegiant. The airline is already serving Appleton.
Tuesday’s announcement was part of the airline’s largest rollout of new service in its history, Schaefer said. The carrier also announced service in Norfolk, Va., and Gulfport/Biloxi, Miss.
“We know that there is strong demand for these five destinations (from Milwaukee), and we are excited to offer nonstop service at a fare that everyone can afford,” Lukas Johnson, an Allegiant senior vice president, said in the statement.
Schaefer said the airline expects to carry 170,000 passengers in and out of Milwaukee during the next calendar year.
The new nonstop flights will operate twice weekly. Flight days, times and the lowest fares can be found on Allegiant.com.
“Allegiant offers a unique option to Milwaukee travelers with low
base fares and savings on rental cars, hotels and activity and attraction tickets,” according to the airline’s statement. “Travelers can book their entire vacation with Allegiant for less.”
Allegiant, which began with one plane and one route in 1999, now has more than 80 aircraft and serves 300 routes across the United States “with base airfares less than half the cost of the average domestic round trip ticket,” according to the statement.
“Bigger regional hubs are far more expensive and more of a pain, frankly, to fly out of,” said Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele. “Everybody who knows Mitchell knows this is an easy and friendly and efficient airport.
“This is an incredibly convenient and easy airport and has more and more direct flights.”
Mitchell is owned and operated by Milwaukee County.
The newly planned service is the latest in a series of new service announcements in Milwaukee.
In March, Mexican airline Volaris began nonstop service between Milwaukee and Guadalajara, Mexico.
And, this month, OneJet said it was adding an additional Milwaukee-toPittsburgh round trip flight.