More flights:
Airline announces largest expansion from Gateway
Allegiant Air is adding service to eight destinations from Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport this fall: Milwaukee, St. Louis, Louisville, Omaha, Boise, Indianapolis, Kansas City and Tampa Bay.
Allegiant Air is adding service to eight cities from Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport this fall in its largest expansion at the east Mesa airport.
The Las Vegas-based airline, which already has one of its biggest operations in Mesa with non-stop flights to more than three dozen cities, is adding flights to several Midwest cities and its first non-stop service to Florida.
The new cities: Milwaukee; St. Louis; Louisville; Kansas City, Missouri; Omaha, Nebraska; Boise, Idaho; Indianapolis and the Tampa area.
The Florida flight, into St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, will be the airline’s longest route from Mesa. The Florida, Omaha and Indianapolis flights will be seasonal; the rest of the new flights will be offered year round. The flights, all non-stop, begin in October or November depending on the route.
Milwaukee is a new city for Allegiant, which is known for low fares and a flurry of fees. The airline charges for carry-on bags, soft drinks and boarding-pass printing at the airport. Allegiant is touting introductory one-way fares starting at $45 to $69 on the new routes. Tickets must be purchased by Thursday for travel through Feb. 13.
Unlike other airlines, Allegiant does not offer daily service. It flies to most cities once or twice a week, catering to bargain-hunting vacationers.
If demand falters on a route, Allegiant unapologetically pulls the service. The most high-profile example: Hawaii. The airline launched service from Mesa to Honolulu in 2013 and ended it in 2014.
With the new flights, Allegiant will serve 46 cities from Mesa. The only other carrier at the airport is Canadian airline WestJet, which began seasonal service in January.
“Eight new destinations are a further testament to the growing strength of the Phoenix East Valley market,” Mesa Mayor John Giles, chairman of the PhoenixMesa Gateway Airport Authority, said in a statement. “Today’s announcement by our airline partner Allegiant is great news for air travelers and the East Valley economy.”
The new Mesa flights are part of the biggest nationwide expansion for Allegiant, with 28 new routes and three new cities. “We are proud to be growing again at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport,” Allegiant senior vice president Lukas Johnson said in a statement.