Ultra low cost carrier Allegiant Air announced a major route expansion which includes new service from Philadelphia and Trenton. Service will start in mid-2026.
Ultra low cost carrier Allegiant Air unveiled a wave of new routes in mid-November, all slated to start in the first half of 2026. The airline placed a particular focus on the Delaware Valley, which includes South Jersey and the Greater Philadelphia Metropolitan Area.
Allegiant will be launching nonstop flights from both Philadelphia International Airport and Trenton Mercer Airport in Trenton, New Jersey.
From Philadelphia:
From Trenton:
Let’s examine whether this expansion makes strategic sense for Allegiant, what it means for customers, and the airline’s future prospects in the region.
New Jersey has quietly become a battleground for ultra-low-cost carriers over the past year. Frontier has expanded at Newark and JFK airports, and maintains a significant presence at Philadelphia International Airport, accounting for nearly 13% of all traffic during the first half of 2025. Sun Country has entered Atlantic City International Airport. Allegiant already operates from Atlantic City as well as Newark International Airport.
For years, Spirit Airlines dominated the South Jersey market. Atlantic City served as a Spirit hub practically since the airline’s inception. However, in late 2024, Spirit announced it would shutter its crew base there amid ongoing financial difficulties. Spirit continues to be the primary carrier at Atlantic City. The only competition is Sun Country’s limited service, but this dominance may be ending.
In spite of Spirit’s struggles, we’ve already seen airlines like JetBlue aggressively target Spirit’s Fort Lauderdale hub.
This same pattern might be emerging in South Jersey. With Frontier having an established foothold, and now Allegiant expanding, the latter is positioning itself more competitively by adding service at two major Delaware Valley commercial airports.
Allegiant’s Trenton expansion is straightforward. As a leisure-focused airline serving destinations like Las Vegas, Provo, and Florida vacation spots, the Florida routes from Trenton make perfect sense.
There is also a competition reasoning behind this move as well. Allegiant is also joining Frontier at Trenton. Frontier currently flies three yearlong and three seasonal routes down to the South from Trenton.
But Allegiant’s move on Philadelphia is more puzzling. Allegiant built its business on serving small to medium markets nationwide, Philadelphia appears to be an outlier. The airline typically avoids the country’s largest airports, though it does serve a handful of mega-airports like Newark and Minneapolis.
Even in some major metro areas, Allegiant usually prefers secondary airports like Chicago Midway and Houston Hobby. Philadelphia falls squarely in the large airport category. It appears that Allegiant might be deviating from their business model a little bit.
Let’s breakdown the destinations being offered from Philly:
Grand Rapids makes operational sense. It’s an Allegiant crew base where the airline dominates, offering flights from across the country. While Allegiant operates seasonal Newark-Grand Rapids service, it lacks year-round access to the New York – New Jersey area. Philadelphia likely offers cheaper operating costs than Newark while still capturing a portion of the New Jersey market.
Knoxville aligns better with Allegiant’s strategy. Tennessee is an emerging tourist destination. While most airlines choose Nashville, Knoxville fits Allegiant’s model of serving secondary airports.
Des Moines represents an underserved community gaining access to a major metropolitan hub. Iowa receives substantial regional service but limited direct flights on major carriers. Allegiant is positioning itself to serve these overlooked communities.
Allegiant will likely find greater success in Trenton than Philadelphia. The Trenton routes compete directly with Frontier’s offerings. The South Jersey market has sustained service to Florida through Spirit from Atlantic City and other ultra-low-cost carriers from Philadelphia and Trenton for years. This indicates healthy operating capacity and passenger demand.
The key differentiator in the Frontier – Allegiant race in Trenton will be pricing. Whichever airline undercuts the competition will likely win.
Frontier offers higher-quality service, something they’ve been working on recently. However, they’re arguably abandoning the traditional ultra-low-cost model by offering bundles and premium seating options that can confuse customers. These changes seem designed to mask the notorious fees for which the airline is known.
Allegiant maintains its classic approach: advertise low base fares, then charge for extras. Passengers are attracted by the lowest prices but can purchase additional features as needed.
Allegiant hasn’t shifted to the bundle model or significantly upgraded its cabin. Their ideal customer seeks a straightforward, safe, and cheap journey from point A to point B.
With Allegiant entering the market, some of Frontier’s most dissatisfied customers may switch for a simpler experience.
We do have one concern about Allegiant flying from Trenton. Allegiant previously operated from Trenton until the mid-2010s before pulling out due to lack of demand. This can absolutely happen again. But it’s likely Allegiant capitalizing on market signals. Those signals are telling the airline to give Trenton another try.
We’re cautiously optimistic about Allegiant’s Philadelphia experiment. The Grand Rapids-Philadelphia pairing should perform well. Grand Rapids is a sizable Michigan city with solid demand, and it serves as a quasi-connection point for passengers continuing on Allegiant’s network, as some destinations are only accessible through Grand Rapids.
Knoxville should also succeed. However, Des Moines presents challenges. It’s simply not a large enough market to generate substantial demand for Philadelphia flights, nor is it an attractive destination for travelers from a major market.
This route exists primarily for Des Moines residents’ convenience. Business travelers or anyone needing nonstop service to a major city without paying premium prices for regional airline service.
We expect Allegiant to reduce this flight to a few times weekly. But is it worth keeping an aircraft parked for a few days in Des Moines to operate this route? Likely no. This route could be the first casualty of the Delaware Valley expansion.
Amid turbulence in the ultra-low-cost market, with multiple airlines fighting for survival, it’s encouraging to see Allegiant announce a route expansion. Allegiant’s role in the ultra-low-cost community is growing. With Spirit in turmoil, someone must fill that void and provide competitive pressure against Frontier Airlines.
The South Jersey-Delaware Valley region is primed for competition. Frontier has largely dominated Trenton and Philadelphia. Spirit may be reconsidering its Atlantic City position. This is the ideal moment for Allegiant to establish itself in the region.
Passengers should view this regional expansion positively. There’s now another option for leisure travel to Florida and Tennessee. If you want to fly cross-country as cheaply as possible, an Allegiant flight to Grand Rapids opens up various connecting possibilities.
The main question mark remains the Des Moines-Philadelphia pairing. All signs point toward reduced service frequency and eventual cancellation due to insufficient demand.
