Allegiant Air is a low-cost, major airline based of out Las Vegas, Nevada.
It flies to destinations all over the United States, however, it does not fly to most major city airports. They choose to fly to reliever-type airports a few times a week which helps the airline manage its expenses and revenue.
In this guide, we will uncover everything you need to know about Allegiant Air before buying a ticket.
A Brief Background on Allegiant Air
Allegiant’s Beginnings
Allegiant Air got its start in 1997 after it was founded under the initial name of WestJet Express. However, due to a naming conflict with a WestJet Air Center in South Dakota and a too-striking resemblance to the Canadian Airline, WestJet, the founders decided on using the name Allegiant Air.
Allegiant is an adjective that describes someone that is loyal. Allegiant Air takes pride in its employee’s professionalism and friendliness to its customer, which can be the source of why they decided to go with the name Allegiant Air.
Growth and Bankruptcy
The airline’s original hub was based in Fresno, California during the late 1990s. They offered flight service to close tourist destinations like Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe.
They began opening up their route system in the early 2000s when they launched Long Beach Airport as a hub and offered flights up the west coast to destinations like Portland, Oregon.
In 2000, due to high fuel costs, Allegiant Air went up Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Maurice Gallagher came to power within the airline and used his previous experience of managing low-cost airlines to shift Allegiant Air’s business model. They shifted over to a plan that targeted lower-market destinations that weren’t served by other major airlines.
Allegiant shifted its headquarters to Las Vegas, Nevada, and slowly began building its flight service to small city destinations all across the United States.
Allegiant’s Current Business Model
Currently, Allegiant has operations based scattered all over the United States at lesser utilized airports. For example, instead of trying to compete with other airlines at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Allegiant decided to utilize the nearby and much smaller Phoenix-Mesa International Airport where it’s the airport’s sole airline occupant for much of the year.
They have also begun to operate out of larger airports as well like Newark Liberty International Airport.
Another innovative practice is that they only fly to destinations only 2 or 3 times a week. This ensures that every flight will be full instead of flying on days when the demand is less high. With this reduction in flights per week, it also means that fewer costs will need to be spent on daily aircraft maintenance. Both these reasons in conjunction allow Allegiant Air to charge very low fares to its customers.
Key Facts and Information About Allegiant Air
Year Founded: 1997
Years of Operation: 25 years
Airline Type: Major
Call Sign: ALLEGIANT
Website: https://www.allegiantair.com/
Allegiant Air Aircraft Fleet
Allegiant Air has a total of 128 aircraft currently in its inventory.
A fun fact about Allegiant’s aircraft is that they usually buy used aircraft instead of purchasing newer ones. This is another way the airline decided to keep costs down.
Allegiant Air most commonly flies the Airbus A320-200 and the Airbus A319-100.
Most recently, they have bought several Boeing 737-700 Max’s and are about to roll them into service sometime in 2023. These 737s were acquired very cheaply because airlines were opting not to utilize them during their stretch of malfunctions and crashes in 2019.
Allegiant Air Airbus A320
The A320-200 is a popular narrow-body jetliner designed for short to medium-haul flights. It can seat up to 180 passengers and has a range of over 3,000 miles.
Allegiant Air Airbus A319
The A319-100 is a popular single-aisle jetliner designed for short to medium-haul flights. It can seat up to 156 passengers and has a range of over 3,700 miles.
Allegiant Air Seating Configurations and Amenities
One drawback of an ultra-low-cost airline is that there isn’t much flexibility when it comes to seating and amenities for comfort, and Allegiant Air is not any different. It is very much on par with what to expect from Spirit Airlines. For example, there is no wifi, and food & drinks are only available for purchase.
All Coach Configuration
Allegiant Air uses an all-coach seating configuration. There is no first-class or premium class with an upper tier of service.
None of the seatings in the coach class have the ability to recline.
If you want legroom, you need to pay extra. There are several seats situated near the front of the plane that is labeled to have more legroom.
The seats are configured in a 3 seat by 3 seats two-row configuration with one aisle running between them. It’s a pretty standard seat setup found on many narrow-body aircraft.
Allegiant Air Flight Operations and Performance
Allegiant Air Focus Cities
Allegiant Air doesn’t operate any hubs to date but does utilize focus. They currently fly to 129 destinations across the United States although mostly smaller markets.
Allegiant Air utilizes the following locations as focus cities.
- Allentown
- Appleton
- Asheville
- Austin
- Bellingham
- Cincinnati
- Des Moines
- Flint
- Fort Walton Beach
- Fort Lauderdale
- Grand Rapids
- Indianapolis
- Knoxville
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Nashville
- Orlando/Sanford
- Phoenix-Mesa
- Pittsburgh
- Provo
- Punta Gorda
- Savannah
- St. Petersburg (FL)
Allegiant Air Most Popular Routes
The following routes are Allegiant’s most popular routes based on the number of flights scheduled per week.
- Asheville to Fort Lauderdale
- Fresco to Las Vegas
- Cincinnati to Destin/Fort Walton Beach
- Orlando to Allentown
- Phoenix to Provo
- Orlando to Knoxville
- Belleville to Destin/Fort Walton Beach
- Asheville to Orlando
- Las Vegas to Bellingham
- Tampa to Cincinnati
Allegiant Air On-Time Performance
According to the Official Aviation Guide, Allegiant Air finished 15th on a list of 26 American and Canadian Airlines based on 2022 performance metrics.
The airline was on time about 57% of the time in 2022 with 5.7% of flights resulting in a cancellation.
Since Allegiant doesn’t fly as proportionately as most other airlines, it makes sense why their on-time performance isn’t too great. At most major airlines, planes are turned around at the gate within about an hour and fly 3 to 5 times a day. They are essentially operating around the clock besides time being allocated to maintenance.
If Allegiant is flying to only a couple routes per week to a single destination, planes are sitting idle on the ramp and need to be turned on from cold and dark before they get going which can cause a delay.
Also since Allegiant operates lots of second-hand aircraft, planes must go under extensive maintenance and perhaps might be prone to breaking down. Allegiant has had issues in the past with planes breaking down midflight and has been well documented.
Is Allegiant Air Safe to Fly On?
Allegiant Air is generally considered a safe airline to fly on, although, like any other airline, it is not without its share of incidents and safety concerns.
Allegiant Air has a fleet of modern aircraft and adheres to industry-standard maintenance practices, ensuring that their planes are in good condition for flight.
The airline also complies with the safety regulations set by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States.
However, Allegiant Air has faced criticism in the past for safety issues.
In 2018, a report by CBS News highlighted a higher number of mechanical incidents and emergency landings compared to other major US carriers.
The report raised concerns about the airline’s maintenance practices and the age of some of its aircraft. Allegiant Air has since taken steps to address these concerns and has made efforts to improve its safety record.
Overall, while there have been safety concerns in the past, Allegiant Air has made efforts to improve its safety practices.
As with any airline, it is important for passengers to stay informed, follow safety instructions, and report any concerns they may have during their flight.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegiant_Air
https://www.allegiantair.com/
https://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Allegiant_Air/information.php
