West Villages Improvement District: Allegiant adds flights at Sarasota-Bradenton and Punta Gorda airports

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Allegiant adds flights at Sarasota-Bradenton and Punta Gorda airports

https://www.heraldtribune.com/
By Jon Hielscher
Staff Writer
Aug 13, 2019

The discount carrier adds eight cities to SRQ and five to PGD in Charlotte County.

SARASOTA – Allegiant is adding eight new cities this fall to its roster of flights at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.

The new nonstop service to McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville, Tennessee, launches Nov. 21 and will be year round, the discount airline announced Tuesday. The others are seasonal flights.

All will operate twice weekly.

Allegiant also is adding five seasonal routes to Punta Gorda Airport.

At Sarasota-Bradenton, new service will begin on Nov. 15 to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, and on Nov. 23 to Des Moines International Airport and Chicago Rockford International Airport.

On Nov. 24, Allegiant will start flying to Bishop International Airport in Flint, Michigan, and Fort Wayne International Airport in Indiana.

And on Nov. 25, flights will begin to Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport and South Bend International Airport.

“With this new announcement, Allegiant will now serve 20 nonstop routes from SRQ, providing our community and visitors convenient choices and low fares,” said airport CEO Rick Piccolo.

The new flights are expected to bring nearly 54,000 new passengers a year through the airport. Introductory one-way fares will be as low as $59, the airline said.

At Punta Gorda, service begins Nov. 13 to Elmira Corning Regional Airport in New York. The next day Allegiant will start flying to Charleston International Airport in South Carolina and Norfolk International Airport in Virginia.
And on Nov. 15 the airline will add service to Memphis International Airport and Sioux Falls Regional Airport.

All will operate twice a week. Officials say they will increase airport traffic by 29,000 passengers a year.

“The addition of five new Allegiant destinations is outstanding news for our local community and economy,” said Pamella Seay, chair of the Charlotte County Airport Authority.

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate