Allegiant Air will begin offering nonstop flights from the Harrisburg International Airport to Myrtle Beach, S.C. for as low as $45 beginning this summer.

HIA Executive Director Timothy Edwards announced Tuesday that summer seasonal routes to Myrtle Beach will operate twice weekly beginning May 19. The discount airline will now offer flights to four locations - including Punta Gorda, Orlando and Tampa.

Flights to Myrtle Beach will be offered until Sept. 18. The flights, Edwards said, will be a much better option than driving the 500 miles to South Carolina.

Edwards urged people to take advantage of the opportunity. The more people that fly from Harrisburg to Myrtle Beach, he said, the more likely Allegiant Air will continue offering the flights

"Use it or lose it," Edwards said. "Earning new airline service today is not easy. Very few airlines are willing to provide new routes."

Allegiant Air will offer summer seasonal routes to Myrtle Beach beginning May 19.

Since 2012, nearly 300,000 passengers have flown on Allegiant Air from Harrisburg. The average ticket price has been $66 each way to those destinations.

"We're confident that travelers will enjoy planning their ultra-low-cost summer vacations with us to take advantage of all that Myrtle Beach has to offer," said Allegiant COO Jude Bricker.

As part of a new promotion, the first 22 people that book flights from Harrisburg to Myrtle Beach on www.allegiantair.com will be refunded the cost of their seats. Limit one refund per person.