Allegiant : 28 new routes, 3 new cities part of its biggest expansion ever

Ben Mutzabaugh | USA TODAY

Allegiant Air will announce 28 new routes and three new destinations Tuesday. Allegiant is billing the expansion as “the largest-ever announcement of new service in the company’s history.”

The expansion will put three more cities on Allegiant’s route map. Flights from the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast will begin Aug. 30. Allegiant’s service at two other new cities – Milwaukee and Norfolk, Va. – will start in the fall. Allegiant will fly non-stop to five destinations from Milwaukee, three from Norfolk and one from Gulfport.

The Gulfport service brings Allegiant back to a city it previously served. The carrier ended service there in 2009, saying it was losing money on its flights to Orlando Sanford. In reviving the route, the Gulfport Sun Herald says Allegiant will be able to hedge against losses with a revenue guarantee from the Mississippi Development Authority.

Allegiant also is adding a bevy of new routes between other cities it already serves. That includes Allegiant’s base at the Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport, where the company is adding a total of eight seasonal or year-round routes.

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“We’re so excited to grow our network and add service in Gulfport, Norfolk and Milwaukee,” Lukas Johnson, Allegiant’s senior vice president of commercial, says in a statement. “With the addition of three new cities and a major expansion of service into Phoenix, we’ll be able to offer some great fall travel options, with convenient, nonstop service across the country.”

Other cities faring well in Allegiant’s expansion include the carrier’s Florida bases in Punta Gorda (five new seasonal or year-round routes), Orlando-Sanford (four routes) and St. Petersburg (four).

Allegiant is one of the USA's three big “ultra-low-cost carriers" that target budget-conscious leisure fliers. The business model of such airlines – which also include Frontier and Spirit – features low base fares but extra charges for everything from carry-on bags to water. Allegiant also typically offers less-than-daily service on most routes, typically offering anywhere from two to four flights a week between most of its city-pairs.

Scroll down for breakdown of the new routes. Allegiant will fly two flights a week on all of the new routes except one; the Cincinnati-Los Angeles schedule will launch with four flights per week. Routes are year-round unless noted.

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Gulfport-Biloxi, Miss.

Orlando-Sanford: Begins Aug. 30

Milwaukee

Fort Lauderdale: Begins Nov. 17

Orlando-Sanford: Begins Nov. 16

Phoenix Mesa: Begins Nov. 17

Punta Gorda, Fla.: Begins Oct. 13

St. Petersburg, Fla.: Begins Oct. 13

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Norfolk, Va.

Fort Lauderdale: Begins Nov. 17

Orlando-Sanford: Begins Nov. 17

St. Petersburg, Fla.: Begins Oct. 4

Orlando-Sanford

Gulfport, Miss.: Begins Aug. 30

Milwaukee: Begins Nov. 16

Newburgh, N.Y.: Begins Nov. 16

Norfolk, Va.: Begins Nov. 17

Phoenix-Mesa

Belleville, Ill./Greater St. Louis: Begins Nov. 17

Boise: Begins Oct. 6

Indianapolis: Begins Nov. 17 (seasonal)

Kansas City, Mo.: Begins Oct. 4

Louisville: Begins Oct. 4

Milwaukee: Begins Nov. 17

Omaha, Neb.: Begins Oct. 4 (seasonal)

St. Petersburg, Fla.: Begins Nov. 15 (seasonal)

St. Petersburg, Fla.

Milwaukee: Begins Oct. 13

Norfolk, Va.: Begins Oct. 4

Ogdensburg, N.Y.: Begins Nov. 16

Phoenix Mesa: Begins Nov. 15 (seasonal)

Los Angeles

Cincinnati: Begins Nov. 16

Ogden, Utah: Begins Oct. 5

Punta Gorda, Fla.

Flint, Mich.: Begins Oct. 6

Milwaukee: Begins Oct. 13

Newburgh, N.Y.: Begins Nov. 17

Rochester, N.Y.: Begins Nov. 17

St. Cloud, Minn.: Begins Nov. 15 (seasonal)

Cincinnati

Los Angeles: Begins Nov. 16

Raleigh/Durham: Begins Nov. 16

Las Vegas

Ogden, Utah: Begins Nov. 17

Omaha, Neb.: Begins Nov. 17

Fort Lauderdale

Milwaukee: Begins Nov. 17

Norfolk, Va.: Begins Nov. 17

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Raleigh/Durham: Begins Dec. 15 (seasonal)

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