| |
Allegiant Air of Las Vegas will announce today that it will start service to Orlando, Fla., from MidAmerica Airport, filling a void created when another airline went bankrupt late last month and abruptly stopped its Orlando flights.
Tyri Squyres, a spokeswoman for the airline, said it would start conservatively with two flights each week and build from there. The airline will offer an introductory one-way fair of $59. She said the days and flight times would be announced today.
Allegiant started flying passengers from MidAmerica to Las Vegas in April and has found success with those flights, she said.
MidAmerica, situated near Mascoutah and Scott Air Force Base, had service to Orlando's Sanford International Airport until late last month, when the airport's other carrier, TransMeridian Airlines, abruptly shut down service and filed for bankruptcy.
MidAmerica Executive Director Tim Cantwell said the airline's flights to Florida were 70 to 90 percent full so he was shocked by the shutdown. He said Tuesday that TransMeridian "offered cheap flights and, when fuel prices shot up, were in a situation where they were going to lose money if they made the flights."
Squyres was quick to differentiate Allegiant, which offers scheduled passenger service similar to that of larger airlines, from the bankrupt TransMeridian, which was a scheduled charter service. A charter service does not get paid until its flights take off.
Cantwell said the fact that another airline was picking up flights to Florida just 19 days after TransMeridian shut down showed the routes were reliable.
Allegiant Air was founded in 1997. The company operates a fleet of 12 aircraft, according to its Web site, www.allegiantair.com. Allegiant is a ticketless airline and already operates flights to Las Vegas and Orlando from Peoria and Rockford, Ill., and Springfield, Mo.
|
|
|
