Allegiant adds 2 new cities in 15-route expansion

Allegiant is adding two cities to its route map, part of 15-route expansion that will be announced Tuesday.

The budget carrier will make its biggest debut at the John Wayne Airport in Orange County California. Allegiant will begin service there on Feb. 12, when it launches the first of eight routes from the Los Angeles-area airport.

Allegiant also will add new service to Spokane, Washington — which it will begin serving on Feb. 11 with nonstop service to Las Vegas. A second route —to Orange County — begins Feb. 18.

The airline's hometown of Las Vegas also fared well in the latest expansion update, landing a total of four new routes. In addition to the Spokane flight, Allegiant will connect the city to Asheville, North Carolina; Flint, Michigan, and Orange County.

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"We're excited to offer travelers another gateway into Southern California, as well as into the Pacific Northwest in 2021," Drew Wells, Allegiant's vice president of planning and revenue, said in a statement announcing the new routes. "We are continuing to expand Allegiant's network to provide customers with even more convenient, nonstop options for any travel occasion."

With Allegiant's expansion to Orange County, it appears to be following the lead of other airlines that have used the pandemic to gain access to capacity-controlled airports that would have been more difficult to access during busier times.

Orange County — while not slot-restricted in the traditional sense — has an annual cap on passengers. The number of flights there can vary by year depending on airlines' planned schedules, with access reallocated on a regular basis. With fewer passengers this year, there have been openings for new airlines to enter.

More: Spirit Airlines snags more Orange County slots, adds another new route

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There were a few other interesting snippets from Allegiant's latest expansion update. They include:

• Allegiant's new route to Asheville will become its longest nonstop offering from Las Vegas, with the flight clocking in at 1,824 miles. The longest route in Allegiant's overall network is its 1,900-mile nonstop between Los Angeles and Cincinnati. Allegiant's current longest route from Las Vegas is to Knoxville, Tennessee (1,739 miles).
• Allegiant's new flights from Las Vegas to Asheville and Flint, Michigan, will be overnight "red-eye" flights on the eastbound legs. While not unheard of in Allegiant's network, they are unusual.

Elsewhere, Allegiant confirmed that it has ended service to Ogdensburg, New York, with no plans to return. The carrier had offered nonstop flights to Florida from the small airport in Upstate New York, but ended those after the U.S.-Canada border was closed during the pandemic. The airport sits just about 60 miles from Canada's capital of Ottawa, which was the source for much of Allegiant's traffic on the route.

Scroll down for a full list of Allegiant's new routes, which are intended to be year-round. Flights will operate twice a week.

Orange County/John Wayne Airport, California (SNA)

Boise (BOI): Flights begin Feb. 12. Introductory fares begin at $49 one way.

Grand Junction, Colorado (GJT): Flights begin Feb. 12. Introductory fares begin at $69 one way.

Las Vegas (LAS): Flights begin Feb. 18. Introductory fares begin at $39 one way.

Medford, Oregon (MFR): Flights begin Feb. 12. Introductory fares begin at $69 one way.

Missoula, Montana (MSO): Flights begin Feb. 18. Introductory fares begin at $69 one way.

Provo, Utah (PVU): Flights begin Feb. 12. Introductory fares begin at $49 one way.

More: Salt Lake City's spiffy new terminal just opened — here's what it was like on day 1

Reno, Nevada (RNO): Flights begin Feb. 18. Introductory fares begin at $39 one way.

Spokane, Washington (GEG): Flights begin Feb. 18. Introductory fares begin at $69 one way.

Las Vegas (LAS)

Asheville, North Carolina (AVL): Flights begin March 4. Introductory fares begin at $79 one way.

Flint, Michigan (FNT): Flights begin March 4. Introductory fares begin at $59 one way.

Orange County, California (SNA): Flights begin Feb. 18. Introductory fares begin at $39 one way.

Spokane, Washington (GEG): Flights begin Feb. 11. Introductory fares begin at $49 one way.

More: Southwest Airlines expands again, adds three more cities to its route map

Grand Rapids, Michigan (GRR)

Destin, Florida (VPS): Flights begin March 5. Introductory fares begin at $49 one way.

Newark (EWR): Flights begin March 5. Introductory fares begin at $59 one way.

Phoenix/Mesa Gateway (AZA)

Houston Hobby (HOU): Flights begin Feb. 11. Introductory fares begin at $49 one way.

St. Petersburg, Florida (PIE)

Fargo, North Dakota (FAR): Flights begin Feb. 11. Introductory fares begin at $79 one way.