Allegiant Air (G4, Las Vegas Harry Reid) has applied to the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to provide scheduled services between the United States and Mexico.
The leisure-driven ULCC currently operates more than 450 domestic routes, and this will be its first foray into scheduled international flights.
The carrier has hinted at international expansion in the past, but it remains tight-lipped about possible launch dates or specific destinations.
Since commencing operations in 1998, Allegiant has mainly targeted traffic between small- and medium-sized US cities and resort destinations such as its Las Vegas Harry Reid base, Phoenix Williams Gateway, and Florida. The next logical extension in this strategy, it says, is to fly American tourists to beach resorts further south.
“Unlike other US carriers, Allegiant has always been laser-focused on leisure travel and providing access to affordable, non-stop flights for those who wouldn’t otherwise be able to go on vacation,” Maury Gallagher, Allegiant's chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
“Offering service to Mexico will provide a whole new array of options for travellers to discover world-class destinations that may have been previously out of reach.”
He added that scheduled services to Mexico would also help in “stimulating traffic and providing additional competition in the international leisure market.”
Allegiant retired its final MD-82 in 2018 and now flies an all-Airbus fleet of thirty-seven A319-100s and sixty A320-200s. It supported its DOT application by pointing out that its domestic services include mainland-Puerto Rico operations. These connect both Cincinnati International and Orlando Sanford with San Juan Luis Muñoz Marin.
The airline adds that it “operates numerous charter flights and has extensive US-Mexico operating experience under Part 380 public charter programs flown for a variety of customers.”
