Allegiant Air flying out of Punta Gorda, Fla., now

1 comment December 2nd, 2008

No, not to Rockford, but to two of its southeastern cities, setting up speculation that they’ll eventually make the Fort Myers area their next focus city. So many questions come to mind:

• It’s not surprising that Allegiant would fly to Punta Gorda. It totally fits their profile - a secondary airport at a popular vacation area - and they said they were looking at this area in a presentation to investors last month (Note: they also said they’re looking long-term at New York, LA, Myrtle Beach, Savannah, Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean). I just am surprised they’ve moved so quickly to start service.
• With Direct Air offering popular flights from Rockford to Punta Gorda, what happens if Allegiant ever decides it wants that route? Will they stay clear of competition or attempt to exert their muscle?
• Is this move a general shot across the bow of Direct Air, which is trying a somewhat similar model of linking secondary airports to vacation destination? It would be interesting to see if Allegiant ever offers Grand Rapids-Punta Gorda service, as a shot to Direct Air’s Kalamazoo service.
• What does this mean for Allegiant’s base in Fort Lauderdale? A year ago, when RFD had an opportunity to fly to Fort Myers, they yielded so as not to compete with the new FLL route. Allegiant then thought service to the Fort Myers area would compete with FLL, what’s changed?
• It shows that Allegiant continues to grow and be creatively aggressive. They’re a fun company to watch right now as other airlines still struggle. Let’s see what’s up their sleeve next.