Lehigh Valley officials christened a new aircraft base at Lehigh Valley International Airport on Wednesday as Allegiant Air expanded service and kicked off a route to Sarasota, Florida.
Allegiant crews, Lehigh Valley elected officials, travelers and airport officials bumped elbows and snacked on hors d’oeuvres before a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the Las Vegas budget carrier’s growing presence at LVIA. Allegiant invested $50 million to operate two A320 jets out of the airport in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, rent office and storage space and create about 65 jobs.
Those aircraft will allow Allegiant to fly extra flights to Orlando, its most popular destination out of the Lehigh Valley, as well as a seasonal route to Sarasota. The new flights started Wednesday, leading airport officials to caution morning travelers to arrive early to avoid long lines at the TSA checkpoint — a welcome problem the airport hasn’t had to worry about for years.
Tom Stoudt, executive director of the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority, which operates the airport, thanked Allegiant for trusting the airport and making the investment. Passengers welcome the flight to Sarasota and an upcoming route to Chicago starting in May, and having aircraft stationed in the Lehigh Valley will allow Allegiant to test new routes. The authority is talking to Allegiant about routes it believes would be a hit with passengers.
“The great thing about having an aircraft base here is that we can try a destination out and if it doesn’t work, we can try something different,” Stoudt said.
Stoudt did not provide details about these discussions Wednesday. In the past, the authority has identified Boston; Washington, D.C.; Austin, Texas; and San Juan, Puerto Rico, as destinations requested by the community. Allegiant connects to those markets, but not through LVIA.
No Allegiant officials spoke at Wednesday’s ribbon-cutting, but Hilarie Grey, an Allegiant spokeswoman, said in an email the Lehigh Valley has become an ideal market for the carrier. Orlando is one of its most frequent connections, at 15 round trips a week, and the surrounding region has proven to be a growing and consistent customer base.
“ABE has been a great airport for Allegiant, with steady growth since we first began service in 2005 with one route,” Gray said.
Allegiant’s decision to make LVIA an aircraft base was aided by the state, which chipped in about $500,000 of tax incentives. Most of that money went toward employee training and workforce development.
State Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, a key backer of the incentives, hailed the opening as the best kind of economic development. Many times, communities try to poach businesses from other areas. Allegiant’s expansion, however, is building up the Lehigh Valley without tearing down other regions.
“This is direct investment in our community that is making our connection to other areas stronger. It’s a win-win for our region and other regions around us,” Browne said.
The base is Allegiant’s biggest investment in the Lehigh Valley. Last year, the budget carrier bolstered service at the regional hub by adding flights to Savannah, Georgia, and Nashville, Tennessee. In 2018, it increased the frequency of its routes, offering hundreds more flights between LVIA and popular vacation destinations in Florida and South Carolina. Allegiant has become the airport’s busiest carrier, accounting for about 40% of the passengers served while competing against Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines.
The carrier has been a reliable presence at the airport during a time of turbulence in the industry. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, carriers pulled resources from regional hubs like ABE to focus on international hubs such as Philadelphia and Newark. Most carriers at smaller airports offer only a smattering of flights, usually to larger airports that provide more destinations. Allegiant ignores this business model by offering direct flights from regional hubs, usually to popular vacation getaways such as Punta Gorda, Florida, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
The Lehigh Valley is among the bases Allegiant created across the country as part of a major expansion, including in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and one to come in Des Moines, Iowa. The expansion comes after Allegiant modernized its fleet, replacing old McDonnell-Douglas MD-80s with modern Airbus A320s. Allegiant hastened the fleet improvements after the Tampa Bay Times and “60 Minutes” found Allegiant jets were breaking down far more often than others, creating a potential safety risk. Allegiant’s maintenance record aligns more closely with the country’s major carriers.
Morning Call reporter Tom Shortell can be reached at 610-820-6168 or [email protected].
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