Allegiant Air Plans More PIE Routes

July 12--ST. PETERSBURG -- Allegiant Air expects to add additional destinations from St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport in the near future following its growth here from 12 to 23 nonstop routes since 2006.

In addition, Las Vegas-based Allegiant will continue to modify its MD-80 fleet from 150 seats to 166 despite its plan to purchase a new type of aircraft as soon as 2015 to begin to replace the less fuel-efficient McDonnell-Douglas jets.

"We are having a very good year and this market has been very good to us," Thayne Klingler, Allegiant's manager of airport planning, told the Pinellas County Tourist Development Council on Wednesday. Allegiant gets $200,000 annually in Pinellas visitors bureau incentives from bed tax revenue.

There are two domestic carriers at the Pinellas airport and Allegiant handled 90 percent of the airport's commercial business in May, when the airport reported an overall 4 percent gain in passengers that month compared with year-ago figures to 65,323.

Allegiant continues to expand on its business model of serving tourist destinations with flights from small markets such as Knoxville, Tenn., and Allentown, Pa.

Klingler did not reveal new routes -- the airline is expanding to serve Hawaii from the West Coast -- but said growth is limited only by the lack of additional airlines.

Allegiant share prices on the NASDAQ market rose from $40.31 in August to $72.25 midday Wednesday.

Copyright 2012 - Tampa Tribune, Fla.