Allegiant Air Adding New Flight Destination at Sarasota-Bradenton and Punta Gorda

Oct. 26—Allegiant Air on Tuesday announced it will start flying between Akron, Ohio, and three Southwest Florida airports in March.

The airline said it will begin service to Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport on March 3, Punta Gorda Airport on March 2 and St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport on March 4.

To celebrate, the airline is offering introductory one-way fares as low as $59.

Also included in Allegiant's announcement was Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in Savannah, Georgia.

The Akron route will bump up the total number of destinations at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport up to 52. Allegiant remains the largest carrier at the airport with service to 26 destinations.

Allegiant is also the dominant carrier at Punta Gorda Airport. John Redmond, president of Allegiant, told the Herald-Tribune in August that Punta Gorda was the company's best performing airport during COVID-19.

Drew Wells, senior vice president of revenue and network planning at Allegiant, said Sarasota- Bradenton has been a strong market for the airline.

" Sarasota continues to prove itself as a destination that provides warm getaways where vacationers can enjoy a variety of outdoor leisure activities," Wells said.

Florida is a huge market for Allegiant. Redmond said the airline moves 8 million leisure passengers in and out of Florida every year. The airline is building its inaugural resort — Sunseeker — in Charlotte Harbor. It's currently under construction.

This is the second announcement of new service to come at Sarasota- Bradenton in a week. On Thursday, Avelo Airlines announced it would launch service at the airport starting in January, with flights three times per week to New Haven, Connecticut.

Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport was growing quickly before COVID-19, and that growth has exploded in 2021. This year is already the busiest in the airport's history — it's on track to welcome more than 3 million passengers in 2021.

To deal with its exploding growth, Sarasota- Bradenton is planning several major expansions, including an expansion of the terminal, a central rental car facility and a new ground transportation center, among other things.

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