Allegiant Air Announces Boeing 737 MAX Destinations and New Summer Routes

On February 12, Allegiant Air revealed the initial routes for its upcoming Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. In addition, the American low-cost carrier announced ten new nonstop routes to 14 cities across the United States that will launch in the summer.

Allegiant's Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft

Allegiant initially anticipated receiving its first 737 MAX aircraft in the first week of 2024. Although these aircraft have since been delayed, the carrier hopes to start receiving them later this year.

Robert Neal, Allegiant's Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, said the following in an official statement regarding the aircraft order:

"As of now, we are estimating that deliveries will begin in late March or early April. Our current estimates differ from contractual commitments as we are conservatively planning to take delivery of twelve and place into service ten B737-8-200 aircraft by the end of this year."

The Boeing 737-8-200 is a high-density version of the 737 MAX 8. While traditional MAX 8s can seat around 178 passengers, the MAX 8 200 can seat 200. The additional seating has made this a popular aircraft amongst low-cost airlines. Ryanair, for example, has 136 737 MAX 8 200s in service across itself and its subsidiaries Malta Air and Buzz. The European low-cost giant has 74 more in its order book.

Allegiant expects to take delivery of 130 737 MAX aircraft in total. The airline has purchased 50 aircraft and has options to take on 80 more. The order consists of 737 MAX 7 aircraft and the larger 737 MAX 8 200. The MAX 8-200 will feature 190 seats, 21 of which will be extra legroom "Allegiant Extra" seats. Allegiant plans to replace older Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft with the MAX jets, though not the entirety of its Airbus fleet.

The budget airline will initially base its MAX jets out of its main Floridian hubs: Orlando Sanford (SFB), St. Petersburg-Clearwater (PIE), and Punta Gorda (PGD). According to Ishrion Aviation, Allegiant will operate the MAX aircraft on over 50 routes from these hubs, replacing the current Airbus A319 or A320. A list of routes using the Boeing 737 MAX can be found on various flight booking websites.

Allegiant will reportedly begin gradually deploying the MAX on the routes from August through November. The exact schedule and inaugural flight have yet to be confirmed.

New Summer Routes

In addition to the MAX route announcements, Allegiant has announced ten new routes to launch across 14 cities in June. In Allegiant's official press release regarding the new routes, its Chief Revenue Officer, Drew Wells, commented the following about the announcement:

"This expansion caters to passengers and communities we feel have been overlooked by other carriers. Allegiant's unique business model, connecting small-to-medium-sized cities to vacation destinations, creates accessible travel options not otherwise available in what we believe are underserved markets. We know travelers enjoy the convenience of nonstop flights departing from their neighborhood airport."

These new routes will be served from Allegiant's focus cities or hubs in Knoxville, TN (TYS), Jacksonville, FL (JAX), Sarasota, FL (SRQ), and Los Angeles, CA (LAX). These are the routes and their start dates:

Knoxville McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS):

• Belleville, IL (BLV) - June 13; marketed as near St. Louis, MO
• Jacksonville, FL (JAX) - June 14
• South Bend, IN (SBN) - June 14

Jacksonville (JAX):

• Knoxville, TN - June 14
• Harrisburg, PA - June 14

St. Petersburg-Clearwater (PIE):

• Evansville, IN - June 13
• McAllen, TX - June 14

Sarasota Bradenton (SRQ):

• Plattsburgh, NY - June 12

Los Angeles (LAX):

• Laredo, TX - June 12
• Rockford, IL - June 12
• Rapid City, SD - June 14

The exact frequencies and schedules can be found on Allegiant's website. The airline, known for low fares, is advertising one-way fares for anywhere from $45-79 on these routes.