History of Allegiant Air in Timeline
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January 1997: Allegiant Air Founded as WestJet Express
In January 1997, Allegiant Air was founded by Mitch Allee, Jim Patterson, and Capt. Dave Beadle under the name WestJet Express.
1997: Allegiant Air Founded
In 1997, Allegiant Air was founded. It is wholly owned by Allegiant Travel Company.
June 19, 1998: Name Change and Certification
On June 19, 1998, the airline adopted the name Allegiant Air after a trademark dispute and received FAA and US DOT certification for scheduled and charter domestic operations.
October 15, 1998: Scheduled Service Begins
On October 15, 1998, Allegiant Air began scheduled service between Las Vegas and its original hub in Fresno, California, using Douglas DC-9-21 and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 jetliners.
1999: Expanded Nonstop Flights
In 1999, Allegiant Air operated nonstop flights between Fresno and Las Vegas, Burbank and Lake Tahoe, and Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe, and one-stop direct service between Fresno and Lake Tahoe via Las Vegas.
2000: Previous Service to Long Beach Airport
Allegiant Air previously served Long Beach Airport (LGB) with DC-9 jets offering nonstop flights to Las Vegas (LAS) and Lake Tahoe (TVL) in 2000.
2000: Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Filing
In 2000, Allegiant Air filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection due to higher fuel costs, allowing Maurice J. Gallagher Jr. to gain control of the business.
2000: Expansion to Long Beach and Other Cities
In 2000, Allegiant Air opened a small hub in Long Beach, California, and operated nonstop flights to Fresno and Las Vegas. The airline also expanded, operating flights into Portland, Oregon, and Reno.
June 2001: Restructuring to Low-Cost Model
In June 2001, Maurice J. Gallagher Jr. restructured Allegiant Air to a low-cost model, focusing on smaller markets not served by larger airlines with mainline aircraft. The headquarters and operations were also moved to Las Vegas.
2001: Exit from Bankruptcy
In the fall of 2001, Allegiant Air exited bankruptcy.
March 2002: Charter Service Contract with Harrah's and First MD-80 Acquisition
In March 2002, Allegiant Air entered into a long-term contract with Harrah's to provide charter services to its casinos and acquired its first McDonnell Douglas MD-80 jetliner.
2002: DC-9 jets replaced by MD-80s
In 2002, Allegiant replaced its McDonnell Douglas DC-9 jets with newer, but still aged, McDonnell Douglas MD-80s.
2004: Scheduled-Service Business Model Development
By 2004, Allegiant Air was flying from 13 small cities to Las Vegas and offering bundled air and hotel packages.
May 2005: Private Equity Placement
In May 2005, Allegiant Travel, the airline's holding company, completed a private equity placement worth $39.5 million.
November 2006: Filing for Initial Public Offering
In November 2006, Allegiant Air filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission in anticipation of a planned initial public offering of its common stock.
December 2006: Initial Public Offering
In December 2006, Allegiant Air raised $94.5 million in equity capital with 5.75 million shares and began trading on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the ticker symbol "ALGT".
2006: Fleet and Route Expansion
In 2006, Allegiant Air had a fleet of 21 MD-80s and was flying non-stop to and from 40 small cities.
October 2007: Opening of Phoenix-Mesa Focus City
In October 2007, Allegiant Air opened a fourth focus city and operations base at Phoenix-Mesa, Arizona, connecting 13 cities already served by Allegiant and one new city to the Phoenix metropolitan area.
November 14, 2007: Opening of Fort Lauderdale Focus City
On November 14, 2007, Allegiant Air opened its fifth focus city and operations base at Fort Lauderdale, connecting other Allegiant cities to South Florida.
January 2008: Opening of Bellingham Base
In January 2008, Allegiant Air opened its sixth base at Bellingham, Washington, driven by its proximity to Greater Vancouver, British Columbia.
August 2008: Mesa Airport Expansion
In August 2008, the Mesa Airport announced a 10,000-square-foot expansion, increasing the number of gates and allowing Allegiant Air to triple the number of flights from Phoenix.
2008: Hotel Room Nights Sold
In 2008, Allegiant Air sold 400,000 hotel room nights.
2009: Ancillary Revenue Strategy
In 2009, Allegiant Air CEO Maurice Gallagher stated that the airline collects approximately $110 in ancillary fees per passenger, which helps supplement ticket revenue.
2009: Air Charter Operation Revenue
In 2009, Allegiant Air's air charter operation contributed 7% of its revenue.
January 2010: One-Millionth Passenger at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and Aircraft Purchase
In January 2010, Allegiant Air celebrated its one-millionth passenger to fly out of Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and announced the purchase of 18 additional used MD-80 aircraft from Scandinavian Airlines.
February 2010: Opening of Grand Rapids Base
In February 2010, Allegiant Air opened its ninth base at Grand Rapids' Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Michigan, basing two McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft there.
July 1, 2010: Return to Long Beach Airport
On July 1, 2010, Allegiant Air returned to Long Beach Airport (LGB) in Long Beach, California, having previously served LGB with DC-9 jets with nonstop flights to Las Vegas (LAS) and Lake Tahoe (TVL) in 2000.
December 2010: Flight attendants unionize
In December 2010, flight attendants at Allegiant voted to organize under the Transport Workers Union of America, citing scheduling concerns and other work rule issues.
March 2011: Charter Service to Wendover Airport
In March 2011, Allegiant Air took over charter service to Wendover Airport for Peppermill Casinos, Inc.
November 2011: Closure of Long Beach Facility
Approximately 16 months later, in November 2011, Allegiant Air closed its Long Beach facility.
2011: End of Grand Rapids Base Status
In 2011, Allegiant Air ended Grand Rapids airport's status as a base, but continued to fly out of Grand Rapids in a reduced capacity.
August 2012: Pilots unionize
In August 2012, the pilots at Allegiant voted to organize and joined the Teamsters union.
December 2012: End of Charter Contracts with Caesars Entertainment
In December 2012, Allegiant Air's charter contracts with Caesars Entertainment to ferry customers to casino properties ended.
2012: Shift to Airbus A320 family
In 2012, Allegiant announced that it would shift its primary aircraft from the MD-80 to the Airbus A320 family and purchased 35 Airbus A319-100 aircraft.
2013: Addition of Airbus A320-200 to fleet
In 2013, Allegiant started adding the Airbus A320-200 to its fleet, purchasing used aircraft from Iberia and Philippine Airlines and leasing others.
June 25, 2015: Midair Breakdowns
On June 25, 2015, five Allegiant Air flights were interrupted in four hours due to different planes failing in midair.
July 2015: Establishment of Bases at Asheville and Cincinnati
In July 2015, Allegiant Air announced that bases would be established at the Asheville Regional Airport and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
October 2015: Federal Aviation Administration Supervision
In October 2015, the Federal Aviation Administration began to keep Allegiant Air under close supervision due to a rash of midair breakdowns.
2015: FAA monitoring after emergency landings
In 2015, Allegiant Air was monitored by the FAA following several emergency landings and aborted takeoffs, particularly involving its MD-80 aircraft.
January 1, 2016: Serious mechanical incidents
Between January 1, 2016, and October 31, 2017, Allegiant had more than 100 serious mechanical incidents, including mid-air engine failures, smoke and fumes in the cabin, rapid descents, flight control malfunctions, hydraulic leaks, and aborted takeoffs.
May 2016: FAA inspection moved up
In May 2016, the FAA moved up a regularly scheduled five-year inspection of Allegiant Air.
November 2016: Planes more likely to have failures
In November 2016, the Tampa Bay Times reported that Allegiant's planes were four times more likely to have in-flight failures than other major US airlines.
2016: Market Capitalization
In 2016, Allegiant Travel Company, the parent company of Allegiant Air, had 5,600 employees and over US$2.6 billion market capitalization.
2016: Purchased first new aircraft
In 2016, Allegiant purchased its first new aircraft, buying 13 A320s directly from Airbus, taking advantage of lower prices for an older model.
August 2017: New Base at Indianapolis International Airport
In August 2017, Allegiant Air announced that a new base would be established at the Indianapolis International Airport.
October 31, 2017: Serious mechanical incidents
Between January 1, 2016, and October 31, 2017, Allegiant had more than 100 serious mechanical incidents, including mid-air engine failures, smoke and fumes in the cabin, rapid descents, flight control malfunctions, hydraulic leaks, and aborted takeoffs.
February 2018: New Base at Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport
In February 2018, Allegiant Air announced that a new base would be established at the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport.
June 2018: New Base at McGhee Tyson Airport
In June 2018, Allegiant Air added another base at McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville, Tennessee.
July 2018: Official Airline of Minor League Baseball
In July 2018, Allegiant became the official airline of Minor League Baseball (MiLB).
November 2018: Retirement of final MD-80s
In November 2018, the last MD-80s operated by Allegiant were retired.
November 2018: MD-80s replaced by Airbus A320
As of November 2018, Allegiant replaced all of its MD-80s with newer Airbus A320 family aircraft.
2018: 60 Minutes investigates Allegiant's safety issues
In 2018, CBS News' 60 Minutes continued to investigate Allegiant's safety issues, citing public records showing numerous serious mechanical incidents.
January 2019: New Base at Gerald R. Ford International Airport
In January 2019, Allegiant Air announced that it would be adding another base at Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
June 3, 2019: Official airline partner of FC Cincinnati
On June 3, 2019, FC Cincinnati announced a multi-year agreement with Allegiant, making them the club's official airline partner. The agreement included club and stadium assets, game-day experience and more, with Allegiant also offering its Fan Flyaway Program to FCC fans.
August 5, 2019: Naming rights agreement for Allegiant Stadium
On August 5, 2019, Allegiant signed a 20-year agreement with the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders for the naming rights to their new stadium, Allegiant Stadium, in Paradise, Nevada.
November 2019: Planned Base at Des Moines International Airport
In November 2019, Allegiant Air announced that they would be adding an additional base at Des Moines International Airport in Des Moines, Iowa.
January 2020: Official airline of the Indianapolis Colts
In January 2020, Allegiant became the official airline of the Indianapolis Colts.
2020: Allegiant Air's Route Strategy
As of early 2020, only 18% of Allegiant Air's 518 routes were also flown nonstop by other airlines, highlighting their strategy to serve underserved leisure destinations.
February 12, 2021: Launch of Flights to John Wayne Airport
On February 12, 2021, Allegiant Air launched flights to John Wayne Airport with 8 initial destinations including Boise, Grand Junction, Las Vegas, Medford, Missoula, Provo, Reno/Tahoe, and Spokane.
August 10, 2021: Announcement of New Operating Bases
On August 10, 2021, Allegiant Air announced that they would be opening two more operating bases at Appleton International Airport and Bishop International Airport beginning March 2022.
October 7, 2021: Service from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
On October 7, 2021, Allegiant Air began serving non-stop flights from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to Asheville, North Carolina, and Palm Beach, Florida.
December 2021: Service to 133 destinations
As of December 2021, Allegiant offers service to 133 destinations throughout the United States, focusing on smaller, non-hub regional airports.
2021: Opening of Des Moines Base
In 2021, the Des Moines base, which was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, opened.
January 2022: Purchase of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft
In January 2022, Allegiant purchased 50 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, taking advantage of low prices due to order cancellations from other airlines.
March 2022: Opening of New Operating Bases
In March 2022, Allegiant Air opened two operating bases at Appleton International Airport and Bishop International Airport.
June 2024: 2024 Best Low-Cost Airline in North America
On 24 June 2024, Allegiant Air was voted 2024 Best Low-Cost Airline in North America by Skytrax. It was the first time the airline won such recognition.
2024: Ancillary Revenue per Passenger
In the second quarter of 2024, Allegiant Air's ancillary revenues were $75.34 per passenger.
August 2025: Allegiant fleet composition
As of August 2025, the Allegiant fleet will consist of the following aircraft.
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