Allegiant To Discontinue Long Beach Flights

After about 18 months of offering flights out of Long Beach Airport, Allegiant Air will make its final departure from the city Nov. 3.

The change opens up three air carrier flight slots out of the 41 available at the airport. Airport Director Mario Rodriguez said airport staff have already reached out to other airlines and expect to fill Allegiant's slots right away.

"We have more demand than space," Rodriguez said. "When we made calls to airlines, everybody wants those slots because they are a valued commodity."

One of the four airlines already serving Long Beach - Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue or US Airways - could use the slots, or Rodriguez said a new airline could be introduced at the airport. Staff is working now to get the word out about the vacancy and have one or more airlines ready to fill the three slots as soon as Allegiant departs.

News of Las Vegas-based Allegiant's move out of Long Beach Airport comes after Frontier Airline's final departure from Long Beach in April this year. Both Allegiant and Frontier first began serving Long Beach in the spring of 2010.

Rodriguez said Allegiant's decision to cease operations in Long Beach might in part be due to competition from JetBlue. Both airlines offer flights between Long Beach and Las Vegas.

"Allegiant was focusing more and more on Vegas, and JetBlue has a strong presence from here to Vegas," he explained. "Although load factors were high for both airlines, they were competing."

The airport director said Allegiant, which sells airline tickets as well as travel packages, has a different business model than other airlines, and that Allegiant has had a tendency in the past to pull in and out of airports.

Rodriguez said the silver lining of Allegiant leaving Long Beach is that the loss will not mean a loss in destinations offered by Long Beach Airport because Allegiant's routes to Las Vegas will be available through JetBlue.

"We are not going to have any routes changed because we still have flights to Las Vegas," he said. "In fact, now we have the capability of acquiring more destinations than we do now... We will be able to provide more choices and service to new cities."

Rodriguez added that the market in Long Beach is strong and appealing to many airlines. Passenger seat totals from Long Beach Airport have increased by 4% since last year, despite declining trends at other airports.

Another possible benefit to Allegiant leaving Long Beach is that another airline with newer, more environmentally friendly (and perhaps quieter) airplanes may use the slots. Rodriguez said Allegiant's MD-80 fleet consists of more vintage airplanes than some other carriers.

It is unclear if Allegiant, which has expressed interest in offering flights someday between Long Beach and Hawaii, would be interested in returning to Long Beach Airport in the future. Allegiant officials were not available for comment before press time.

Rodriguez said that even if Allegiant isn't the one offering flights to Hawaii in the future, he believes another airline will someday add that route.

Allegiant customers who have purchased tickets or have questions about the change should visit the company's website www.allegiantair.com.

(By Ashleigh Oldland - Gazette Newspapers Long Beach California)

A Look Back at April

The photos above were taken back in April and I thought it would be nice to share them with you. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Allegiant Air announces Long Beach to Las Vegas Service

Today Allegiant Air announced service between Long Beach and Las Vegas starting December 15, 2010. Allegiant is celebrating the announcement with a FLY FREE to Las Vegas or Long Beach offer. Just purchase one air and hotel package with Allegiant by Nov. 20, and the second person flies free. The new flights will operate four times weekly with service Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Friday and Sunday flights will depart Las Vegas at 5:55pm arriving in Long Beach at 7pm. Flights leaving Long Beach will depart at 7:50pm arriving in Las Vegas at 8:55pm. Thursday flights will depart las Vegas at 6:25pm arriving in Long Beach at 7:30pm. Flights leaving Long Beach will depart at 8:20pm arriving in Las Vegas at 9:25pm. Monday flights will depart Las Vegas at 7am arriving in Long Beach at 8:05am. Flights leaving Long Beach will depart at 8:45am arriving in Las Vegas at 9:50am (all flight times are local).They are giving away 150 tickets today in Long Beach at 5pm but you must be on Twitter to see the details.

Allegiant Air announces Colorado Springs to Long Beach Service

LAS VEGAS – Allegiant Travel Company (NASDAQ: ALGT) and its subsidiary low-cost airline, Allegiant Air, LLC, today announced nonstop jet service to Long Beach, Calif., and Phoenix-Mesa, Ariz., from Colorado Springs, Colo., will begin September 15. The company, known for its great travel deals, will offer fares as low as $29.99* one-way to and from Southern California and Arizona.

"We're pleased to bring two more affordable and convenient ways for our customers to get away," Andrew C. Levy, Allegiant President, said. "In 2002, we began serving Colorado Springs residents by offering nonstop flights to Las Vegas. We now look forward to offering the community the only nonstop, low-cost service to Long Beach and Phoenix-Mesa."

"The Allegiant service to Las Vegas has been a very successful route at Colorado Springs Airport," Mark Earle, Colorado Springs Airport Director of Aviation, said. "The addition of new nonstop Allegiant service to Phoenix and Long Beach means our customers will now have low-cost service to three of our top destinations."

The new flights will operate five times weekly between Colorado Springs Airport (COS) and Long Beach Airport (LGB) with service Wednesday and Saturday. Flights will depart Colorado Springs at 9:25 a.m. arriving in Long Beach at 10:40 a.m. Flights leaving Long Beach will depart at 11:20 a.m. arriving in Colorado Springs at 2:30 p.m. (all flight times are local).

The new service to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (IWA) will operate on Wednesday and Saturday. Flights will depart Colorado Springs at 3:10 p.m. arriving in Phoenix-Mesa at 3:55 p.m. Flights leaving Phoenix-Mesa will depart at 6 a.m. arriving in Colorado Springs at 8:45 a.m. (all flight times are local).

The airline commented market research and input from local community leaders indicate the Colorado Springs community will welcome the new nonstop flights and low fares to both Long Beach and Phoenix-Mesa. Allegiant will utilize 150-seat, MD-80 series, jet aircraft on the routes. Allegiant began low-cost, nonstop service to Las Vegas Feb. 14, 2002.

Southern California is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States. Stretching from San Diego to the northern most outskirts of Los Angeles County, Southern California is celebrated for its breathtaking scenery, theme parks, world-famous beaches, unsurpassed shopping, diverse nightlife and renowned entertainment. With landmarks like the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Santa Monica Pier and the Queen Mary to its world-famous theme parks like Disneyland, Universal Studios and SeaWorld, Southern California is full of entertainment.

With breathtaking scenery, endless sun, unmatched resorts and miles of world-class golf courses, Phoenix-Mesa is a gateway to all that Arizona has to offer, including the Grand Canyon, Scottsdale, Tempe and Sedona. Not only is the area considered "The Golf Capital of the World," but also the "Resort Capital of the World," with numerous four- and five-diamond resorts. These premier resort communities feature shopping, dining, spa, activities and luxury accommodations for the perfect getaway to Arizona's unique Southwestern hospitality.

Allegiant is more than an airline, it is a full-service travel company that offers great value to its customers through its hotel, car rental and entertainment packages. The company partners with more than 30 of Southern California's most exciting hotel properties, including: Hyatt Regency Long Beach, Best Western Pavilions, Best Western Stovall's Inn, Crowne Plaza Anaheim Resort, Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa and Sheraton Park Hotel at the Anaheim Resort. The company also partners with more than 40 of Arizona's most exciting hotel properties, including: Arizona Biltmore, Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa, Sheraton Crescent Hotel, Arizona Golf Resort, Hyatt Place Phoenix-Mesa, JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa and the Phoenician. Allegiant provides low-cost car rental service through its partnership with Alamo Rent a Car.

Allegiant's $29.99* one-way introductory fare is limited, must be purchased by Aug. 4, 2010 and is valid for travel through Jan. 31, 2011. Introductory fares are not available on all flights. After the introductory fare period, regular one-way fares on the route start as low as $49.99 one-way.

Reservations can be made on the airline's website at www.allegiant.com or by calling the company's travel experts at 702-505-8888.

Allegiant Air begins service to Long Beach

LONG BEACH -- Allegiant Airlines made its debut flight Thursday into Long Beach Airport, joining recent arrival Frontier as the latest carrier at Daugherty Field.

Allegiant will operate five non-stop flights weekly to Stockton and three to northern Washington, just across the border from Vancouver, Canada.

The airline's first flight to Long Beach, from Bellingham, Washington, arrived just after 5 p.m. Thursday, carrying about 140 people aboard an MD-80 jet.

Long Beach Airport Director Mario Rodriguez said the new carrier should push annual passenger volumes well above 3 million.

"It's a good deal for the Long Beach community and the airport because we have new jobs, new revenues and new locations that expand the airport's reach," Rodriguez said.

The airline is the sixth to service Long Beach Airport, which city leaders contend remains on the few bright spots in a depressed local economy.

"We're hoping that with this new airline we can attract more people to spend a day or two in Long Beach, and get to love the city and come back," said Val Lerch, a Long Beach City Councilwoman whose Ninth District borders the airport. "And when they come back and visit the shoreline and eat at our restaurants and take in the atmosphere, they spend money, money, money."

The small, low-cost carrier signed a deal with Long Beach in late 2009 for service to Washington and Central California, though they may end up switching flight destinations based on demand.
Allegiant Spokeswoman Sabrina LoPiccolo said the airport was a perfect fit because of its famously short wait times and low carrier rates.

"Going to an airport like Long Beach is a perfect fit and gives us more opportunities to expand as well as fitting in with our business model, said LoPiccolo.

With Allegiant, Long Beach now has six airlines serving 17 destinations across the country.

Allegiant arrives just as the airport is launching a multi-year modernization plan that includes a nearly $140-million makeover with new passenger terminal, jet tarmacs, parking, food court and screening lanes.

(Kristopher Hanson - Press Telegram)

A few updates

Here we go with some updates from June that I did not get around to posting.

June 22
Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department Cessna T210M N732WQ (c/n 21061836) took off at 10:52am and there was several puffs of smoke coming from the aircraft. The plane did a 360 turn and almost landed on rwy 12 with the gear up but then circled around and landed on rwy 25R. The plane taxied back to the Sheriffs ramp with the fire department in trail.

June 27
Allegiant Air MD-87 N945MA (c/n 49725/1552) arrived from San Diego Intl (KSAN) at 6:41pm as AAY5275. The planed departed to Laughlin/Bullhead Intl (KIFP) at 7:35pm as AAY5275.

June 30
Mid East Jet 757-200 N757MA (c/n 28463/739) arrived from Bangor Intl (KBGR) at 7:04pm and parked at AirFlite. The plane brought in a Prince from the Mid East region and his family. The plane ferried to Washington Dulles Intl (KIAD) at 8:04pm.

Allegiant Air to offer Stockton-Long Beach service

LONG BEACH - Bellingham, Wash., isn't the only destination Allegiant Travel Co. and its subsidiary airline, Allegiant Air, LLC, are connecting to and from Long Beach.

The Las Vegas-based company and one of Long Beach Airport's newest carriers Thursday announced that it will be offering nonstop services between Stockton and Long Beach starting July 1.

The new flights will operate Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays to and from Stockton Metropolitan Airport and Long Beach Airport with service.

Flights leaving Stockton at 11:05 a.m. will arrive in Long Beach at 12:20 p.m. Flights will leave Long Beach at 1 p.m. and arrive in Stockton at 2:15 p.m.

The company is offering limited introductory one-way fares for $29.99 if purchased by June 23 for travel completed by Jan. 31, 2011. Visit www.allegiant.com or call 702-505-8888 for more details on the offer.

"We're pleased to bring yet another affordable and convenient way for our customers to get away," Allegiant president Andrew C. Levy said in a statement.

"In 2006, we began serving San Joaquin Valley residents by offering nonstop flights to Las Vegas. We look forward to offering even more low-cost service to the community with our new flights to Long Beach."

Allegiant Air and Colorado-based Frontier Airlines - which announced twice a week trips to Denver - picked up the remaining daily commuter slots,topped at 41 because of a noise-ordinance program.

Last month, Allegiant announced new flights to and from Bellingham, which is just below the Canadian border and minutes away from Vancouver.

Flights operate three times a week with service on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays will leave Long Beach at 5:45 p.m. and arrive in Bellingham at 8:30 p.m. Flights from Bellingham will leave at 2:30 p.m. and arrive in Long Beach at 5:05 p.m.

(Karen Robes Meeks -Press Telegram)

Allegiant offering new Long Beach to Bellingham flights

LONG BEACH -- Long Beach Airport's newest carrier, Allegiant Air, will begin offering nonstop jet service to Bellingham International Airport in Washington on July 1, Allegiant announced Wednesday.

The new flights to and from Bellingham, which is just below the Canadian border and minutes away from Vancouver, will operate three times a week with service on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Flights using a 150-seat, MD-80 series jet aircraft will leave Long Beach at 5:45 p.m. and arrive in Bellingham at 8:30 p.m. Flights from Bellingham will leave at 2:30 p.m. and arrive in Long Beach at 5:05 p.m.

To celebrate its new flights to and from Long Beach, Allegiant is offering one-way fares between the two cities for as low as $49.99 when purchased by June 2. Visit www.allegiant.com or call the company's travel experts at 702-505-8888 for more.

"We are pleased to bring our unique brand of low-cost and nonstop jet service to the Long Beach community," Andrew C. Levy, president of Las Vegas-based Allegiant Travel Co., said in a statement. "We believe the simple facility design and easy customer experience at Long Beach Airport is a perfect fit for the Allegiant customer. We look forward to offering affordable and convenient access to the greater Bellingham and Southern British Columbia communities."

Allegiant Air joins Colorado-based Frontier Airlines as Long Beach Airport's newest carriers, picking up the remaining daily commuter slots, capped at 41 under a noise-ordinance program. (Last week, Frontier began launching twice-daily trips to Denver.)

"We are pleased to welcome Allegiant to the Long Beach Airport," Long Beach Airport Director Mario Rodriguez said in a statement. "Passengers from the Northwest will now have nonstop access to Long Beach's many tourist attractions and business centers, as well as major Southern California attractions. This additional service is another indicator that Long Beach Airport is committed to providing excellent customer service."

(Karen Robes Meeks - Press Telegram)

Friday 2-5-2010

Allegiant Air MD-87 N952MA ferried in from Laughlin/Bullhead Intl (KIFP) as AAY5043 at 7:55pm and parked at the terminal.

New Airlines Coming To LGB!!

First off I want to appologize for not posting anything the last 3 weeks but I have been busy between work and personal life. Now on to the news!

On January 29, 2010 there was a raffel for the six available slots at Long Beach Airport. Four airlines had standing letters on file with the city for slots. They were Allegiant Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Skywest Airlines. Both Allegiant and Frontier will recieve 2 slots while JetBlue and Skywest both get 1 slot each. The new airlines have 90 days to begin service from March 1.

The airlines must then operate service continuously for 180 days to finalize the allocation. If any of the airlines choose to relinquish a slot, then the city would go back to the other carriers that were interested in additional slots and would most likely have a raffel.

The six slots were the most available since 2001 when JetBlue came to LGB. Currently there are 16 commuter slots still available.

Friday 11-6-09

Allegiant Air MD-83 N871GA (c/n 53296/1937) ferried in from Mc Carran Intl (KLAS) as AAY4402 at 8:00am. The plane departed at 8:59am to Grand Canyon Arpt (KGCN) as AAY4403 with a group of japanese tourests.

Thursday 9-17-09

The second NATO C-17 (F-210) 08-0002 got delivered today about 12:30pm and did a fly-by with a wing wave.

The new State of Kuwait Gulfstream G550 9K-GFA was towed from the paint shop to the Gulfstream service center at 4:37pm.

Allegiant Air MD-87 N984MA arrived at 5:25pm from Laughlin/Bullhead Intl (KIFP) as AAY5174. The planed ferried out to San Diego Intl (KSAN) at 6:10pm as AAY5174.

Tail number noted on the Gulfstream ramp: N110ED

Saturday 8-29-09

Four F/A-18 Hornets belonging to VMA-232, the Red Devils arrived at 12:05pm and parked at Signature. Two planes departed at at 12:45pm and the second two departed at 1:15pm.

Allegiant Air MD-83 N866GA arrived as AAY4291 at 7:57pm from Helena Rgnl (KHLN). The plane ferried to McCarran Intl (KLAS) as AAY4929 at 8:35pm.

Sunday 7-12-09

NetJets Gulfstream G450 N421QS (c/n 4114) arrived at 11:30am from Metropolitan Oakland Intl (KOAK) and parked on the Gulfstream ramp.

Bank of Utah Gulfstream G-III N557JK (c/n 340) arrived at 3:48pm from Tulsa Intl (KTUL) and parked at Signature.

Allegiant Air MD-87 N945MA arrived as AAY5121 from Laughlin/Bullhead Intl (KIFP) at 4:40pm. The plane ferried to San Diego Intl (KSAN) as AAY5121 at 5:45pm.

Saturday 6-27-09

Allegiant Air MD-87 N952MA arrived as AAY6271 at 1:13pm from Reno/Tahoe Intl (KRNO). The plane ferried to San Diego Intl (KSAN) as AAY6272 at 2:02pm.

Tuesday 6-23-09

Allegiant Air MD-83 N879GA arrived from Reno/Tahoe Intl (KRNO) as AAY6231 at 7:15pm. The plane departed back to Reno/Tahoe Intl (KRNO) as AAY6232 at 8:25pm.

The control tower lost all power and radar from a short period at 7:30pm but everything was back online just prior to 8pm. No flights or aircraft movments were affected.

Thursday 5-21-09

Allegiant Air MD-83 N871GA arrived as AAY5214 from San Diego Intl (KSAN) at 9:10pm. The plane ferried to Sacramento Intl (KSMF) as AAY5215 at 9:50pm.

Tail numbers noted on the Gulfstream ramp: PR-WRO

Sunday 5-17-09

Horizon Airlines started serving LGB today again flying two daily flights Portland, OR. Their first flight arrived from Portland Intl (KPDX) as QXE551 at 9:47am. The plane departed back to Portland Intl (KPDX) at 10:47am as QXE552. The plane used was N606QX.

Allegiant Air MD-87 N945MA ferried from San Diego Intl (KSAN) as AAY5175 and arrived at 7:50pm. The plane departed to Laughlin/Bullhead Intl (KIFP) as AAY5175 at 9:10pm.

At 8:40pm there was a 4.7 earthquake based near Inglewood. The airport was closed for a few minutes while the runways were checked for any damage.

Tail numbers noted on the Gulfstream ramp: N17ND

Tusday 4-21-09

USAF Lockheed C-130H2 89-9101 (c/n 5216) departed LGB at 2:54pm.

Boeoing C-17A Globemaster III 96-0002 (P-34) "Spirit of the Air Force" with the 437th AW was damaged as a result of a wheels-up landing at Bagram airfield, Afghanistan Jan 30, 2009 and is now parked in front of building 98 beneath the tower.

Allegiant Air MD-87 N945MA arrived as AAY5211 from Laughlin/Bullhead Intl (KIFP) at 4:40pm. The plane ferried back to Laughlin/Bullhead Intl (KIFP) as AAY5212 at 5:10pm.

Alaska Airlines 737-700 N613AS arrived at LGB in the early evening and broke. The linkage for the inboard flap broke after departure from SEA when the flaps were being retracted. This caused the plane to want to roll slightly to the left and the pilots thought it was a trim issue. When the F/O was doing his post flight walk around at LGB, he discovered the inboard flap down about 20 degrees and the broken linkage inside. Since both LAX and SEA MX did not have this part, it would come from Boeing and be flown down in the morning.

Sunday 4-19-09

Allegiant Air MD-87 N945MA arrived as AAY5194 from Laughlin/Bullhead Intl (KIFP) at 5:52pm. The plane departed back to Laughlin/Bullhead Intl (KIFP) as AAY5195 at 7:06pm.

A UPS 767-300ER arrived as UPS912 from Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl (KPHX) at 6:05pm. It's odd that UPS brings in a 767 on a Sunday. ABX used to do it when they flew here in the past.

McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 N682RW arrived at 7:56pm from Boeing Field Intl (KBFI) and parked at AirFlite. The plane brought in the Detroit Tigers baseball team who have a 3 game series against the Angels.

Tail numbers noted at Gulfstream: N511QS, 165094 (US Navy C-20G)