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Allegiant Air is betting it can help fill a Spirit Airlines-sized void in South Florida.
The budget airline on Tuesday announced four new routes launching this fall from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), which was Spirit’s home base until it folded earlier this month.
Allegiant’s FLL expansion includes new service to New England and the Midwest — with Boston, Kansas City and other major cities joining the mix.
It’s a clear signal that Allegiant is not willing to completely cede Fort Lauderdale to JetBlue, which has moved quickly to add service from the airport and seize the upper hand at FLL as part of a push to make it one of its three largest hubs.
Meanwhile, FLL isn’t the only place Allegiant is growing.
Read more: JetBlue makes ‘big bet’ on Fort Lauderdale
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The airline’s route announcement on Tuesday included new service for three additional Florida cities, including the greater Orlando and Tampa regions, alon with its longtime Punta Gorda stronghold.
Allegiant’s 8 new Florida routes
Here’s the full rundown of the new routes announced, with most of the service launching during the early part of fall:
| New route | Launch date |
|---|---|
FLL to Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) | Oct. 1 |
FLL to Omaha Eppley Airfield (OMA) | Oct. 2 |
FLL to Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) | Oct. 2 |
FLL to Kansas City International Airport (MCI) | Oct. 2 |
St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) | Oct. 2 |
PIE to Columbia Regional Airport (COU) in Missouri | Nov. 19 |
Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) to Trenton-Mercer Airport (TTN) in New Jersey | Oct. 2 |
Punta Gorda Airport (PGD) to La Crosse Regional Airport (LSE) in Wisconsin | Oct. 1 |
By the numbers: 3 things to know about Allegiant’s new routes
- 3: routes that Spirit flew prior to shuttering operations earlier this month, including FLL service to BOS, PIT and MCI
- 2: routes that Allegiant will go head-to-head with JetBlue on out of FLL, including service to BOS and PIT
- 1: route that’s a “blast from the past” for Allegiant. The carrier previously flew between Orlando Sanford to Trenton, New Jersey, in 2017, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Allegiant’s Florida expansion comes just days after the company closed on its acquisition of Minnesota-based Sun Country Airlines, another budget carrier.
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