Allegiant Air Adds On: From High Desert To Phoenix

At a time when most airlines are cutting back the number of flights they offer, Allegiant Air announced Friday it’ll be adding some.

“We’re going to start low-cost, non-stop flights to Phoenix, airline spokeswoman Tyra Squyres said at a news conference Friday morning at Roberts Field.

The airline’s announcement comes nearly a year and a half after it started non-stop flights from Redmond Municipal Airport to Las Vegas – a gamble at the time that both the airline and airport say they have profited from.

While Allegiant is adding flights, Roberts Field is in the midst of a major terminal expansion, clearly two anomalies in the current down economy.

For Allegiant, it’s all about tapping into the niche market.

“We’re really catering to the leisure personwho is going on a vacation and has some flexibility in their travel,”Squyres told me at the news conference.

Not only will the direct flights benefit Central Oregonians wanting to escape the harsh winter of the High Desert, but it may also bring in Arizona residents to our region.

“Residents come up and later become business owners as well, so it taps into that metromarket which a lot of people don’t realize is one of the five largest cities in theU.S.,” said Roger Lee, executive director ofEconomic Development for Central Oregon.

Allegiant says it will initially offer flights to the Phoenix-Mesa region at a special introductory fare of $69one-way.

Airline officials say they don’t knowto what destination thenext non-stop flight may be offered, but the ones to Phoenix will start Friday Oct. 24. For more information, visit www.allegiantair.com.