Allegiant cancels 30 flights due to delayed delivery of planes

Allegiant Air canceled 30 flights coming in or out of Las Vegas this week, along with eight others nationwide, due to the delayed delivery of used and new Airbus A320 and A319 planes, airline officials said Monday.

Executives from the Las Vegas-based budget carrier said they notified affected airline passengers last week after learning that delivery dates for the Airbus planes had “fallen short of projections,” leading to the 38 cancellations and eight rescheduled flights this week.

Affected travelers were offered refunds or placed on alternate flights, Allegiant spokeswoman Hilarie Grey said.

“The Las Vegas flights are routes where Allegiant offers another flight either on the same day, or the next day, so there are some re-accommodation options available to get passengers to their destinations,” Grey said. “We expect this to be a short-term issue and thank our passengers for their understanding in a tough situation.”

On Monday, round-trip flights were cancelled between McCarran International Airport and airports in: Reno; Austin, Texas; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Fresno, California; Stockton, California; and Oakland California.

On Thursday, Allegiant has already scrubbed round-trip flights between Las Vegas and airports in: McAllen, Texas; Memphis, Tennessee; Des Moines, Iowa; and Bellingham, Washington.

Another round of cancellations on June 25 include round-trip flights between McCarran and airports in Reno; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Oakland, California; Fresno, California; and Stockton, California.

Allegiant has spent the past year purchasing used and new Airbus A320 and A319 planes while retiring its older fleet of McDonnell-Douglas MD-80 and Boeing 757 planes as a way to improve safety and reliability.

Last month, Allegiant executives issued a news release boasting of the airline’s acquisition of the 11th of 13 new A320 aircraft directly purchased from Airbus.

Right now, Allegiant has 63 Airbus jetliners and 29 MD-80s, which remain in regular service. The carrier plans to fly an all-Airbus fleet with 99 planes by the end of the year.

Grey said that the delays are coming from used aircraft acquired from other sources, which must go through an induction process by Allegiant. She declined to provide further specifics “due to legal agreements with our various lessors.”

“Delivery timelines can vary based on any number of factors — and some of these factors can push things a few days off schedule,” Grey said. “Canceling a flight is of course a difficult choice and a last resort.”

Contact Art Marroquin at amarroquin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Find @AMarroquin_LV on Twitter.