Allegiant Travel plans to halt Long Beach operations Nov. 28
In an abrupt change of direction, Allegiant Travel Co. decided to end its sojourn in Long Beach Airport by halting operations there on Nov. 28.
In mid-July, Allegiant announced that its discount carrier Allegiant Air would add four flights a week between Las Vegas and Long Beach, Calif., on Sept. 1, with another four coming Nov. 16. This tripled service on the route.
Allegiant executives had also talked about Long Beach as a base for planned future flights to Hawaii. The airline now connects Long Beach with three cities besides Las Vegas.
A company statement did not give a reason for shifting directions.
When the Las Vegas route began late last year at cheap introductory fares, Allegiant unwittingly triggered a fare war. JetBlue fought back not only with discounted tickets of its own but by beefing up schedules. Also, Southwest and others going to nearby Los Angeles International Airport went as low as $19 one way.
