Long Beach gaining popularity as destination
Why is Allegiant Travel suddenly interested in flying to Long Beach, Calif.? In part, it's a test case, said company president Andrew Levy.
The discount airline in December started flying between Las Vegas and Long Beach four times a week, helping trigger a small fare war. Starting Sept. 1, Allegiant will add four more, then another four on Nov. 16 for an even dozen a week. This makes it the second-busiest route in the system, at a time other carriers have also increased service to Long Beach and nearby Los Angeles International Airport.
"This is something of an experiment for us in a competitive environment," said Levy, after the company's second-quarter earnings report on Monday. The large majority of Allegiant's routes go from leisure destinations to small cities like Minot, N.D., or South Bend, Ind., where there often are no head-to-head rivals.
In addition, greater frequency, particularly on Fridays and Sundays, "gives us a better chance to get the market to profitability," he said. Many other routes fly less than once per day.
The flights to Las Vegas also hold landing and takeoff slots at Long Beach that Allegiant would lose if they don't use them. Levy said. The company is looking at Long Beach as a base for its service to Hawaii, due to start in about a year.
