Allegiant buys bigger jets for Hawaii treks
Yes, that really is a Boeing 757 painted in Allegiant colors that is parked at McCarran International Airport.
Until now, Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air has flown nothing but derivatives of the MD-80, a design that dates back to the 1960s. Allegiant Air, a unit of Allegiant Travel Co., has picked them up -- 51 at the latest count -- cheaply as other airlines retire them from their fleets. Nobody uses them as pure freighters.
To carry out its plans to fly to Hawaii, Allegiant bought four 757s, which have longer range than MD-80s, and leased three of them to European carriers.
Allegiant Air kept one of the planes at McCarran to train mechanics and flight crews. The plane will go into service July 24 on routes from Las Vegas to Rockford, Ill., and to McAllen, Texas.
Allegiant expects to buy two more 757s by the end of the year and receive federal clearance to fly to Hawaii in the second half of next year.
At that time, the European leases would end, bringing the planes back to Allegiant.
Contact reporter Tim O'Reiley at
toreiley@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290.
