Allegiant’s Entry At Cleveland Hopkins May Mean Fare War

CLEVELAND, OH — Allegiant Air, which said last fall it was pulling out of the Akron-Canton Airport, will offer its first flight from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport Wednesday. It becomes the third low-cost carrier to offer service from Cleveland Hopkins, and that could cause a fare war among other carriers, according to industry experts.

Las Vegas-based Allegiant will initially offer flights to six cities in Florida; Phoenix, Arizona; New Orleans, Louisiana; Austin, Texas; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Savannah/Hilton Head, Georgia. In time, though, the airline will offer 11 flights to leisure destinations.

In some cases, Allegiant will duplicate service already offered by other low-fare carriers Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines.

Todd Payne, the chief of marketing and air service development at Cleveland Hopkins told Cleveland.com that travelers will feel the impact of Allegiant’s presence.

“Air fares are going to continue to drop, for sure,” he said. “This is a new test for their industry. Let’s see how they do.

In September, Allegiant said it was leaving Akron-Canton Airport in favor of Cleveland Hopkins.

“We're very excited to announce this major growth in northeast Ohio, a region that has demanded more low-cost, nonstop service to the wonderful vacation destinations we serve,” Jude Bricker, Allegiant chief operating officer, said in a news release. “This move to Cleveland will allow Allegiant to have a stronger presence in northeast Ohio and allow us to offer our low fares and convenient travel to even more travelers.”

» For more on the effect of increased competition, go to Cleveland.com.

Photo by Cory D. Watts via Flickr Commons