May 21, 2020

The first Allegiant flight from Sioux Falls to Nashville took off on schedule today, despite major changes to all airlines’ schedules in recent months because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Allegiant also has resumed flights to Las Vegas, Orlando and Phoenix.

It is planning to begin another new route – direct service from Sioux Falls to San Diego – in June.

Flights to Tampa are showing they will begin this weekend, and flights to Los Angeles are scheduled in August.

There were 80 people on the first flight to Nashville, according to airport executive director Dan Letellier, who said passenger numbers slowly are increasing. There were 400 people who out May 21, which is about double what the airport had been seeing, though a far cry from the normal 1,600 or 1,700. Passenger traffic was down 95 percent in April and is tracking 85 to 90 percent down in May.

Allegiant reported a 97 percent drop year-over-year in its April passenger numbers companywide.

The company has taken the following COVID-related safety measures:

• Enhanced aircraft cleaning, including regular treatment with an advanced antimicrobial protectant that kills viruses, germs and bacteria on contact for 14 days.
• Social distancing principles at check-in, boarding and onboard, including limiting adjacent-row seating and allowing only customers on the same itinerary to use middle seats as practicable.
• Volatile Organic Compound air filters that ensure the air quality on the planes exceeds HEPA standards.
• Complimentary health and safety kits, which include a single-use face mask, a pair of non-latex disposable gloves and cleaning wipes.
• Crew members wear face masks onboard and gloves during in-flight service.
• All in-flight service offerings consist of prepackaged, factory-sealed goods.
• In-flight service frequency has been reduced to once per flight.

“Near term is painful and will continue to be painful. But I believe our model, given the current economic impact, is best suited to withstand the brutal impact from this pandemic,” Maurice Gallagher Jr., chairman and CEO of Allegiant Travel Co., said in a May earnings release.

“Going forward, we are prepared to make tough choices and take any steps necessary to adapt and right-size our cost structure. Since the outset of the COVID-19 crisis, we have taken proactive measures to adjust quickly and aggressively to meet the demands of this challenging and changing environment. With that said, our low-cost business model has proven its resilience during past economic downturns, and we expect it will support our ability to rebound here as well. The Allegiant model, based on simplicity, flexibility and optionality, is well suited for these difficult environments.”