Skift Take
Allegiant Air has teased us before about flying to Mexico. But the airline is probably serious now. Will smaller-market travelers want to visit Mexican beaches as much as Las Vegas and Orlando? We'll see.
Around Allegiant Air the question of when the airline might fly to Mexico has become a running joke. Since Andrew Levy was its president — he left in 2014 — executives at the discount carrier have suggested international expansion was in the plans.
Yet the airline kept putting it off. Allegiant had many opportunities in the United States, Levy and his successors said, and the timing was not right. In late 2017, an Allegiant executive told Skift the route planners knew where in Mexico they wanted the airline to fly, but were waiting for others to update the carrier's technological infrastructure.
Now Allegiant, one of three ultra-low-cost U.S. airlines, may be ready. On Monday, it filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation, asking for permission to fly between the United States and Mexico.
Allegiant has not said where it will fly, or when it might start service. Before it launches flights, it will need permission from the U.S. and Mexican governments.
"Today’s filing is the first step in a multi-step process, but we’re excited for the opportunity to offer our customers affordable airfare to Mexico," Allegiant spokeswoman Sonya Padgett said Monday in an email.
Here's our take on what Allegiant may be planning, and how it affects travelers.
Why now?
Allegiant Air has reported 64 consecutive profitable quarters by following a simple strategy: It seeks routes with little or no competition.
Mostly, it takes passengers fro
