Allegiant adds nonstops to Punta Gorda by four cities, bringing high-season total to 56

Air service from Punta Gorda Airport continues to grow rapidly, with Allegiant announcing Tuesday three new nonstop routes – and another returning – in time for the high-demand months of winter and spring.

Most notably, Allegiant is launching year-round service to Albany, New York’s state capital. The thrice-weekly service will begin Dec. 13, with one-way fares starting at $59.

Initially, service days will be Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday; however, airline officials say that might change in the spring.

Although Allegiant generally caters to the leisure flier, it sees potential in the Albany route for attracting “that business traveler who may need to meet with government officials in Florida, as well as escape that chilly weather in New York,” said Courtney Goff, a spokeswoman for Allegiant.

Conversely, some people in Southwest Florida might want to fly to Albany in December, “to enjoy a nice, cool holiday,” Goff said.

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Allegiant’s new service for Punta Gorda includes seasonal service to:

• Syracuse, New York, Thursdays and Sundays beginning Nov. 15, with fares starting at $69; and

• Appleton, Wisconsin, Mondays and Fridays beginning Nov. 16, with fares as low as $59.

As previously announced, Allegiant is resuming seasonal service between Punta Gorda and Omaha, Nebraska, on Wednesdays and Saturdays beginning Nov. 14, with fares starting at $49.

With the new service, Allegiant will fly to 56 cities out of Punta Gorda, where it is the sole commercial carrier.

Allegiant Travel Co. is best known for its low-fare airline. However, it’s also moving forward with its first Sunseeker Resort, a complex of more than 25 acres on the Charlotte Harbor-Peace River waterfront about 7 miles from Punta Gorda Airport.

Plans call for as many 277 hotel rooms and 842 condominium-hotel units on the property between Tamiami Trail and Bayshore Live Oak Park in unincorporated Charlotte County.

Permitting isn’t completed. However, a groundbreaking before year-end still might be possible, Goff said.

The new air service, Goff noted, will allow Sunseeker Resort and Punta Gorda to become more visible to areas that might not be aware of Southwest Florida.”

Punta Gorda has become a favored destination for Allegiant, with Goff echoing a flight attendant who’d dubbed it “Punta Gorgeous.”

Allegiant’s choice of cities for new service overlaps a bit with routes Frontier Airlines recently announced for Southwest Florida International Airport.

In Fort Myers, Frontier is adding seasonal nonstop service to Albany and to Syracuse, as part of six-city expansion.

More airport news:Allegiant scores key approvals for controversial resort development on Charlotte Harbor

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"I wouldn't call it a rivalry," Goff said of the Allegiant-Frontier situation. 

"I think we are both opportunistic companies. We see a lot of potential for travelers who want to get down to this area."

Punta Gorda Airport, about 20 miles north of downtown Fort Myers, is Allegiant’s fourth-biggest operation, with six to nine Airbus A320s stationed on site, depending on the season.

It attracts travelers from the Tampa Bay area south to Marco Island.

A number of those Allegiant fliers stay in hotels or with family or friends in Lee County. Tamara Pigott, executive director for Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau noted that in 2017, nearly eight out of 10 visitors traveled to the area by plane.

"More flights offered by Allegiant and Frontier airlines means more visitors. That gives us the opportunity to welcome more people to our destination who will spend their vacation dollars in our local businesses,” Pigott said.

Punta Gorda Airport officials predict the 2018 passenger count will total nearly 1.5 million by the end of December. 

In the first seven months of 2018, the airport had already surpassed the 1 million-passenger threshold.

“This is another milestone … and it demonstrates the success of our low-cost airport model,”  said airport CEO James W. Parish.