Orlando A Go-Go with Allegiant Air's first flight

With sunglasses and flip-flops in tow, nearly 100 southern Illinois area residents took off for the fun and sun of Orlando, Fla. as low-fare airline, Allegiant Air kicked off the only nonstop, scheduled service from MidAmerica St. Louis to the Sunshine State.

"We are extremely pleased to expand the Allegiant brand of low-fare, nonstop, jet service to the Southern Illinois community," Maurice J. Gallagher, Allegiant Air president & CEO, said. "This is an exciting new addition for our airline and our customers as we launch the only scheduled nonstop service between MidAmerica St. Louis and Orlando."

The new service operates twice weekly, with service Wednesday and Saturday. Flights will depart MidAmeria St. Louis Airport at 6:05 p.m. arriving in Orlando at 9:20 p.m. Flights leaving Orlando will depart at 4:10 p.m. arriving in MidAmerica St. Louis at 5:30 p.m. (all flight times are local.)

"Allegiant is a great airline providing the area with low cost airfare and great travel packages," St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern said. "The Orlando flights are a wonderful mix of super service and fun in the sun. This community loves Allegiant."

The airline said its strong demand from current customers and input from local community leaders indicates the southern Illinois area will welcome the new nonstop flights and low fares to Orlando. The new Orlando service will offer the community a low-cost alternative to expensive airport parking and congested airport experiences.

Located midway between Orlando's world-class attractions and the world's most famous beach - Daytona Beach, Orlando Sanford International Airport offers visitors the "best of both worlds."

The Allegiant Vacations division of the company offers low-cost packages with 37 of Orlando's most exciting hotel properties and three in Daytona Beach. Partner properties include The Swan, The Dolphin, The Hilton in Lake Buena Vista and the Radisson Parkway. Low-cost packages are available to include hotel, car and amusement park tickets for additional savings.

Amusement park tickets available include Walt Disney World, SeaWorld and Universal Studios.

About Allegiant
Allegiant Air, LLC is an all-jet, low-fare, low-cost passenger airline dedicated to providing a new way to fly. At Allegiant, all travel is ticketless, all fares are one-way and a Saturday night stay is never required.

With a focus on leisure travel, the company emphasizes low- costs, innovation and leisure traffic to world-class destinations – currently Las Vegas, Nev. and Orlando, Fla. The company provides its customers additional value through its Allegiant Vacations division, which maintains significant hotel partnerships in both Las Vegas and Orlando.

Allegiant currently provides nonstop scheduled service from 31 U.S. markets to the Las Vegas destination and to the Orlando destination from 13 U.S. markets. In addition to its scheduled service, the airline also operates charter service throughout the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

The carrier's charter customers include Harrah's Entertainment, U.S. Forest Service, collegiate athletic organizations, film production companies and corporations. Allegiant's fleet includes 22 MD80 series jet aircraft, all fitted with comfortable leather seats and spacious overhead luggage bins. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., Allegiant is a privately owned airline founded in 1997.