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Allegiant adds 30 routes, 4 cities in major 2026 expansion

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Allegiant Air is plotting a major expansion in 2026.

The budget airline announced a whopping 30 new routes that will take flight over the winter, spring and early-summer months next year.

This blockbuster route announcement includes three all-new cities for the Las Vegas-based ultra-low-cost carrier: La Crosse, Wisconsin; Colombia, Missouri and Philadelphia. And, Allegiant will make its return to Trenton, New Jersey, for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s Allegiant’s biggest expansion since a year ago, when it unveiled 44 new routes that launched earlier this year.

And it will see the airline double down on its tried-and-true business model: shuttling passengers to vacation destinations from (mostly) smaller secondary airports — though the three new routes from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) are an exception here.

“These additions provide convenient options for leisure travelers and reflect our commitment to expanding service where demand is strong,” Allegiant Chief Officer Drew Wells said in a statement announcing the news.

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Biggest winners in Allegiant’s route announcement

Among the cities Allegiant already serves, there were two big winners.

Gulf Shores, Alabama, will get five new Allegiant routes in 2026. That’s after the airline first started flying to the airport, located on Alabama’s Gulf Shore, in 2025.

Gulf Shores, Alabama. UCG VIA GETTY IMAGES

And, Orange County, California, will get five new routes of its own.

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Allegiant’s 30-route expansion

Here’s a full rundown of the 30 new routes Allegiant will launch in 2026:

Route Launch date
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>La Crosse Regional Airport (LSE) in Wisconsin to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA) in Arizona</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Feb. 26</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>La Crosse to Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB)</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>May 21</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Philadelphia to Des Moines International Airport (DSM)</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>May 21</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Philadelphia to McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) in Knoxville, Tennessee</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>May 21</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>PHL to Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) in Grand Rapids, Michigan</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>May 22</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Trenton-Mercer Airport (TTN) in New Jersey to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Feb. 19</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Trenton to Punta Gorda Airport (PGD) in Florida</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Feb. 20 (last flown in 2018)</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Trenton to St. Pete-Clearwater Airport (PIE) in Florida</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Feb. 20 (last flown in 2017-18)</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Gulf Shores, Alabama, to Eppley Airfield (OMA) in Omaha, Nebraska&nbsp;</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>May 21</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Gulf Shores to Huntsville International Airport (HSV) in Alabama</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>May 21</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Gulf Shores to Will Rogers International Airport (OKC) in Oklahoma City</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>May 22</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Gulf Shores to Louisville Muhammed Ali International Airport (SDF)</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>May 22</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Gulf Shores to Springfield-Branson National Airport (SGF) in Missouri</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>May 22</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Columbia Regional Airport (COU) in Missouri to Sanford, Florida</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>June 3</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Columbia, Missouri to Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS)</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>June 5</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Fort Lauderdale to Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD)</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Feb. 12</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Fort Lauderdale to Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC)</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Feb. 12 (last flown in 2017)</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Fort Lauderdale to Albany International Airport (ALB)</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Feb. 13</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Hollywood-Burbank Airport (BUR) to Des Moines</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>May 22</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Burbank to Indianapolis International Airport (IND)</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>May 22</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County, California to Mesa, Arizona</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Feb. 12 (last flown in 2023)</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Orange County to Tri-Cities Airport (PSC) in Pasco, Washington</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Feb. 12</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Orange County to Appleton International Airport (ATW) in Wisconsin</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>May 20</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Orange County to Grand Rapids</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>May 20</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Orange County to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>May 21</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) to Dayton International Airport (DAY) in Ohio</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>May 22 (last flown in 2018)</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Myrtle Beach to Elmira Corning Regional Airport (ELM) in New York</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>May 22</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Central Illinois Regional Airport (BMI) in Bloomington, Illinois to Mesa, Arizona</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Feb. 13</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Key West International Airport (EYW) to Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK) in Columbus, Ohio</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>May 21</span>
<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Denver International Airport (DEN) to Destin</span> <span style=”font-weight: 400;”>May 21</span>

As noted above, a handful of these routes Allegiant is adding are flights it previously operated — in most cases in the late 2010s, though there’s one (SNA-AZA) it flew as recently as 2023.

Other winners in Tuesday’s announcement include Fort Lauderdale, which gained four nonstop routes from cities across the U.S.

Allegiant Air Airbus A319s at Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport (LAS
Allegiant Air Airbus A319s at Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport (LAS). KEVIN CARTER/GETTY IMAGES

And, three new or returning cities will connect to Mesa, Arizona, a secondary airport in the Phoenix area.

Bottom line

Allegiant’s 2026 route announcement comes as the airline has had its sights on growing with the help of a fleet of new Boeing 737 MAX planes.

Expect more of these leisure-focused routes in the years to come.

Speaking to TPG this past summer, Wells, the chief commercial officer, said the carrier has identified some 1,400 routes the airline believes “fit our mold very well.”

“Migration patterns are crazy in the U.S. People are frequently moving from one area to others, and creating new opportunities all the time,” Wells told me in July at Allegiant’s Vegas headquarters. “There’s a great opportunity for Allegiant that exists.”

Meanwhile, the budget carrier has also told TPG it’s in the early stages of plotting a revamp to its loyalty program. It’s also considering adding on-board Wi-Fi to its planes.

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Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.