Low-cost Allegiant Air to offer service to Orlando out of BIA

BANGOR – One day after American Eagle made public its plans to pull out of Bangor International Airport, a low-cost carrier announced Wednesday it would begin limited nonstop jet service from the airport to Orlando, Fla., starting Nov. 7.

Allegiant Air LLC, a Las Vegas-based company, will offer two direct flights a week from BIA to Orlando Sanford International Airport, said Eric Woodson, director of sales and marketing. Allegiant will fly the route only on Wednesdays and Saturdays, using a 150-seat MD-80 jet. The flights will depart from BIA at noon and arrive in Orlando at 3:20 p.m. Passengers flying to Maine will depart from Orlando at 8:15 a.m. and arrive in Bangor at 11:25 a.m.

The airline will offer a limited introductory fare of $89 for one-way tickets to be used before Feb. 10, Woodson said. In order to receive the introductory rate, the tickets must be purchased by Aug. 18. Once the promotional rate expires, the airline expects to offer one-way fares as low as $99.

“One airline pulling out doesn’t matter to us at all,” said Woodson. “We have a completely different business model [compared to American]. We serve a lot of airports much smaller than here.”

Allegiant Air was founded in 1997, and after changing hands in 2002, the company has provided air service from small cities to leisure destinations like Orlando and Tampa, Fla., and Las Vegas, Woodson said. The company has a fleet of 29 MD-80 aircraft and flies from 41 cities to Las Vegas, 26 to Orlando and 14 to the Tampa Bay area. Allegiant Air is a subsidiary of Allegiant Travel Co., which offers travel packages including airfare, hotel rooms and rental cars.

“Certainly a low-cost, reliable service to Florida has been one of the biggest desires in the Bangor market,” said BIA director Rebecca Hupp.

BIA’s top two travel destinations are Orlando and Tampa, Hupp said. At present, the largest commercial jet that regularly flies into Bangor has approximately 70 seats, she said.

The Bangor area will lose 89 jobs to American Eagle’s departure, and the new airline will not compensate for the loss. Allegiant does not anticipate hiring Bangor locals to service the airline’s twice-weekly flights, Woodson said. The airline could either contract with other airlines in Bangor or with the airport, he said. BIA will take on a lot of the airline’s customer service duties in Bangor, Hupp said. A contract outlining the airport’s duties and compensation is still being worked out, she said.

Passengers waiting in BIA’s domestic terminal on Wednesday said they would take advantage of the nonstop service if travels took them to Florida.

Cathy Gilmore, 63, of Belfast just returned from Orlando in April after a school vacation trip to Disney World with her grandchildren.

Allegiant’s prices are “even better than what I paid,” Gilmore said. “And there’s no stops!”