Discount leisure carrier Allegiant Air is hitting Roanoke with another flurry of deals for travelers wishing to travel south this winter -- and spring.

The bad news is that passengers will have fewer flights to choose from starting in early February.

The Las Vegas-based airline plans to cut the number of weekly flights from Roanoke to Orlando/Sanford in half this spring, first by discontinuing its Saturday schedule, and then doing away with the Wednesday service in May. It will still have the weekly Florida service Monday and Friday. Allegiant's regularly scheduled flights to St. Petersburg/Clearwater International Airport in the Tampa Bay area on Tuesday and Friday will continue.

The Orlando adjustments, the airline said, are seasonal and based directly on travel demand during this time of the year.

Allegiant Air spokeswoman Tyri Squyres said the airline intends to resume its Wednesday and Saturday flights in the summer or when demand picks up, but none of those plans is definite.

Meanwhile, the airline is extending the window during which passengers can buy discount tickets to Florida, with an offer for one-way $49 airfare valid for both St. Petersburg/Clearwater and Orlando until June 10. That leaves the whole spring open for deal-savvy travelers who want to plan their vacations now.

All tickets have to be purchased by Feb. 3, and the listed airfare does have some blackout dates around mid-February and early April. The listed fares do not include taxes, fees or add-ons, such as a checked-baggage charge or a fee applied to tickets booked online or through the airline's call center.

Allegiant has become successful over the years by targeting smaller markets and connecting them with popular vacations spots through regional airports.

It first landed in Roanoke in May 2005, hawking introductory fares of $59 one way to its new Orlando destination, before bouncing them up to $69 and $79. In December 2006 it began its Roanoke-Tampa Bay area route with a $59 introductory fare.

Then the airline's fares took a nose dive in January, hitting bottom at $19 one way to Florida. Now, it seems that Allegiant is taking another aggressive swipe at undercutting its competitors.

Squyres said this round of discounts is part of a systemwide sale on Allegiant flights to Florida and is going on in 20 cities, although prices vary in each. Flights from Chattanooga, Tenn., to Orlando, for example, were going for $39 one way on Thursday.

As for the rolling back of its Roanoke flights, Squyres said, the airline constantly evaluates its service in different markets and will cut flights at times of the year when demand is low. In the springtime, she added, there tends to be a lull in travelers flocking to Orlando.

David Beckerman, with BACK Aviation Solutions in Washington, D.C., said the move by Allegiant is fairly common in the airline industry.

Demand for vacation packages to Orlando is typically strongest in the winter and begins to taper off after spring break, he said. Once the summer arrives, a whole new selection of vacation options becomes available and airlines such as Allegiant tend to move their aircraft to more profitable routes, even temporarily.

In this case, Allegiant may target its Las Vegas destination for a while and then turn its attention back to the Orlando route, Beckerman said.

He also said that Allegiant may also adjust how it splits flights between Orlando and the Tampa Bay area.

As of now, though, flights from Roanoke to Orlando have been averaging about 80 percent full, said Roanoke Regional Airport spokeswoman Sherry Wallace. She also said that it is normal for airlines to suspend flights based on seasonal demand. "Like right now I've got four Chicago flights," Wallace said. In the fall, when it's peak time for business travelers, the airport usually has five flights to Chicago, she added.

Squyres was also quick to note that the airline has increased its net number of flights, considering that less than a year ago, there was none.

"Now, we have two Florida destinations, and that's bringing a lot of service to the area," she said.