Thursday, May 25, 2006
Allegiant Air takes off for Florida
The airline begins nonstop service from Roanoke to Orlando.
Jeanna Duerscherl | The Roanoke Times
Cheryl Blevins and Tiffany Blevins board the first Allegiant Airt flight out of Roanoke to Orlando, Fla.
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Allegiant Air flight 168 took off for Orlando Wednesday, the first nonstop service from Roanoke for the new airline. As passengers waited to board, Gate 6 at Roanoke Regional Airport was turned into a small party zone with pink flamingos (the inflatable variety), snacks, balloons, costumed kids and beach balls.
Those passengers had paid as little as $59 to fly south for the summer, thanks to special introductory pricing. Tickets now start at $69 each way, but according to Allegiant Air spokeswoman Tyri Squyres, they typically won't go higher than $100.
Allegiant Air specializes in taking passengers to Orlando and Las Vegas from smaller-city airports like Roanoke's. It saves money by flying into Sanford International Airport, northeast of Orlando, and about 35 miles from Walt Disney World. While there's a longer drive to the theme parks, Squyres said the savings and smaller airport more than make up for it.
Carole Hall was an inaugural passenger; she's going to visit her son, sister, nieces and nephews, and grandchildren. She also plans to do some crabbing. "You've just got watch out for alligators," she said.
Hall booked her flight in early April and paid $146 for her round-trip ticket, including all the taxes and fees. "This," she said, "is a great deal."
Abraham Pizam, dean of the Rosen College of Hospitality Management in Orlando, said tourists rarely care about a bit of added travel time -- in this case, from Sanford Airport. "Another 20 minutes?" he said. "No problem -- I'm saving 100 dollars!"
That's a sentiment Allegiant Air is counting on.
Joshua Blevins, 6 (almost 7, he pointed out), has been waiting two years to go to Disney -- the Tower of Terror and Splash Mountain are on his list. He's traveling with a posse: big sister Tiffany, parents Cheryl and Troy, and grandparents Bill and Lorene Scaggs. They've got five-day "Park Hopper" passes, which allow them unlimited admission to any of the Disney properties.
After spending $248 a pop on the passes, saving money on the travel made sense. "When we saw you could actually get them [the tickets] for $59, we went right out and got them," Cheryl Blevins said.
But while Allegiant Air's fares are low, travelers may find they can get good deals with other airlines as well.
Allegiant Air flies into Sanford International Airport, which is about 40 minutes from Disney World; other airlines fly into Orlando International.
Because Sanford is a smaller and relatively remote airport, it offers fewer options for getting to the theme-park area of town. If you don't rent a car, you'll need to take a cab ($100 each way) or shuttle ($42 per person round trip).
Thus the shuttle version's total bill comes to about $180, not counting taxes, tips and other fees. And the airline only comes to Roanoke on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
If you're flexible about your travel dates, you can get a US Airways flight with one stop for as little as $143 round trip. The airport shuttle at the closer Orlando International is $29 round trip, so your total cost is about $172 -- and you can travel any day of the week.
If your dates aren't flexible, you can still do well: Delta flies to Orlando International from Lynchburg most days for about $208 round trip. Even adding the cost of the 43-mile drive ($38 using IRS mileage rates) and the airport shuttle, the total price is $275.
For Mary Conner -- traveling with her husband and 4-year-old daughter Erin -- the appeal of Allegiant Air was both price and convenience. "We decided to go because the fares were so reasonable," she said. And no connections was a no-brainer. "I don't know that I've ever flown anywhere direct out of Roanoke," she said.
Erin, though, had another agenda. "I want to see Dopey."
