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; Columbia, Missouri; and Philadelphia. And Allegiant will make its return to Trenton, New Jersey, for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
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It’s Allegiant’s biggest expansion since last year, 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.
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Gulf Shores International Airport (GUF) in Alabama will get five new Allegiant routes in 2026. That’s after the airline first started flying to the airport in 2025.
And John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County, California, will get five new routes of its own.
Gulf Shores, Alabama. UCG VIA GETTY IMAGES
Other winners in Tuesday’s announcement include Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), which gained four nonstop routes from cities across the country. And three new or returning cities will connect to Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA), a secondary airport in the Phoenix area.
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Allegiant’s 30-route expansion
Here’s a full rundown of the 30 new routes Allegiant will launch in 2026:
RouteLaunch dateLa Crosse Regional Airport (LSE) to AZAFeb. 26LSE to Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB)May 21PHL to Des Moines International Airport (DSM)May 21PHL to McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) in Knoxville, TennesseeMay 21PHL to Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) in Grand Rapids, MichiganMay 22Trenton-Mercer Airport (TTN) to FLLFeb. 19TTN to Punta Gorda Airport (PGD)Feb. 20 (last flown in 2018)TTN to St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE)Feb. 20 (last flown in 2017-18)GUF to Eppley Airfield (OMA) in Omaha, Nebraska May 21GUF to Huntsville International Airport (HSV)May 21GUF to Will Rogers International Airport (OKC) in Oklahoma CityMay 22GUF to Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF)May 22GUF to Springfield-Branson National Airport (SGF) in MissouriMay 22Columbia Regional Airport (COU) in Missouri to SFBJune 3COU to Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS)June 5FLL to Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD)Feb. 12FLL to Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC)Feb. 12 (last flown in 2017)FLL to Albany International Airport (ALB)Feb. 13Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) to DSMMay 22BUR to Indianapolis International Airport (IND)May 22SNA to AZAFeb. 12 (last flown in 2023)SNA to Tri-Cities Airport (PSC) in Pasco, WashingtonFeb. 12SNA to Appleton International Airport (ATW)May 20SNA to GRRMay 20SNA to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)May 21Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) to Dayton International Airport (DAY)May 22 (last flown in 2018)MYR to Elmira Corning Regional Airport (ELM) in New YorkMay 22Central Illinois Regional Airport (BMI) to AZAFeb. 13Key West International Airport (EYW) to Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK) in Columbus, OhioMay 21Denver International Airport (DEN) to VPSMay 21
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.
Allegiant Air Airbus A319s at Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport (LAS). KEVIN CARTER/GETTY IMAGES
Bottom line
Allegiant’s 2026 route announcement comes as the airline has set its sights on growth 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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