What will Allegiant merger mean for Lehigh Valley travelers? | Lehigh Valley Regional News
Will a new acquisition from Allegiant make nonstop commercial flights from the Lehigh Valley to international destinations a reality once more?
Travelers will have to wait and see.
As 69 News reported on Sunday evening, Allegiant, the Las Vegas-based budget carrier that does a lot of business at Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE), intends to acquire Sun Country Airlines in a $1.5 billion deal.
Allegiant does not currently offer international destinations, but Sun Country, based in Minneapolis, does.
On Monday morning, the heads of both carriers held a webcast to talk about the deal with investors and the media.
“We expect to drive growth by flying to new potential markets by connecting Allegiant’s origination markets with some countries’ international leisure destinations, including Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and Canada,” said Allegiant CEO Greg Anderson.
But that’s all that’s being said about Allegiant’s “expanded service” for now. A spokesperson for ABE referred 69 News to Allegiant. A spokesperson for Allegiant would only say that the “transaction will deliver more choice, convenience, and value for our customers.”
It’s been more than 13 years since ABE has been a true international airport. The carrier Air Georgian pulled the plug on its flights from the airport to Toronto, Canada in August of 2012.
Allegiant is one of four carriers that serves ABE. It currently flies from the Lehigh Valley to ten destinations, primarily in Florida. Options outside the Sunshine State are Denver, Colo.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Allegiant has been flying in and out of ABE for 20 years. It opened a crew base there in 2020.
ABE marked the opening of a new TSA checkpoint and terminal connector in 2023. At the time, the airport said the $35 million facility included an additional lane for TSA security processing, with the potential for expansion. It’s not clear if the airport currently has the capabilities to screen passengers for international flights.
Allegiant said the merger with Sun Country is expected to close in the second half of 2026, pending regulatory and shareholder approval.
