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