I’m still following the proposed Hawaii service from Allegiant Travel, as well as moves by Alaska Air and Southwest. Today, Allegiant announced they’ve received approval to begin operating 757 aircraft. Prior to Hawaii, the company will use the planes on routes from Las Vegas to McAllen, Texas and Rockford, Illinois. In a nutshell, Allegiant is nearly half-way to Hawaii in terms of what it will take.
What’s Next
Allegiant still does not possess either the ETOPS certification or the flag-carrier status required to transit the Pacific. That’s next on their list.
“We look forward to serving the Hawaiian market with the same business model that has made Allegiant so successful on the mainland.” –Andrew Levy, Allegiant Pres.
Where Did Their Other 757’s Go?
This is the first time, as far as I know, that Allegiant has acknowledged what happened to the other 757’s they acquired for Hawaii service. Back in April I reported that the other two planes had been spotted flying for European airlines.
Why I’m Not Convinced Quite Yet
In two words, Alaska and Southwest. As I’ve said previously, both of these aggressive carriers have their sights firmly focused on the Hawaii market. I believe that pre-emptive moves by either company could quickly derail Allegiant’s Hawaii plans. Those moves could come in the form of more mainland flights as well as inter-island service from Alaska Air. Southwest could at any point announce exactly how they plan to serve Hawaii markets starting next year.
I’m Excited to See What Happens Next
Any way you look at it, the competitive positioning of these three mainland carriers can only mean good things to keeping travel costs down and the likelihood of more and better Hawaii airfare deals.
Please let me know your thoughts.
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I’m still rooting for Allegiant Air out of SMX. We are lengthing our runway by 4000 ft to accomidate the 757 class, and our location is a great one for them as they already have a flight to Las Vegas from SMX and it could really help.
We can’t wiat. With fares now regularly between $110 and $150 on Hawaiian ONE WAY interisland, the boiling point has been reached. HAwaiian interisland seriously hurt us as vacation rental managers. Almost completely gone are the island hoppers, who do 3 days on Maui and 4 days on Kauai. Too expensive for a family to travel between islands now. Also, of course, the lama’aina neighbor island biz is way off…no one goes off island nearly as much any more. I have complete respect for what Hawaiian Airlines did with their business model…I just think they have gone way too far now. Shame!