Frill Ride: Streamlining those Allegiant Sale Fares

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I found a flight from ATL-HPN on Delta's site showing the only remaining Coach seats were seven preferred seats, which I was willing to pay for. When I went to book the flight they didn't show up. I called Delta but they said they were still there but they couldn't give me one and If I wanted that flight I would either be flying as a stand-by or have to fly First. How could I have gotten one of them, short of driving to the airport? What's up with that?

by Sambo21 on Thursday, March 25, 2010

That's not such a stupid question! I was just wondering the same thing.

by notsostupid on Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Allegiant serves the airport closest to me. They are closest to the RyanAir approach that I've seen this side of the Atlantic. It offers some astonishingly low fares, but, as in so many things in life, there are trade-ffs. Consider: they don't even offer a toll-free telephone number.

With the exception of some fare wars, when air tickets are sold at less than cost of gasoline to drive (never mind the other operating expenses and time) this should be an indication that the sale involves little more than transportation.

Still, I'm a bit befuddled that $33 = "at least doubled" the cost of an airline ticket. I certainly don't see many $33 tickets available...

Still, as mentioned above, none of the additional fees falls under the category of "required."

Seat Selection: The largest US airline doesn't assign seats. At any price.

Allegiant MD-8x planes feature 2x3 seating. This means 80% are either windows or aisles. Most of the flights are fairly short, and none is really long. While a middle seat may not be ideal, is generally not unbearable. If it is unbearable to you, then it is probably worth spending a few dollars to avoid being in an unbearable situation :-) It, does, however, make sense to obtain seats in advance when families are traveling with small children.

Fee for buying online? Stop by their airport ticket counter. Of course, the counters are typically staffed only a couple of hours each day. Because tickets are sold "one-way" only, it does drive up the total cost a bit, but it is far more convenient than having to get to the counter when it is open...and maybe the fare is no longer available.

Priority Boarding? Allegiant does not overbook: as long as you arrive at the gate at a reasonable time, the plane isn't going to go anywhere without you. Of course, the last one aboard a full flight may have trouble stashing a rollaboard.

Checked bag fee? Packing intelligently makes this the easiest to avoid, even for families. While purchases on vacation can add volume, the baggage fee is tiny compared to sending a similar size/weight item via air express, and usually far less than ground shipping.

The fees are minor concerns. If they break the trip budget, then there probably isn't enough cushion to take the trip.

My main concern with Allegiant is that their COC does not provide for interlining: carriage is only on Allegiant. So, when things get out of sync, entire planeloads of people wait for an aircraft that only Allegiant can provide. I've seen a number of these crowds: it is hard to miss 150 people in the smaller airports served by Allegiant. And the wait can extend for many, many hours.

When it is the outbound flight for a long vacation, a low fare may outweigh the inconvenience. If it is a quick weekend getaway, the trip could be ruined. If it is on the return flight and someone has to get to work...

I know many people who are thrilled by Allegiant. But I would carefully research the reliability of the published schedule before booking on any carrier with a similar COC. This is particularly important where there is less-than-daily frequency.

by jaded on Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Yes, Allegiant will sell tickets from/to anywhere on their route system at any ticket counter.

by answererofstupidquestions on Tuesday, April 14, 2009

We're eyeing some flights on Allegiant for this summer and would also like to avoid the online fee. The only problem is the airport we'd be flying out of isn't our local airport. (Drive down, visit the folks, fly from there to vacation, then back to the folks' place for a few days before driving home.) Can we purchase tickets from our local airport's Allegiant counter for flights that depart from somewhere else?

by askerofstupidquestions on Tuesday, April 14, 2009

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Frill Ride: Streamlining those Allegiant Sale Fares

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