ALLEGIANT AIR INAUGURATES NONSTOP SERVICE FROM MCALLEN TO LAS VEGAS
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MCALLEN DOUBLES DOWN ON LAS VEGAS AS AIRLINE ADDS FLIGHTS
Elvis, Vegas Showgirl, Local Officials Kick-Off First Flight

(McAllen, Tex.) — Who says there are no sure things in Vegas? Allegiant Air, LLC, today becomes the Rio Grande Valley’s sure bet to Vegas with the start of new nonstop, low-fare, jet service to the excitement of Sin City. The Las Vegas-based, low-cost carrier inaugurates scheduled service from the McAllen-Miller International Airport to McCarran International Airport (Las Vegas) with a special “Casino Night” event featuring community officials, “Elvis” and glamorous showgirl.

“We are extremely pleased to extend the Allegiant brand of low-fare, nonstop jet service to the McAllen community,” Maurice J. Gallagher, Allegiant Air president & CEO, said. “This is an exciting new addition for our airline and our customers as we launch the only scheduled nonstop service between the Rio Grande Valley and Las Vegas.”

The response of the McAllen market for the new service has already driven the company to expand the schedule from two to four flights per week. The new service will begin with flights twice weekly, Friday and Monday, until July 21 when the four-day-a-week schedule will begin with flights Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Friday. Flights will depart McAllen at 9:45 p.m. arriving in Las Vegas at 10:50 p.m. Flights leaving Las Vegas will depart at 4:05 p.m. arriving in McAllen at 9:05 p.m. (all flight times are local).

“Allegiant’s inaugural flight marks the beginning of what we expect to be a long lasting relationship,” Derald Lary, Airport Director for McAllen-Miller International Airport said.”Allegiant’s foresight and the Rio Grande Valley’s support have proven to be a winning combination. The McAllen International Airport is ready for other Allegiant destinations.”

The carrier will utilize a full-size, 150-seat MD-80 jet aircraft on the route. The airline said that its market research and input from local community leaders indicate that the Rio Grande Valley area will welcome the new nonstop flights and low fares to Las Vegas as an alternative to connecting flights or long drives to other airports.

Allegiant also offers complete air and hotel vacation packages to Las Vegas through its Allegiant Vacations program. Allegiant Vacations offers low-cost packages with 30 of Las Vegas’ most exciting hotel properties, including the Wynn, Caesars, Bellagio, Venetian, Paris, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Monte Carlo, Mirage, Golden Nugget, Excalibur, Aladdin, Tropicana, Bally’s, Flamingo, Four Queens, Riviera, Frontier, Luxor, Circus Circus, Imperial Palace, Hotel San Remo, Gold Coast, Boardwalk, Westin Casuarina, Stardust, Orleans and Plaza.

Reservations can be made on the airline’s website at www.allegiantair.com, through the airline’s Reservations and Information Center at 800-432-3810 or through professional travel agents.

About the Company
Allegiant Air, LLC is an all-jet, low-fare, low-cost passenger airline dedicated to providing a new way to fly. At Allegiant, all travel is ticketless, all fares are one-way and a Saturday night stay is never required. With a focus on leisure travel, the company emphasizes low-costs, innovation and leisure traffic to world-class destinations – currently Las Vegas, Nev. and Orlando, Fla. The company provides its customers additional value through its Allegiant Vacations division, which maintains significant hotel partnerships in both Las Vegas and Orlando. Allegiant currently provides nonstop scheduled service from 21 U.S. markets to the Las Vegas destination and to the Orlando destination from four U.S. markets. In addition to its scheduled service, the airline also operates charter service throughout the U.S., Mexico and Canada. The carrier’s charter customers include Harrah’s Entertainment, U.S. Forest Service, collegiate athletic organizations, film production companies and corporations. Allegiant’s fleet includes 14 MD80 series jet aircraft, all fitted with comfortable leather seats and spacious overhead luggage bins. Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., Allegiant is a privately owned airline founded in 1997.