Dayton used to have air service to the popular tourist destination as recently as September of 2018. Allegiant launched the new service in mid-2017, which operated twice weekly.
“We heard from lots of customers that, ‘Hey, we really want that route back,’” said Kristen Schilling-Gonzales, vice president of revenue and planning with Allegiant. “‘We go down to Myrtle Beach all the time — it’s our beach, and we want to be able to spend our summer vacations down there and take long weekends down there.’ We’re really excited to bring that back."
The new flight will take to the skies on Fridays and Mondays, and travelers can book flights through mid-August, Schilling-Gonzales said.
Allegiant will evaluate passenger traffic and the popularity of the route and may consider extending it in future years, she said.
Allegiant has offered air service from Dayton to multiple Florida markets since 2016, and most customers are leisure travelers, Schilling-Gonzales said.
“That’s what Allegiant does best,” she said. “We’re great at finding ways to get folks from their favorite, local, hometown airport to where they want to go quickly on vacation.”
Leisure travelers want to spend as much of their vacations as possible on the beach or at their destinations, instead of at the airport, waiting on connecting flights, Schilling-Gonzales said.
Allegiant’s aircraft include Airbus A319, Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 Max 8-200s, which have between 156 and 190 seats. One-way fares to and from Myrtle Beach start as low as $49, for the time being.
The Dayton International Airport currently has nonstop service to 11 airports in locations including Atlanta; St. Pete, Florida; Charlotte, North Carolina; Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Orlando; Philadelphia; Punta Gorda, Florida; and Washington, D.C. Allegiant flies from Dayton to St. Pete, Orlando and Punta Gorda.
Allegiant’s flights served nearly 22,500 travelers in the first half of this year, accounting for about 10% of passenger traffic at the Dayton aviation facility.
“We are grateful for Allegiant’s continued investment in the Dayton region and for expanding nonstop flights as Dayton International Airport continues to grow,” Gil Turner, Dayton’s director of aviation, said in a prepared statement. “The addition of nonstop service to Myrtle Beach provides our leisure travelers with more flights to destinations they love and demonstrates Allegiant’s confidence in our market and a commitment to expanding air service from DAY.”
Passenger boardings are up 3.5% at the Dayton International Airport through the third quarter of this year.
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