Allegiant’s success buoys hope for service expansion in Valley

Allegiant Air’s impressive first- quarter 2015 financial report that shows lofty lifts in its earnings over the past year represents a win-win-win for many.

The burgeoning airline company and its employees win. The Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, for which Allegiant is the sole commercial airline provider, wins. And individuals, families and businesses seeking affordable and convenient air service from the Mahoning Valley win.

With a little bit of luck and, more importantly, heightened helpings of hard work, foresight, planning and cooperation, it’s our hope that those winnings will soon compound for all of the players involved.

The Las Vegas-based vacation-destination airliner last week reported operating income of $108.1 million in the first quarter of 2015 compared with $57.3 million in the first quarter of 2014 — an amazing 88.7 percent increase. Similarly, net income was $64.9 million in the first quarter of this year compared with $34.2 million in the first quarter of 2014 — an equally astonishing 89.8 percent increase. Collectively, the data show the company relishing its 49th consecutive quarter of profitability.

Certainly, those figures bode well for the company and its employees. Rising profitability is enabling Allegiant to grant modest but merited 5 percent pay raises to its pilots. As recent reports have indicated, commercial airline pilots in the United States have witnessed their wages plummet precipitously. According to the FAA, pilot compensation has declined 10 percent since 2000, even as the training required of pilots has increased, along with its cost.

Clearly, some of the airliner’s success has filtered to Greater Youngstown. The airliner has begun providing year-round service from the Valley to Orlando, Fla., ending its history of putting that route on hiatus for two to three months each fall.

Additionally, officials said last summer that tentative plans call for possibly adding at least one more major route this year to Youngstown-Warren’s expanding itinerary. We’d hope that the added momentum of this month’s exemplary earnings report would provide just the needed thrust to make that expansion a reality -- perhaps to a potentially lucrative westward destination as Las Vegas.

The Western Reserve Port Authority that oversees airport operations, aviation director Dan Dickten and other YNG leaders should spare no energy toward making such expansion happen. Given the airline’s nine-year faith in the Valley and given the strong bonds established between airport officials and the company, we’re confident that goal should not be beyond reach.

VALLEY SUPPORTS ALLEGIANT

After all, while Allegiant has been good to Youngstown-Warren, our metro area also has been quite good to Allegiant. The proof is in the numbers. In 2003, when YNG lost its last daily airline service, the airport had an embarrassingly low annual passenger load of only 15,989. Since then, the airport has logged a whopping 800 percent increase. Last year’s total passenger count soared to 130,000.

John Moliterno, interim executive director of the port authority, predicted earlier this year the 2015 passenger load should soar to above 150,000, the highest in the airport’s eight- decade history.

Yet despite the ongoing success fueled by Allegiant, airport leaders cannot lose sight of the broader need to establish regular daily commercial air service with a major hub city before the facility can realize its full economic-development potential. Toward that end, the airport has had several false hopes grounded in recent years. The momentum behind Allegiant’s success and growth, however, should serve as strong evidence that this region can and will support maximum air-travel opportunities.