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Allegiant celebrates 10 years at YNG
10 customers win round-trip vouchers
By Kalea Hall
VIENNA
For Vienna resident Meghan Tarantino, having an airport nearby means more than convenience.
It means her 9-year-old son on the autism spectrum can feel content flying.
Her family has flown twice from the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport to St. Petersburg, Fla.
“It went well for him because we were close to home,” she said. “It all matters when you have a child with special needs.”
Tarantino’s story about her Allegiant Air experience won her a round-trip ticket on an Allegiant flight.
Allegiant and the airport gave out 10 of the round-trip vouchers to celebrate its 10th anniversary at the Vienna-based airport.
The recipients submitted stories about why they or someone else deserved the voucher.
Tarantino will use the ticket in November for a family vacation.
“We have great service,” Tarantino said.
The Allegiant service started with flights to Orlando, Fla. In 2011, Myrtle Beach, S.C., and St. Petersburg, Fla., flights were added.
“It did very well,” said Dan Dickten, the airport’s director of aviation. “We were the top community going to Myrtle [Beach] in the first two years.”
In 2013, the local airport received its fourth Allegiant flight to Fort Myers, Fla.
From 2010 to 2014, Youngstown was the fastest-growing Allegiant community, Dickten said.
“Today, Allegiant celebrates a 10-year partnership with the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport,” the Las Vegas-based company said in a statement. “Youngstown has been a strong market for Allegiant. In the last 10 years, we’ve flown more than half a million passengers in and out of the Youngstown area, growing from one route to four. We look forward to continued growth in the region and to sending many more passengers on affordable vacations.”
Dickten wanted to put an end to any rumors of Allegiant’s service ending at the airport. The Fort Myers service always takes an eight-week hiatus, he said.
“I am making clear they aren’t going anywhere,” he said.
Dickten was asked by Allegiant about the area’s interest in a service to Destin, Fla.
“I would like to measure that interest,” he said.
On July 1, the airport will see the Aerodynamics Inc. daily service to Chicago O’Hare International Airport begin. The airport last had daily service 14 years ago.
The success of the Allegiant service at the airport is said to have helped bring the daily service here.
“The sky is the limit for [the Youngstown airport],” Dickten said.