Allegiant's move from CAK to Cleveland won't affect Youngstown flights, official says

YOUNGSTOWN

Though Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport officials were happy to hear Allegiant Air’s plan to move services from Akron to Cleveland, Akron-Canton officials were not so thrilled.

“I can’t tell you how disappointing it is when you lose a carrier,” said Rick McQueen, president and CEO of Akron-Canton

Regional Airport. “The region has supported their service out here, but for whatever reason they think they can do better out of Cleveland.”

Allegiant announced Wednesday it would move its Akron-Canton service to Cleveland in February 2017. The Las Vegas-based airline will also add four new destinations to the six it will move from Akron to Cleveland.

“We’re very excited to announce this major growth in Northeast Ohio, a region that has demanded more low-cost, nonstop service to the wonderful vacation destinations we serve,” said Jude Bricker, Allegiant chief operating officer.

Allegiant is the only commercial airliner operating at the Valley airport, offering flights to Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Orlando-Sanford, Punta Gorda and St. Pete-Clearwater in Florida.

“We looked at our passenger data and found that our travelers in Northeast Ohio were mostly coming from Cleveland. The move to Cleveland was made to better serve our passengers,” Allegiant spokesman Brandon Myers told The Vindicator Wednesday. “Allegiant will continue to serve Youngstown travelers with its existing service.”

Youngstown’s flights to Punta Gorda took a seasonal hiatus Aug. 15. Allegiant’s planning team is still evaluating the route and determining its return, Myers said.

Read more about the situation in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.