Editorial: Allegiant Airlines service welcome news for NoCo residents, businesses

News that Allegiant Airlines will resume service at Northern Colorado Regional Airport comes as a welcome sign for residents and businesses in the region.

The Nevada-based airline announced in late August that it would resume service in November at the airport, owned jointly by the cities of Fort Collins and Loveland. Service will be added to and from Phoenix, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada, with four flights a week to Las Vegas and two per week to Phoenix.

Introductory rates for one-way flights to Las Vegas are $49.

Allegiant formerly serviced the airport — known then as the Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport — but left the market in 2012, complaining about the lack of a control tower. But the airport in 2015 was selected as a test site for a virtual control tower, and that seems to have been enough to entice the airline back to the market.

Limited flights such as four per week to Vegas and two per week to Phoenix will hardly lead to an economic-development boom for the region. But the return of passenger service will be welcomed by residents seeking a quick getaway, or for business travelers needing a quick visit to either city.

Residents of Northern Colorado can reach NoCo Regional in minutes, versus an hour plus to travel to Denver International Airport, and avoiding crowds, traffic, long security lines and expensive parking lots make Allegiant an attractive option for Phoenix and Vegas.

No one expects that Northern Colorado Regional Airport will provide serious competition to the DIA behemoth. But filling flights to Phoenix and Las Vegas could lead to some other regional routes that make sense, i.e, Omaha, Nebraska; Des Moines, Iowa; Salt Lake City, Utah; etc.

The scheduled flights also help support the investments that governments and developers have made in the area immediately adjacent to the airport.

So we say, “welcome back” to Allegiant and encourage travelers to avoid the hassles of DIA and consider the NoCo option, and kudos to officials at the airport and cities of Fort Collins and Loveland for making it happen.