Allegiant to re-establish flights from NoCo to Phoenix, Vegas

This story has been updated at 2:05 p.m. with additional comments.

LOVELAND — Allegiant Air will establish new non-stop flights between the Northern Colorado Regional Airport at Loveland and the Phoenix and Las Vegas areas.

The routes are part of an expansion of air service by Allegiant Travel Co. (NASDAQ: ALGT), which previously had flights from Northern Colorado when the airport was known as the Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport.

The CBS 5 television station in the Phoenix area reported that the company is adding three nonstop routes to the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport from Bentonville, Arkansas; Northern Colorado and Traverse City, Michigan. Allegiant said in its announcement that it would also have flights from Northern Colorado to McCarran International Airport at Las Vegas.

Allegiant ended flights from Northern Colorado in October 2012, at the time claiming that the lack of a control tower was the reason for its decision. In October 2015, the Northern Colorado airport was selected as a test site for a virtual control tower, a move that gave hope to the region for renewed interest from air carriers in establishing fixed, scheduled routes from the airport.

At a Tuesday afternoon press conference, Allegiant spokeswoman Kim Schaefer said nonstop flights from the airport to Las Vegas begin Nov. 21 and run on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. Flights from Colorado to Phoenix start Nov. 22 and run Mondays and Fridays. All flights will use Airbus A319 jets equipped to carry 154 passengers.

One-way flights from Loveland to Las Vegas are currently $49 on Allegiant’s website.

Schaefer said Allegiant is continuing to look at additional routes from the airport, but declined to say if any new routes are planned for NCRA or where those routes may go.

“We often find that when we go back into a market with a couple of routes, before you know it, we are growing again,” she said.

Local officials touted the routes as a boost for nearby cities and their tourism industries. Cindy Mackin, visitor services manager for Visit Loveland, believes Allegiant’s service can spur visitors to the area.

“Tourism is an economic driver, and this is a first great step in returning that commercial air service, and we hope it just keeps growing,” she said.

Katy Schneider, director of marketing for Visit Fort Collins, also said the flights give options for people in Los Angeles and other west coast metros to fly from their home airports to Las Vegas or Phoenix and land directly in Northern Colorado, rather than flying to Denver International Airport and traveling north.

“The synergy we have created with Allegiant will directly benefit travelers within three diverse, yet highly connected areas,” said Jason Licon, airport director for the Northern Colorado Regional Airport, in a prepared statement Tuesday morning. “We have seen the region’s excitement for air travel to Las Vegas and other warm-weather climates like Arizona and are excited to be working with Allegiant to provide travelers in all three areas the convenience of these expanded travel options.”

During the press conference, Licon said the routes will create about $8 million in revenue for the airport, close to what the flights were generating before Allegiant pulled out in 2012. That figure will be adjusted for inflation, he said.

Allegiant reported in its most recent air traffic report that passenger counts were up 14.9 percent in July over the same month a year prior, and revenue was up 13.7 percent.

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