Low-fare, high-fee Allegiant starts 3 Florida flights from RDU

Allegiant Air, a Las Vegas airline with low fares and high fees, says it will launch twice-weekly service from Raleigh-Durham International Airport to three Florida airports, starting in early May.

Allegiant will fly to smaller, out-of-town airports near two metro areas where RDU now has service to the primary airports – Tampa Bay (St. Pete-Clearwater International) and Orlando (Orlando Sanford International) – and to Punta Gorda Airport in southwest Florida.

Orlando-Sanford and Punta Gorda flights start May 7, and St. Pete-Clearwater flights start May 6. Allegiant is offering low introductory fares ranging from $44 to $54 for the three airports, for passengers who book their trips by Wednesday.

“Allegiant is thrilled to expand its unique brand of low-cost vacation travel to Raleigh-Durham,” Jude Bricker, Allegiant Travel Company senior vice president of planning, said in a news release.

“Allegiant is a great addition to the family of airlines operating at RDU,” said Mike Landguth, the RDU Airport CEO, who was scheduled to announce the new service Tuesday morning.

Allegiant flies smaller, older aircraft. This week the airline purchased six used A319 jets, which seat 156 passengers, from Cebu Pacific Airlines.

And Allegiant collects fees for many services that carry no charge from larger airlines. They include fees for a roll-on carry-on bag ($10 to $75), credit-card use (up to $8 each way), call-center booking ($14.99), and boarding-pass printing ($5). Some fees are higher if paid at the airport – rather than in advance, when the flight is booked.

This story was originally published February 24, 2015 at 4:00 AM with the headline "Low-fare, high-fee Allegiant starts 3 Florida flights from RDU."