Allegiant Air plans a major expansion in 2026.
The budget airline has announced that it will launch up to 30 new routes during the winter, spring and early summer months of next year.
The blockbuster route announcement includes three new cities for the Las Vegas-based ultra-low-cost carrier: La Crosse, Wisconsin; Columbia, Missouri and Philadelphia. And, Allegiant will return to Trenton, New Jersey for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is Allegiant’s biggest expansion since a year ago, when it launched 44 new routes launched earlier this year.
It will see the airline double down on its tried-and-true business model: flying passengers to vacation destinations from (mostly) smaller secondary airports — although three new routes from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) are an exception.
“These additions provide convenient options for leisure travelers and demonstrate our commitment to expanding service amid strong demand,” Allegiant CEO Drew Wells said in a statement announcing the news.
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Biggest Winners in Allegiant Route Announcements
Among the cities Allegiant already serves, there are two big winners.
Five new Allegiant routes will launch in 2026 in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The airline previously launched flights to Gulf Shores Airport in Alabama for the first time in 2025.
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And, Orange County, California, will have five new routes of its own.
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Allegiant expands with 30 routes
Here’s the full list of 30 new routes Allegiant will launch in 2026:
| route | launch date |
|---|---|
| La Crosse Regional Airport (LSE), Wisconsin to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA), Arizona | February 26 |
| La Crosse to Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) | May 21 |
| Philadelphia to Des Moines International Airport (DSM) | May 21 |
| Philadelphia to McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) in Knoxville, TN | May 21 |
| PHL flies to Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) in Grand Rapids, Michigan | May 22 |
| Trenton-Mercer Airport, New Jersey (TTN) to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) | February 19 |
| Trenton to Punta Gorda, FL (PGD) | February 20 (last flight was in 2018) |
| Trenton to St. Pete-Clearwater Airport, FL (PIE) | February 20 (last flown in 2017-18) |
| Gulf Shores, AL to Eppley Airport in Omaha, NE (OMA) | May 21 |
| Gulf Shores to Huntsville International Airport (HSV), AL | May 21 |
| Gulf Shores to Oklahoma City Will Rogers International Airport (OKC) | May 22 |
| Gulf Shores to Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) | May 22 |
| Gulf Shores to Springfield Branson National Airport (SGF), MO | May 22 |
| Columbia Regional Airport (COU), MO to Sanford, FL | June 3 |
| Columbia, MO to Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS) | June 5 |
| Fort Lauderdale to Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) | February 12 |
| Fort Lauderdale to Frederick Douglass International Airport (ROC) | February 12 (last flight was in 2017) |
| Fort Lauderdale to Albany International Airport (ALB) | February 13 |
| Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) to Des Moines | May 22 |
| Burbank to Indianapolis International Airport (IND) | May 22 |
| John Wayne Airport (SNA) from Orange County, CA to Mesa, AZ | February 12 (last flight in 2023) |
| Orange County to Tri-Cities Airport (PSC) in Pasco, WA | February 12 |
| Orange County to Appleton, Wisconsin International Airport (ATW) | May 20 |
| Orange County to Grand Rapids | May 20 |
| Orange County to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) | May 21 |
| Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) to Dayton, Ohio International Airport (DAY) | May 22 (last flight was in 2018) |
| Myrtle Beach to New York Elmira Corning Regional Airport (ELM) | May 22 |
| Central Illinois Regional Airport (BMI) from Bloomington, IL to Mesa, AZ | February 13 |
| Key West International Airport (EYW) to Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK) in Columbus, Ohio | May 21 |
| Denver International Airport (DEN) to Destin | May 21 |
As mentioned above, some of the routes Allegiant is adding are flights it previously operated – most in the late 2010s, although there is one (SNA-AZA) it operated as recently as 2023.
Other winners announced Tuesday include Fort Lauderdale, which received four nonstop routes from cities across the U.S.
And, three new or returning cities will connect to Mesa, Arizona, a secondary airport in the Phoenix area.
bottom line
Allegiant’s announcement of the 2026 routes comes as the airline looks to grow with the help of its fleet of new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
Expect more such recreational routes in the coming years.
Last summer, chief commercial officer Wells told TPG in an interview that the airline had identified about 1,400 routes that the airline believed were “a good fit for our model.”
“The immigration pattern in the United States is crazy, people are moving from one area to another, and new opportunities are being created all the time,” Wells told me in July at Allegiant’s Las Vegas headquarters. “This is a great opportunity for Allegiant.”
Meanwhile, the budget airline also told TPG that changes to its loyalty program are in the early stages. The company is also considering adding in-flight Wi-Fi on its planes.
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