Allegiant adds 30 routes, 4 cities in major 2026 expansion

Allegiant Air is plotting a major expansion in 2026.

The budget airline announced a whopping 30 new routes that will take flight over the winter, spring and early summer months next year.

This blockbuster route announcement includes three all-new cities for the Las Vegas-based ultra-low-cost carrier: La Crosse, Wisconsin; Columbia, Missouri; and Philadelphia. And Allegiant will make its return to Trenton, New Jersey, for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.

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It's Allegiant's biggest expansion since last year, when it unveiled 44 new routes that launched earlier this year.

And it will see the airline double down on its tried-and-true business model: shuttling passengers to vacation destinations from (mostly) smaller secondary airports — though the three new routes from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) are an exception here.

"These additions provide convenient options for leisure travelers and reflect our commitment to expanding service where demand is strong," Allegiant Chief Officer Drew Wells said in a statement announcing the news.

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Biggest winners in Allegiant's route announcement

Among the cities Allegiant already serves, there were two big winners.

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Gulf Shores International Airport (GUF) in Alabama will get five new Allegiant routes in 2026. That's after the airline first started flying to the airport in 2025.

And John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County, California, will get five new routes of its own.

Other winners in Tuesday's announcement include Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), which gained four nonstop routes from cities across the country. And three new or returning cities will connect to Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA), a secondary airport in the Phoenix area.

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Allegiant's 30-route expansion

Here's a full rundown of the 30 new routes Allegiant will launch in 2026:

As noted above, a handful of these routes Allegiant is adding are flights it previously operated — in most cases in the late 2010s, though there's one (SNA-AZA) it flew as recently as 2023.

Bottom line

Allegiant's 2026 route announcement comes as the airline has set its sights on growth with the help of a fleet of new Boeing 737 MAX planes.

Expect more of these leisure-focused routes in the years to come.

Speaking to TPG this past summer, Wells, the chief commercial officer, said the carrier has identified some 1,400 routes the airline believes "fit our mold very well."

"Migration patterns are crazy in the U.S. People are frequently moving from one area to others, and creating new opportunities all the time," Wells told me in July at Allegiant's Vegas headquarters. "There's a great opportunity for Allegiant that exists."

Meanwhile, the budget carrier has also told TPG it's in the early stages of plotting a revamp to its loyalty program. It's also considering adding on-board Wi-Fi to its planes.

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