Most profitable US airline does more than carry passengers
Some shocking airline news: Allegiant Air reported its 27th consecutive profitable quarter, earning it the title of “the nation’s most profitable airline,” according to the St. Petersburg Times.
"Allegiant made more profit per dollar of operating revenue than any US airline for the previous three quarters, far ahead of traditional network airlines and big-name discounters including Southwest and JetBlue" the newspaper said.
The reasons why might be of interest to other ailing airlines who might want to take notes and notice, say travel observers:
 Allegiant flies aging jets to small airports on very limited schedules, which ensure they carry full loads.
 That translates into Allegiant competing with other airlines in only five markets.
 Sales of car rentals, vacation packages and other services and products are nearly as important as passenger revenues.
 The company owns its own fleet, which also keeps costs down. It pays only $4 million per plane unlike the major carriers which often pay $30 to $40 million.
 Finally, Allegiant also “squeezes a nickel harder than anyone,” says the Times.
"That’s why we call ourselves Allegiant Travel Co., because we don’t see ourselves as limited to flying people from Point A to Point B," CFO Andrew Levy told USA TODAY. "We’ve … taken a focused approach on selling something more than air travel."
Allegiant also collects $32.36 per ticket on average from a half dozen fees and sales of hotel rooms, car rentals and vacation extras. Ryanair, the Irish no-frills airline famous for its long list of fees, gets less than $14, according to the newspaper.
Because of all that, Allegiant remains in a growth mode.
By David Wilkening
David
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025