1. Welcome to VegasMessageBoard
    It appears you are visiting our community as a guest.
    In order to view full-size images, participate in discussions, vote in polls, etc, you will need to Log in or Register.

Allegiant Air

Discussion in 'Getting There & Getting Around' started by bjpcyclone, Jul 5, 2016.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. bjpcyclone

    bjpcyclone High-Roller

    Joined:
    Apr 20, 2013
    Messages:
    949
    Location:
    NE Oklahoma
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    15
    Was supposed to fly out of Tulsa this past Friday for a 3 night trip to LV but we drew the Allegiant short straw with "weather delays causing staffing issues" and our flight was cancelled. So my wife and I went from elated to leave to dealing with a cancelled trip. Luckily we also had this coming weekend open and after 1.5 hours on the hold/phone time with Allegiant we are scheduled to try again this coming Friday. I'm trying not to get too excited after seeing 2 of the last 5 Friday flights from TUL-LAS have been cancelled by Allegiant.

    I've flow Allegiant a handful of times when we lived in Iowa without issues but that's been 5+ years ago (thank you Southwest!). Has it really gone downhill or we were just unlucky this trip? Reading the comments on their Facebook page and seeing the 10-15 flights they cancel daily makes me think we'll never book with them again.

    Anyone have good/bad Allegiant stories?
     
  2. KKB

    KKB VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Aug 25, 2007
    Messages:
    2,421
    Location:
    USA
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    75
    We have flown Allegiant for years; never more than a delay.
    I hear stories--but I have heard doozies from other lines as well (and have my own UNITED)
    Considering Allegiant is a smaller carrier, they do seem to have more than their fair share of stories. The biggest issue is that they do not work with other carriers when they have a breakdown--that is the biggest disadvantage to not flying with them.
    But sometimes their fares are unbeatable! (by a large margin)
     
    • Like Like x 2
  3. IM ALL IN

    IM ALL IN High-Roller

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2015
    Messages:
    599
    Location:
    Vancouver BC
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    109
    I fly Allegiant out of Bellingham about 8 or 9 of my trips per year. I feel your pain. I can't even get into the disappointments, however I've never had a flight totally cancelled. I've gotten a text at 5:30 am saying due to "weather delays and staffing issues" that my 8am flight now will be at 4:30 pm? wtf?...I know the attendants have to have a certain amount of sleep time between shifts...another one was coming back from LAS to BLI at night and it was foggy in BLI, and apparently most Allegiant planes don't have ILS? (instrument landing systems?)..so even tho it's only a 2.15 hour trip from LAS to BLI we had to be diverted to Pasco WA, a flight hour away...the Captain saying...We have enough fuel to get there)...but Pasco WA was snowing...we landed..but what would have happened if we DIDN'T HAVE enough fuel, or couldn't land in the snow?..It would have been so much simpler if we couldn't land in BLI at the time to land in Seattle, but they don't have landing privileges there. At least we would have been only less than an hour drive back to get our cars, rather than a 16-18 hour drive from Pasco WA to BLI to get our cars..(and Pasco airport closes at midnight?) so we had to get rooms...and on and on. And don't EVER TRY to go to the washroom, when you've been sitting on the tarmac waiting for an hour or more...you WILL get yelled at, and they put up straps so you can't enter the bathroom. Oh God,,,now this is killing me as I'm flying Allegiant in two days. I keep going back cause it's cheap.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  4. WiBadgerbacker

    WiBadgerbacker Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2009
    Messages:
    237
    Location:
    Central Wisconsin
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    40
    I must be in the minority. I have flown them probably 10 times out of various airports in the Midwest and have only been delayed once. No frills but often as KKB said significantly lower fares.
     
  5. bjpcyclone

    bjpcyclone High-Roller

    Joined:
    Apr 20, 2013
    Messages:
    949
    Location:
    NE Oklahoma
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    15
    And that's exactly why we booked them this trip. Half of the price of SW for us plus good flight times. But low fares aren't worth anything if they can't even get you to your destination!
     
    • Like Like x 1
  6. Onmyown32

    Onmyown32 Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2013
    Messages:
    441
    Location:
    Yankee in the south :)
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    8
    Have you checked if the flight from Fayettville AR is any better, it's not that far from Tulsa. (Maybe they are not cancelled as much) Maybe fly out of there.

    We live near Fort smith Arkansas and prefer just to fly out of that airport so no cheap flights. I have been tempted to use Allegiant and fly out of Tulsa or Fayettville but so afraid since all the bad stuff I've heard.
     
  7. SH0CK

    SH0CK Stylin' and Profilin' Quasi Tech Admin

    Joined:
    Nov 2, 2001
    Messages:
    24,014
    Location:
    Tennessee
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    50
    I used to fly Allegiant quite a bit when they first started flights to Vegas from Knoxville years back... before they stopped the service because the 95-100% full plane wasn't meeting their standards to keep the route open at the time :rolleyes2:

    I never had a flight cancelled, but had a couple of issues.

    One trip, we boarded on time, but, even though the plane had arrived on time, the pilot came on and told us that we were just waiting for the plane to be refueled before we could take off. It took them over an hour to get the fuel loaded onto the plane. I personally blame Allegiant corporate for that one. My speculation? They probably owed the fuel provider money and weren't going to get anymore until they settled their bill... which leads me to...

    A second trip, we boarded and they sealed the plane up. While we sat there for a few minutes waiting to push away, the pilot comes on, greets up, and tells us how the plane will not have enough fuel to make the complete trip to Las Vegas, so we will be stopping in XXXXXXX, Texas (I can't remember the city, but I know it was in West Texas) to refuel. The groans on board the plane were pretty loud. The groans only got even worse when we landed in Texas and parked on the tarmac away from the terminal. It seems we were not allowed to park at a gate and had to be refueled on the tarmac. It got pretty hot in there with the lack of air circulation, but the flight attendants finally gave in and gave everyone a cup of water (no ice of course.) We sat there for over an hour, so needless to say we were late arriving.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  8. bjpcyclone

    bjpcyclone High-Roller

    Joined:
    Apr 20, 2013
    Messages:
    949
    Location:
    NE Oklahoma
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    15
    SHOCK, my dad had something similar happen out of Des Moines. They had to make a pit stop in Wichita to refuel because it was snowing (???). 1.5 hrs on the ground and they finally took off. Only airline I've heard multiple people have to stop for a non-emergency on their non-stop flight...
     
  9. IM ALL IN

    IM ALL IN High-Roller

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2015
    Messages:
    599
    Location:
    Vancouver BC
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    109
    Okay, don't know what happened above but I was trying to respond to a sentence or two...anyways...sorry to Shock...Another time flying LAS to BLI one of our engines blew up..(yes)...and we were so close to Bellingham, but because (so I was told by other seat mates)...we couldn't land in Bellingham, we had to go back to Vegas as that is where their mechanical engineers were and spare engines...(we can still fly with one engine out). (I wish I kept the date of this) We did return to Vegas and I pondered on going back to my hotel (my host would have looked after me, but I wanted to be home) so I waited at the airport and surprisingly another Allegiant plane (are they jets?) was available,,,and back we went to Bellingham...I live in Vancouver so still an hour and a half drive home after doing the border and getting home. Long day/night. Nothing you want to do if you are hungover.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 5, 2016
  10. dmr

    dmr Registered Abuser

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2011
    Messages:
    19,794
    Location:
    Somewhere in Middle America
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    70
    Back when Allegiant first went into LNK (they soon vacated) our corporate TAs shared some of the reputation that they have/had in the travel industry. All of them came true.

    First is that they would leave a market very abruptly if the numbers did not work. That happened in LNK. They cited competition from SWA in OMA for their exit. (They have since entered the OMA market but do not fly OMA-LAS.)

    Another is that they do very little to accommodate on a cancellation. When most airlines cancel a flight, they bend over backwards to get you where you're going, even booking you on a competitor. All Allegiant will do is (eventually, don't hold yer breath!) refund what you paid, or at least most of it.

    And of course you pay extra for anything and everything! They would charge you for the seat belt and restroom if they could!

    The thing that used to majorly annoy me was their stupid web site and how it would always attempt to "cram" shuttle service onto the total. I consider myself very computer-savvy and it took me a while to figure out exactly how to remove that "optional" service!

    In all fairness to Allegiant, the few times I've flown with them they did take off more or less on time and got me there safely. One kind of amusing thing is that at LNK they did not have a permanent gate or staff. They shared one of the Untied gates and the agents (usually) covered their Untied badges when boarding an Allegiant flight. They would do Allegiant check-in on a temporary laptop on the counter right next to their usual permanent Untied terminal.

    Oh well ...
     
    • Like Like x 1
  11. bjpcyclone

    bjpcyclone High-Roller

    Joined:
    Apr 20, 2013
    Messages:
    949
    Location:
    NE Oklahoma
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    15
    They told us they cancelled our 7:30pm flight at 4:30pm and we had no idea what to do (weren't at the airport yet) as they didn't give us any indication if the flight would be tomorrow, what time, or if it was flat out cancelled. So we call the customer service number and wait on hold for an hour and 20 minutes for them to tell us we are booked on the same flight the next day (which would have given us about 42 total hours in Vegas basically shortening our 3 day trip by a day). We asked them to rebook us on the same flight for this coming Friday and they were helpful and did it. They also have us each $100 in future vouchers.

    We were lucky our hotel reservations were flexible as we booked through MLife VIP services and had no issues moving them to next week. But I suspect many others booking on Expedia/etc. were screwed out of at least one night.
     
  12. Dan_Tanna

    Dan_Tanna Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2013
    Messages:
    142
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    21
    I use them only for pleasure trips. They are okay for the most part but the extra fees do add up quickly. Checking a suitcase, that'll be $50. Boom! It's overweight? That's another $50. Boom! And so on, and so on.
     
  13. IM ALL IN

    IM ALL IN High-Roller

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2015
    Messages:
    599
    Location:
    Vancouver BC
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    109
    Out of BLI, Bellingham, we are only allowed 40 lbs. Luckily I'm a light packer. I end up at about 29.5 lbs, (most was 32) but on the way back, depending on what slot tournament I'm in, we get gifts,,(can be MB towels, salad bowls, bottle of booze etc. which add weight)..But I see girls who have 6-8 pairs of shoes, boots and they get cited (shoes,boots seem to add weight)..I've seen donning extra jackets, sweaters, put stuff in their one allowed carry on to comply with the checked bag weight...but..I know the rules so I don't overpack. Flight is at 2:30pm tomorrow, haven't got any notifications YET if it's delayed. Mostly I get them in the am. (that one flight we were diverted to Pasco Washington, they did give a credit both ways, can't remember how much but it was significant...I think they made a mistake on comping some air both ways, but I took it).
     
  14. tatterdema

    tatterdema VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2001
    Messages:
    1,642
    Location:
    Seattle WA
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    60
    • Like Like x 1
  15. FullBoat

    FullBoat VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,337
    Location:
    Austin, TX
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    16
    They're one of the 2 airlines that does a direct flight out of Austin. I've used them about 15-20 times, and I guess I've been lucky. I've been delayed twice. Once because someone had to get off because they were sick, and the other was because of weather. Yeah, they do like to nickle and dime you, but I get me a drink before boarding, and I just do carry-on. So, it's still about half of what SW charges for the same direct flight.
    Only thing I don't like is the next trip they're changing the departing time. So, I won't land until about 10pm Vegas time. :( I'm used to landing at about 3pm.So, that's a few hours of drinking shot. And, I've got to be up the next morning to get my pass for the convention I'm going to. So, no 6 hours at the craps table as soon as I log in. :( But, it'll save me money I guess. ;)
     
  16. bjpcyclone

    bjpcyclone High-Roller

    Joined:
    Apr 20, 2013
    Messages:
    949
    Location:
    NE Oklahoma
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    15
    We are trying again with Allegiant this weekend. Fingers crossed that we actually make it this time!

    And I don't really mind all of the extra fees, we took those into account when booking. It saved us about $125 per person even after luggage fees. But again, none of that really matters if they can't get you to your destination...
     
  17. IM ALL IN

    IM ALL IN High-Roller

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2015
    Messages:
    599
    Location:
    Vancouver BC
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    109
    As I have ON OCCASION dissed Allegiant, I have to say my departure yesterday was ON TIME. We landed ON TIME. No breakdowns on the tarmac. They did good.
     
  18. martinr

    martinr Rock Chalk Jayhawk

    Joined:
    Aug 19, 2012
    Messages:
    3,604
    Location:
    Memphis
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    23
    Tried to go to LV from Memphis on Allegiant. Flights only operate on Monday and Friday. I was going to beat the system. Got a 26.00 fare on a Sunday to Austin and booked a flight from Austin to LV. Two separate flights..I had found a way to circumvent the limited flight service, so I thought. Well, first the plan only works if the first flight actually gets to Austin. After multiple issues the 8:30 am flight didn't leave Memphis until after 3pm. Needless to say, I had anticipated delays and allowed a four hour layover in Austin. But that wouldn't have worked with the issues preventing the flight from taking off withon a reasonable timeframe.
    Of course the flight had not been officially cancelled. But the gate agent worked with me and got me a seat on a flight to Phoenix using my original ticket to Austin. After trying to talk to Allegiant regatding the Aus-Las flight that i wasn't going to connect with, it became a reality that I would lose that money with no credit or any compensation.
    So, I'm on the flight to Phoenix. Made reservations with Southest from Phoenix-Las. Remember, the gate agent made the change for me routed to Phoenix. Plane lands and I'm looking out the window and it looks very unfamiliar. Allegiant does not fly to the main Phoenix airport, which I was unaware of. My Southwest flight, of course, operates from Sky Harbor, not Mesa which is about 35 miles across town. Found transportation and ultimately got to Vegas at about 8pm..only 7 1/2hours late and a couple hundred dollars extra expense.
    One of the primary reasons the plane didn't leave Memphis on time: no replacrment tire and one had to be flown in on their next incoming flight and their ground crew was not qualified to change it on a Sunday and they needed to sub-contract a maintenance company to change it from off premises at the airport.
    I have no more Allegiance for Allegiant! At best it should be called "Standby Airlines".
     
    First Time Staying on the South End. Will I Hear Southern Accents?
  19. KKB

    KKB VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Aug 25, 2007
    Messages:
    2,421
    Location:
    USA
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    75
    Again--I have had similar issues with other airlines as well, they aren't exclusive to Allegiant. Delayed, cancelled, had to stop for gas, sat on tarmac, etc. etc. etc.
    Yes, their weight limit is 40lbs. But I have a travel scale I take just to be sure. Mom & I shared 1 checked bag & each took a backpack (personal item) for a 4 night trip. Actually Mom managed to get EVERYTHING she needed into the backpack! AMAZING! (she did only bring 1 pair of sandals & she wished she had another pair of shoes.
    I don't need to pick my seat--although since we checked in late we were by the engines--OMG. Might be worth it to pick my seat!!
     
  20. FullBoat

    FullBoat VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2013
    Messages:
    2,337
    Location:
    Austin, TX
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    16
    Yeah, I always pay the extra bit to pick my own seat. With a bum ankle, it helps to have that little extra leg room that they have in the front seats. I've ridden in their "1st class" seat a couple of times and it was SO worth it. But, on my next one they were already taken. :(
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.