# Allegiant Air lets post some flight schedules



## maddaug (Jan 24, 2008)

Hard to plan summer vacations when they won't post flights for our area. Allegiant is only posting for flights through mid May. I wonder if it's because of gas prices??? Of course while I wait condo's are being booked. I do realize it's early yet but we've always booked our flights by Jan. Then my other thought was maybe they are considering dropping the Clearwater/St. Pete route.  
Anyone else waiting for schedules for Allegiant?


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## BevL (Jan 24, 2008)

Yes, I'm looking for dates for September, a long way out, I know, but only booking four months ahead is a bit annoying.


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## DaveNV (Jan 24, 2008)

I'm on the West Coast, and the routes out here to Las Vegas (and other locations) are also not showing past May.  I'm thinking maybe they intend to adjust their schedules for Summer?

Dave


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## madherb (Jan 24, 2008)

I need to fly out 5/15 and back 5/18.  Haven't been able to book the return yet.  I finally called and was told by the agent that she had been expecting the schedules any day but she couldn't do anything that we couldn't do on line


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## BevL (Jan 27, 2008)

Just saw that the schedule has been extended to end of August.


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## JLB (Jan 27, 2008)

I have noticed they are late in posting, too.  I called them once, which actually speaking to someone at Allegiant Air is a monumental task.  I finally used an online directory to find their non-toll number in Vegas (I think).

Their excuse for tardy schedule posting was that they had not completed the packages with their hotel and motel partners.

We had another OK flight down and back with them.

They did break my buddy's Porterline golf bag, and it has been the normal hassle finding someone to take care of it, but since he has been able to show it to a real person back home, they have agreed to replace it.  After the first person gave him a hard time, saying they would have to see a receipt for it (like everyone keeps receipts for everything they buy  ), a hard travel case suddenly appeared at his house.

That was not what was ruined and not what he wanted, since he and I bought Porterlines specifically so that when he and his and me and mine go to FL in January, all our luggage and golf bags will fit in the rental car.

Strangely, when we checked in on the way down, they brought his bag back out to the counter and had him open it _so they could inspect it_.  We told them mine was back there, too.  So his went pre-inspected, and unlocked, but they tore it up anyway.  Mine had not even been opened, and was undamaged.

Coming back . . . the same thing.  They didn't even open mine, and his was even more torn up.

Loading the plane coming back was very slow, but I don't know what they can do about it.  Those who purchase_ Preboarding_ get to get on first, and because they select seats near the front, they take a long time putting their many carryons in the overhead bins.  So, no one can get passed the folks in the front seats.  We were probably 1/2 hour late because of that.

Like always, the plane was full.

We love being able to wake up in our own bed, and eat at Shells that evening, and, on the rebound, wake up to finish the last of the Sun Harvest OJ, and then sleep in our own beds that night.  We even had MIL meet us on arrival with our dear little Dock Dog, this morning 55 pounds!


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## maddaug (Jan 27, 2008)

Hi Jim, you're right there is nothing like those direct flights. We always try to go that route. Last year we had no issues but it sure is an early flight out of St. Pete. 
We haven't made it back to Branson since we visited you ?? years ago. My niece ended up marrying a guy from Pittsburg, Ks. so we thought it might be fun to meet them sometime in Branson for a week of fun.


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## JLB (Feb 7, 2008)

We know Pittsburg.  It's one of those places we used to drive through a lot, to get someplace else.

We'll keep a light on for you, and an empty chair or two on the dock.




maddaug said:


> Hi Jim, you're right there is nothing like those direct flights. We always try to go that route. Last year we had no issues but it sure is an early flight out of St. Pete.
> We haven't made it back to Branson since we visited you ?? years ago. My niece ended up marrying a guy from Pittsburg, Ks. so we thought it might be fun to meet them sometime in Branson for a week of fun.


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## JLB (Feb 7, 2008)

To update this, Allegiant now is jacking around my vacation/golfing buddy.  Their people in Springfield MO have been giving him wrong phone numbers and then not being there at the airport when they say they will be.

He pinned them down and yesterday he took both the ruined bag and the hard case Allegiant sent him without notice to the airport.  All these trips to the airport, of course, are a hassle, and all of this is after Allegiant saw the bag, saw it was ruined, agreed they ruined it, and agreed to replace it.

Last night he said that yesterday the Allegiant people in Springfield are now saying they cannot help him, even though it was them, in Springfield, that broke it.

If I can, I am going to send this link to Allegiant.





JLB said:


> They did break my buddy's Porterline golf bag, and it has been the normal hassle finding someone to take care of it, but since he has been able to show it to a real person back home, they have agreed to replace it.  After the first person gave him a hard time, saying they would have to see a receipt for it (like everyone keeps receipts for everything they buy  ), a hard travel case suddenly appeared at his house.
> 
> That was not what was ruined and not what he wanted, since he and I bought Porterlines specifically so that when he and his and me and mine go to FL in January, all our luggage and golf bags will fit in the rental car.
> 
> ...


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## trishpmc (Feb 10, 2008)

JLB said:


> Loading the plane coming back was very slow, but I don't know what they can do about it.  Those who purchase_ Preboarding_ get to get on first, and because they select seats near the front, they take a long time putting their many carryons in the overhead bins.  So, no one can get passed the folks in the front seats.  We were probably 1/2 hour late because of that.
> 
> Like always, the plane was full.



We have just made reservations for the end of March to fly to Orlando on Allegiant.  How strict are they about carry ons (dimensions of bags, number of bags)?  How comfortable are the planes?  Is seating very tight?

Is it really necessary to be at the airport two hours before the scheduled departure time?


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## dougp26364 (Feb 10, 2008)

maddaug said:


> Hard to plan summer vacations when they won't post flights for our area. Allegiant is only posting for flights through mid May. I wonder if it's because of gas prices??? Of course while I wait condo's are being booked. I do realize it's early yet but we've always booked our flights by Jan. Then my other thought was maybe they are considering dropping the Clearwater/St. Pete route.
> Anyone else waiting for schedules for Allegiant?




We always book our week as far out as possible and then wait for Allegiant to post their schedules. But, I have a good feel for their scheduling during different times of the year and book the exchanges for days Allegiant is most likely to fly. For us we fly them to Vegas and during certain times of the year they don't fly to Vegas on Saturday's. 

I feel it's always easier to find a flight 5 or 6 monhts out than that perfect exchange I want so, I'll book the exchange and then look for the flights. If I think Allegiant is going to have what I want I wait to book the flight until they come out with their schedule. There's always some degree of risk in doing this but, there's always risk in booking your flight to early only to watch the price drop later on down the road.


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## dougp26364 (Feb 10, 2008)

trishpmc said:


> We have just made reservations for the end of March to fly to Orlando on Allegiant.  How strict are they about carry ons (dimensions of bags, number of bags)?  How comfortable are the planes?  Is seating very tight?
> 
> Is it really necessary to be at the airport two hours before the scheduled departure time?



Seating and leg room have always been fine. They fly MD-80's and, unlike some charter airlines don't squeeze you in there any more than the legacy airlines do. 

As for carry on's we haven't found them to be any worse than any other airline. Push your luck to much and you'll end up gate checking your luggage. Keep in mind your flying with maybe 120 other guests so be considerate of their needs as well and try to keep your carry on's within designated limits. 

Yes, it's best to be at the airport 2 hours early. There instructions clearly state this and state that your reservation can be cancelled without refund. I can never understand why anyone would want to risk losing their seat and their money when it's put in black and white but it does happen. If you don't pay additional to choose your seat then you're in compition with everyone else who hasn't paid the seat selection fee. If you're particular about where you sit on a flight or want to make certain you'll be sitting with someone, getting there early is all the more important IMO. We prefer to pay in advance for our seat and select where we'll be sitting. Mainly because those that pay in advance are allowed to board the flight as prefered customers and that always makes it easier with the carry on baggage.


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## dougp26364 (Feb 10, 2008)

JLB said:


> To update this, Allegiant now is jacking around my vacation/golfing buddy.  Their people in Springfield MO have been giving him wrong phone numbers and then not being there at the airport when they say they will be.
> 
> He pinned them down and yesterday he took both the ruined bag and the hard case Allegiant sent him without notice to the airport.  All these trips to the airport, of course, are a hassle, and all of this is after Allegiant saw the bag, saw it was ruined, agreed they ruined it, and agreed to replace it.
> 
> ...



I believe at this point I'd be buying a new case, excactly like the old case, and filing with the small claims court in Springfield. My bet is he recieves a check before the court date or finds one waiting for him when he arrives. Even if they decide to fight the claim it sounds as if they would lose based on the fact they attempted to replace his case with something he considered substandard to what was destroyed by the airline.


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## trishpmc (Feb 10, 2008)

dougp26364 said:


> Seating and leg room have always been fine. They fly MD-80's and, unlike some charter airlines don't squeeze you in there any more than the legacy airlines do.
> 
> As for carry on's we haven't found them to be any worse than any other airline. Push your luck to much and you'll end up gate checking your luggage. Keep in mind your flying with maybe 120 other guests so be considerate of their needs as well and try to keep your carry on's within designated limits.
> 
> Yes, it's best to be at the airport 2 hours early. There instructions clearly state this and state that your reservation can be cancelled without refund. I can never understand why anyone would want to risk losing their seat and their money when it's put in black and white but it does happen. If you don't pay additional to choose your seat then you're in compition with everyone else who hasn't paid the seat selection fee. If you're particular about where you sit on a flight or want to make certain you'll be sitting with someone, getting there early is all the more important IMO. We prefer to pay in advance for our seat and select where we'll be sitting. Mainly because those that pay in advance are allowed to board the flight as prefered customers and that always makes it easier with the carry on baggage.



We have reserved our seats, so we will be preboarding.  We are flying out of a small airport where we have always made it to our gate in less than thirty minutes, so checking in for an early morning flight two hours early seems excessive.  We usually arrive about an hour and a half before the scheduled departure time when we fly with other airlines.

The Allegiant regulations state that a carry on must be no larger than 9X16X19.  We have two bags, 10X16X19 and 9X16X21.  I'm wondering if they will allow them to be carried on or if they actually measure them and will make us check them.


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## JLB (Feb 10, 2008)

The airports are small, fast and convenient.  The staff goes to the counters in the lobby and checks everyone in and the luggage.  They are normally really busy and they count bags.  A carry-on would have to be noticeable oversized to be a problem.

Then, when it's time to load the plane(s) some of or all of the same staff is at the gates.

All the flights we have been on have been jam-packed.  On side of the aisle is 3-seats, with little legroom and the other side is 2-seat with more legroom.  The seatbacks don't recline (so you don't have to return them to their full upright position).  

The planes are more comfortable than 16 hours in a car.   



trishpmc said:


> We have just made reservations for the end of March to fly to Orlando on Allegiant.  How strict are they about carry ons (dimensions of bags, number of bags)?  How comfortable are the planes?  Is seating very tight?
> 
> Is it really necessary to be at the airport two hours before the scheduled departure time?


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## JLB (Feb 10, 2008)

I've never seen them measure a bag.  Weigh, but not measure.

So, now that I said that, yours will be the first ones.   

Back to golf bags, now that we are talking about check-in, I remember that when we checked in a Sanford to fly back home the lady handed me a card to sign.  When I said, "What's that?" she said, "To sign that your don't have a hard golf bag."  I said, "Feel it."  She did and took the card back.

Here's the Sanford layout.  

You pull up to the terminal door and drop your luggage.  You can get a luggage cart right there for $3 if you need it.  They don't have skycaps.

You check-in in the first-floor lobby.

Then you go upstairs, with the security station at the top of the stairs.

Then it is a short walk to the gates.

There's a snack bar on the first floor and another one upstairs.


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## dougp26364 (Feb 11, 2008)

trishpmc said:


> We have reserved our seats, so we will be preboarding.  We are flying out of a small airport where we have always made it to our gate in less than thirty minutes, so checking in for an early morning flight two hours early seems excessive.  We usually arrive about an hour and a half before the scheduled departure time when we fly with other airlines.
> 
> The Allegiant regulations state that a carry on must be no larger than 9X16X19.  We have two bags, 10X16X19 and 9X16X21.  I'm wondering if they will allow them to be carried on or if they actually measure them and will make us check them.



I can't say I've ever seen them measure any carry on bag and I know I've seen bags that woudn't fit into the little measuring device they have go on the plane. So long as it will fit in the overhead bin or under the seat you should be fine. If it doesn't fit or if you catch an overly attentive gate person you may have to gate check your bag.  

I think if your prepared that you may have to gate check your bag you'll be fine. I always keep in mind that, depending on how many people have carry on's (with Allegiant charging per checked bag it can be a lot), I may have to gate check a bag and have things arranged so the really important stuff (meds and electronics) are in one bag that fits easily without worry.

As for checking in I'm probably just paranoid. My dad always hated getting to the airport early and we were always running through the airport to catch a plane. At least if felt like running to me. That fear of missing the plane coupled with the written instructions that they could cancel your seat assignment get me to the airport early. 

Likewise I have seen people at ticket counters upset because they won't check them in as they arrived to late (other airlines and not Allegiant). I just never understand those that get upset when they didn't follow instructions.


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## dougp26364 (Feb 11, 2008)

JLB said:


> I've never seen them measure a bag.  Weigh, but not measure.
> 
> So, now that I said that, yours will be the first ones.
> 
> ...



Sounds like Orlando is easier than Vegas. In Vegas, there's a very LONG line to check in followed by another VERY long line at security. Allegiant states to be at McCarran *three hours* early but that's a little longer than it really needs to be. We've always made it to the gate with over an hour to spare. I'm paranoid enough about missing a flight, the one time we wouldn't show up early some weird thing would happen and we'd have to hoof it to make the flight. My wife doesn't do well when that happens (I now hate short layovers for this reason).

We routinely see them pull people out of the line who didn't follow instructions are got to McCarran late. Some with as little as 1 hour before their flight. If they didn't pull them to the front of the line they wouldn't stand a chance of making their flights. In Vegas, the ticket agents don't come back to load your flight. They have to many flights leaving and to many passengers to deal with to do that.


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## JLB (Feb 29, 2008)

My timeshare/golfing/hanging out buddy still has not received anything from Allegiant.

Correction . . . he has received empty promises.


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## kjsgrammy (Feb 29, 2008)

maddaug said:


> Hard to plan summer vacations when they won't post flights for our area. Allegiant is only posting for flights through mid May. I wonder if it's because of gas prices??? Of course while I wait condo's are being booked. I do realize it's early yet but we've always booked our flights by Jan. Then my other thought was maybe they are considering dropping the Clearwater/St. Pete route.
> Anyone else waiting for schedules for Allegiant?



I'd be cautious booking with Allegiant.  They appear to be cancelling flights.  They no longer fly to Vegas out of Lansing, MI, and when I tried booking a flight to Vegas out of South Bend, IN (even though it shows on their route map they still go to Vegas), I got a message indicating that the flight no longer flies there from South Bend.  Not sure if Allegiant is in trouble financially and is eliminating flights to certain destinations or what.  Too bad, because the flights to Vegas definately were reasonably priced compared to what we ended up with (thru US Air) when we go in late March.  Sure hope they don't cancel their route to Orlando/Sanford out of Lansing!!


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## BevL (May 7, 2008)

Not to resurrect too old a thread, but Allegiant has extended their schedule to the end of October.


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## JLB (May 7, 2008)

& my buddy got 100 bucks, about 1/2 of the retail price he gave them a printed copy of.


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## PigsDad (May 7, 2008)

Let's just hope your Allegiant pilot doesn't run the plane off the end of the runway, like he did here in Ft. Collins on Sunday!

Read the article here.

Kurt


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## dougp26364 (May 7, 2008)

JLB said:


> & my buddy got 100 bucks, about 1/2 of the retail price he gave them a printed copy of.



Sorry to hear that. 

At least he recieved that amount. To date I have never received a penny from an airline when they've tore up our bags. I guess they finally won as I quit asking for comensation and just started buying really cheap bags. But then again I don't play golf or have expensive golf clubs to protect.


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