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Has anyone flew on Allegiant before?

Desinico

By Desinico,
in Cruise Air

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bobmacliberty "Live from...." Rare

bobmacliberty

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I won't argue with the bottom line recommendation that most people have here...avoid them if flying to a cruise. I also won't argue with any comments related to amenities, mechanical issues, or accident rates. I will however disagree with those who say that Allegiant ends up being the same price when you add up all the extras. IF you can get a low fare to begin with (i.e. book far enough ahead), and you don't need to pay for a reserved seat, multiple pieces or overweight luggage, priority boarding, etc. then they can be significantly cheaper. I normally fly Delta (Gold Medallion) and even with my Medallion benefits, Allegiant was cheaper for a recent golf trip that included paying to check my clubs, a carryon bag, and a reserved seat. The only thing I would have had with Delta that I didn't get with Allegiant was priority boarding. Admittedly, I didn't know about their cancelation policy at the time, which might have changed my mind.

 

To be clear, I am NOT recommending Allegiant for a cruise. Just the opposite. I do however want the OP to have accurate data from my experience. They have worked just fine for me for 3.5 trips to FLA (one was just the return leg). If you're a gambler...

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millh0use

millh0use

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We've used them twice but as others have said...be prepared for possible delays and factor in all of the extra fees when comparing prices. The first time we use them we had a 14 hour delay then 4 hours the next time. Neither were due to weather.

 

 

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dasi11

dasi11

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Just ask Allegiant airline what happens if you show up and the plane has mechanical trouble and your flight is cancelled. How will they get you to your destination?

On the major airlines they will put you on another flight a few hours later and even use another major airline. Allegiant does not. If you are going to your cruise with a few days to spare on the front end then don't worry.

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waterbugohio

waterbugohio

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We are flying on Allegiant in March for our cruise. However, we are only using them for the return flight.

 

Didn't trust having a delay getting to the ship, even though we are going a day early. However, coming home, the times were better and the prices were about $80 per person cheaper than southwest.

Hoping all goes smooth, but worse case scenario we get stranded in Florida an extra day or two.

 

We did fly them another time when time was not a issue. We actually loved flying out of the small local airport and into Punta Gorda in Florida. Seemed like a machine shop, but it was quick getting out of.

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xpcdoojk "Live from...." Rare

xpcdoojk

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I have booked them many times, a few times for a cruise, and a many times for trips to Vegas. Most of what people have posted is true. If your flight is cancelled you may be screwed. On trips that were for a cruise, I usually leave at least 2 days in advance for sure 1 day before the cruise. It is about a 20 hour drive from here to Fort Lauderdale. So, if you have two days in advance, I have the backup plan of driving. Wouldn't like it, but....

 

The fares can be a lot cheaper, especially if you don't take a lot of luggage. They can make it well worth well to use them. That said, I have known people who were taking a long weekend to Florida or Vegas who ended up not having a long weekend. In fact they stayed home because the next flight was the one they would have returned on.:D

 

JC

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jamesr3939

jamesr3939

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We flew them many times from our hometown to Las Vegas (50 min flight vs 8 hour drive). We always found the planes newer and clean. The fares are usually cheap, I got $38 OW once and never paid more than $85 OW.

 

You do have to pay attention when booking on their www site as they add in all sorts of fees and make you back them out. I think they use to even default to two passengers, luggage, and assigned seating. So pay attention when you make your reservation.

 

They have really cheap flights from my place to Hawaii, but usually the schedule sucks if you want to stay some days that don't multiple by 7.

 

I think for a cruise I would make sure it's a direct flight and go a few days early. I wouldn't have a problem flying them home after the cruise.

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ONECRUISER

ONECRUISER

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This! ^

 

Statistically they have the most maintenance issues of any airline, cancelled flights, flight issues, etc.

 

All of their planes are the old planes from the ValuJet collapse. Think Florida Everglades.

 

AirTran bought ValuJet then Southwest bought AirTran. But not those old planes.

 

Run away!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Few yrs ago they were older planes but last 3+ yrs they been all new ones I been on. New ones that now don't have reclining seats...

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BillOh Holiday Sharing Rare

BillOh

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I've flown with them. Yes, there's a lot of fees but if you have booked your flight then you probably have already paid them. For us, even with the fees, the tickets were half the price of delta so can't complain.

 

I hope you are flying in at least the day before. Our flight went perfectly fine and on time but I've heard of them having massive delays.

 

 

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Here in Columbus, Ohio they don't (or use to not) have any flights on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Is that system wide? Makes it impossible for crusing.

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Tapi Great Review Rare

Tapi

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Everything that needs to be said about Allegiant has been said, but I'll add my 2 cents.

 

I would NEVER fly Allegiant to catch a cruise. Their on time performance and maintenance record are enough to discard the idea. As mentioned before, they lack frequency and interline agreements, so if your flight is cancelled, chances are that there won't be another Allegiant flight to your destination for days.

 

Allegiant is in the process of retiring older MD-80 airplanes and replacing them with newer Airbus aircraft. But their maintenance record remains questionable. For comparison purposes, American and Delta are the 2 major airlines still operating the aging MD-80 aircraft. Allegiant filed EIGHT times as many maintenance problems as the majors.

 

 

 

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Clarea

Clarea

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Here in Columbus, Ohio they don't (or use to not) have any flights on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Is that system wide? Makes it impossible for crusing.

Same here. If the Thursday flight gets cancelled, the next chance is Monday.

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WhenIsLobsterNight

WhenIsLobsterNight

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Flown them many times and finally decided to never do it again. Here is why:

 

1. They have the oldest fleet of planes of any airline in the US and one of the oldest in the world. Their planes often have mechanical issues which equal lengthy delays. I had a three hour delay for a flight to Vegas a few years ago which cost me a very large business deal.

 

2. They nickle and dime beyond anything I have ever seen. I swear if they figure out a way to charge to use the toilet the will. I am not kidding.

 

3. Their luggage weight is 40lbs instead of 50lbs. Thats a big difference for a cruise.

 

Yes you will save money, but it is just not worth the fees, delay and hassles. Allegiant sucks.

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BillOh Holiday Sharing Rare

BillOh

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Flown them many times and finally decided to never do it again. Here is why:

 

1. They have the oldest fleet of planes of any airline in the US and one of the oldest in the world. Their planes often have mechanical issues which equal lengthy delays. I had a three hour delay for a flight to Vegas a few years ago which cost me a very large business deal. .

 

Thanks for the thoughts, I've only seen a couple of airplanes on the tarmac at FLL. As near as I can tell the bulk of their fleet is MD80 variants almost 30 years old. I guess I am getting old, I saw one of their older planes is a 757. I will remember being at the observation deck in ORD when the first 757's and 767s made their first appearances at Ohare. I remember my last flights on 707s and DC8s when they were in regular service.

 

My favorite memory of old planes is flying a Republic Convair 580 into Muscle Shoals, AL and noting on the safety card that the rear exit had a rope to throw out and climb down.

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vrock

vrock

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Don't do it. My mom and aunt flew allegiant from Hawaii to spokane they could not land because of fog (although other airlines were landing) . They ended up in Idaho and were stuck for 3 days finally they booked their own flights home on another airline at their own expense.

 

My boss also used allegiant one time and had issues with delays and maintenance issues. He said never again. Do yourself a favor and pay a bit more and choose another airline.

 

Have a great cruise.

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sanger727

sanger727

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Here in Columbus, Ohio they don't (or use to not) have any flights on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Is that system wide? Makes it impossible for crusing.

 

 

We actually used them to go to Las Vegas; but they fly Cincinnati to Fort Lauderdale on fri and sat so could use them for a sat to sat cruise or sailings that aren't a straight 7 day cruise.

 

I don't buy the argument that it's unsafe to fly then. They still have to pass the same FAA regulations as everyone else. My only concerns about them are delay/cancellation related.

 

If we had access to southwest or jet blue, would def use them... but delta is our primary here and it's hard to get a ticket anywhere for under $400.. so looking at $800 for 2 on delta; with a base price of $300 for 2, even with $100 in extra fees that's still a heck of a lot better. Plus delta charges more to choose seats and luggage now anyway. Half a can of Coke and a bag of pretzels isn't enough for me to be mad at allegiant for the fees.

 

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Tapi Great Review Rare

Tapi

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I don't buy the argument that it's unsafe to fly then. They still have to pass the same FAA regulations as everyone else.

 

 

I do:

 

Read these two articles and tell me what your thoughts are:

 

http://www.tampabay.com/projects/2016/investigations/allegiant-air/mechanical-breakdowns/

 

http://www.tampabay.com/projects/2016/investigations/allegiant-air/faa-oversight-breakdown-plane/

 

 

 

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schmeed

schmeed

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I think this brings this thread to a close. Fly them if you want, but your life is far more valuable than saving a few bucks on a flight.

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