Allegiant expands Appleton airport schedule with flights to New York City metro area
GREENVILLE — Allegiant Air will begin direct flights between Appleton International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey this spring.
Allegiant announced Thursday it will offer two weekly flights between Appleton and Newark beginning May 17.
Newark will be the 12th destination the ultra-low-cost airline flies to out of Appleton. The airline already offers seasonal service from Appleton to Portland, Denver, Fort Lauderdale/Miami, Fort Myers/Punta Gorda, Las Vegas, Nashville, Orlando/Sanford, Phoenix/Mesa, Sarasota/Bradenton, Savannah/Hilton Head and Tampa/St. Petersburg area airports.
“What could be better than non-stop from Appleton to the Big Apple?” Appleton airport director Abe Weber said in a press release. “Allegiant’s direct flights and low fares are a big reason why Wisconsin travelers are starting their vacations through the Appleton airport.”
The announcement also confirms Allegiant will continue its non-stop flight to Portland that began this summer. The Appleton-Portland route will start up again on May 23.
Las Vegas-based Allegiant has steadily increased its flights out of the Appleton airport since it began service between Appleton and Las Vegas in 2013.
The size of planes Allegiant flies out of Appleton has also increased, now flying Airbus 320 planes that seat up to 186 passengers.
When will flights take off between Appleton and Newark?
Allegiant plans to fly between Appleton and Newark on Mondays and Fridays.
Weber said the departure days allow travelers a week-long vacation or a long weekend in New York City.
Flights on both days are scheduled to depart Appleton at 7:40 a.m. Central and arrive in Newark at 11:05 a.m. Eastern. The return flight from Newark will depart at 11:55 a.m. and land in Appleton at 1:40 p.m.
New flight aimed at connecting the arts in New York and Appleton
Fox Cities Performing Arts Center President and CEO Maria Van Laanen told reporters at a Friday press conference she hopes the new flight will connect Broadway with Appleton's theater scene.
"It's so exciting to see the opportunities this is going to open for artists and company members from New York City to come here with more frequency to engage with our community and build community through the arts," Laanen said at the press conference.
New flights announced as Appleton Airport expects another record busy year
The Appleton International Airport is on track to have another record busy year with an anticipated 948,000 arrivals and departures from the airport by the end of 2023.
The airport plans to see an 11% increase in passengers from the end of 2022 to the end of 2023.
Weber contributed the airport's continuous growth — up from 846,000 passengers in 2022 — to the increased flight options and more people seeing the benefit of flying out of Appleton for vacations.
And the increased passengers creates positive feedback for the airport. "When more people fly out of [Appleton], the airlines recognize this is where people want to fly out of and then they increase the amount of seats here," Weber said.
More changes are coming to the Appleton airport. Read about the $105 million airport expansion project.
Sophia Voight covers local government and politics in the Fox Cities for The Post-Crescent. She can be reached with feedback and story tips at svoight@postcrescent.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Allegiant announces new non-stop flight between Appleton and New York City
