NYC-Philly access: Allegiant to add nonstop flights from MLB to Allentown, Pennsylvania
Starting Nov. 17, Allegiant Air will launch new nonstop twice-weekly flights from Melbourne to Allentown, Pennsylvania, offering Brevard County travelers access to a new Northeast destination roughly 65 miles from downtown Philadelphia and 90 miles from downtown New York City.
“We’re excited that Florida’s Space Coast joins our list of destinations — due to Melbourne’s proximity to the Kennedy Space Center,” Thomas Stoudt, executive director of the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority, said in a press release.
“With a world-renowned arts district, family-friendly entertainment venues like the Brevard Zoo, and access to fantastic beaches, Melbourne can become another place for rest and relaxation for Lehigh Valley residents,” Stoudt said.
The Allentown planes will fly to and from Lehigh Valley International Airport, the fourth-largest in Pennsylvania.
Allegiant debuted at Melbourne Orlando International Airport in November 2021. The low-cost carrier offers twice-weekly nonstop service to Pittsburgh and Nashville, Tennessee. The Nashville flights are on hold until November because of seasonal demand.
Wednesday morning, Greg Donovan, airport executive director, told the Melbourne Airport Authority that Allentown represents one of the airline's highest-performing Florida routes — and he hopes the new flights will succeed and "open up some further doors for us with Allegiant."
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“The chance that we have to perform to Allegiant — and prove to them that this market is viable for us as well — is really, really important. And I think that it’s going to be a real hit, especially when we start getting into the colder months,” Donovan said.
"This is really important for our airport and our community to demonstrate specifically to Allegiant the viability of this route. Because again, this is a very high-performing route for them. And I don’t know what better way to put this: We’re being put to the test," he said.
"So we need to demonstrate very strong performance," he said.
To that end, Donovan said the Brevard County Tourist Development Council is working on a $100,000 marketing campaign up in the Allentown market to promote the upcoming Melbourne flights.
Year-over-year domestic passengers in Melbourne are up 22% since June 2022, Donovan said. Including international flights, the airport has seen 347,663 total passengers from Jan. 1 through June 30. That's up 4.7% from 332,172 passengers during that same six-month span last year.
Allegiant officials made the MLB-Allentown announcement amid a package of six new routes launching nationwide in November. Other new Florida-centric routes will be based in Sanford, Punta Gorda and Fort Lauderdale.
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"We continue to see historically high demand from leisure travelers, so we are thrilled to add these routes to our network and build on the success we've had in these markets," Drew Wells, Allegiant's senior vice president and chief revenue officer, said in a press release.
"As travelers look for warm winter getaways and a chance to connect with family and friends, we know they will appreciate the low-cost, nonstop options offered by Allegiant," Wells said.
Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Allegiant to add nonstop flights from Melbourne airport to Allentown
