Allegiant Air lands at MSP, will offer service to Florida, N.C.

Allegiant Air will become the 18th airline to serve Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport this fall when the budget carrier begins nonstop service to two destinations in Florida and one in North Carolina.

Beginning Oct. 7, Allegiant will start year-round service between Minneapolis and Asheville, N.C., and seasonal service between Minneapolis and Palm Beach, Fla. Year-round service to Punta Gorda, Fla., will begin on Oct 8.

"We welcome Allegiant Air and are excited to have MSP join its network of airports and destinations," said Brian Ryks, CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission, which operates MSP. "This new service is another sign of a strong recovery in the aviation industry, particularly in the domestic leisure travel market."

Allegiant Air also will have a one-time, $83 flight from MSP to Los Angeles to take Vikings fans to the Nov. 14 game at SoFi Stadium.

The new nonstop routes to North Carolina and Florida will operate twice weekly, the airline said.

To introduce the new flights, the airline will offer tickets for $49 each way if they are purchased by Wednesday and travel is completed by Feb. 14.

It was not immediately known which terminal at MSP the airline will operate out of, said MAC spokesman Jeff Lea.

The airline's arrival comes as MSP is seeing more travelers. The airport set a single-day pandemic-era record of 31,500 passengers passing through TSA checkpoints on June 13, according to the MAC.

Airlines are operating 404 daily departures to 185 destinations during June and are scheduled to operate 421 daily departures from MSP in July, the commission said.

Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768