Next week is Thanksgiving week, the busiest travel week of the year.  Millions of Americans will be moving about the country by car, by bus, and by airplane to spend a long weekend with friends and family.  Many of those folks will be travelling via Allegiant Airlines – some from right here in Hagerstown (as Allegiant serves the Washington County Regional Airport).  I myself have relatives flying in via Allegiant.  It has made its name as a low-cost airline, but is it really such a great deal?  And what do we (as consumers) really pay for the promise of cheap airfare?

Let’s start first with Allegiant’s fares.  They are low, to be sure.  I’ve seen prices as low as $51 advertised from Hagerstown to Sanford, FL.  That sounds like a great deal, right?  Well, it would be, if $51 was your final cost.  True, it may be $51 for the airfare, but Allegiant is an a-la-carte airline, which means that if you want additional services, you pay a fee.

What kind of fees, you may ask?  Well, here is a sample, taken straight from Allegiant’s own website[1]:

• Seat Selection – $0 to $80 at time of selection
• Credit Card Transactions – up to $8
• Priority Access – $4 to $12
• Trip Flex (Cancellation and/or change insurance) – $8 to $20
• In-flight Food & Beverage – $2 to $7
• Baggage (Each piece – up to four) – $20
• Carry-on bag (not personal item) – $15

Wow – what happened to that $51 airfare that was plastered all over the website?  To get that price, you’d have to travel as a single loner who had lunch prior to the flight and are living out of a crocheted knapsack.  Now, I know some of you are saying “it’s no big deal”, but for some families trying to save money – it is.  Imagine booking that dream vacation for what you thought was one price and then finding out that in order to make sure you and your wife sit next to your 5 and 7 year-olds during the flight, it’s gonna cost you an extra $40.  Now, there’s no way that same family is flying without at least two bags – plus a carry-on for the stuff to keep the kids occupied during the flight.  Cough up another $55.

It adds up quickly.

Then there’s the question of safety.  A few weeks ago, the Herald-Mail ran a story (in both their print and online editions) that was a re-print of an investigative piece done by the Tampa Bay Times – which took a hard look at Allegiant’s safety record and maintenance practices.  If you missed the story, you can read it at this link.  I would urge you to do so.  It’s a sobering look at how airlines are run and what they are willing to do (and not do) in order to keep their planes in the air (and revenue streams continuing to flow).

Some alarming statistics from the Times story[2]:

• Allegiant’s airplanes were four times as likely to fail during flight compared to those operated by other major airlines.
• 42 of Allegiant’s 86 planes had issues in mid-flight at least once in 2015 (that’s almost 49%)
• Allegiant doesn’t staff its own mechanics at 107 of the 118 airports it flies in and out of (that’s nearly 91%)
• The average age of an Allegiant aircraft is 22 years old (the average age of other carrier’s equipment is 12)

The entire article is filled with these types of shocking facts and figures.  When questioned, the airline did not dispute any of the Tampa Bay Times findings.  To be fair, Allegiant officials have acknowledged the issues and vowed to improve their maintenance record and replace their aging fleet, and to their credit, there are some signs of improvement.  The company has announced plans to purchase newer aircraft.  According to the Times, the reported number of incidents with planes is down significantly for the first part of 2016, but there are still issues (and the bulk of the current service fleet of MD-80 planes continues to age until replaced).

So what does this all mean?

I’m not saying “stop flying Allegiant” – due to price or safety concerns.  It can be the right travel choice in the right circumstance.  Discount airlines like Allegiant provide much needed travel options to smaller markets (like Hagerstown) and again, in the interest of fairness, Allegiant has never suffered a fatal crash or deadly accident.  All I’m saying is to take the time to be an informed consumer, traveler, and if nothing else – an informed family member.  Know what you or a loved one are getting into – with any airline – BEFORE booking your flight or pulling up into the air off of the tarmac.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving surrounded by those you care about – no matter how you travel to get there.

 

[1] “Optional Services and Fees”, Allegiant Air Website, https://www.allegiantair.com/popup/optional-services-fees, accessed 11/17/16

[2] “Breakdown at 30,000 Feet”, Tampa Bay Times, http://www.tampabay.com/projects/2016/investigations/allegiant-air/mechanical-breakdowns/, published on 11/2/16, Accessed on 11/17/16