Allegiant establishes nonstop route from XNA to southern Florida airport

Las Vegas-based low-cost carrier Allegiant announced Tuesday (Aug. 10) a new nonstop flight from Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA) in Highfill to Punta Gorda Airport (PGD) in southern Florida beginning Nov. 17.

“Northwest Arkansas is now connected to another fantastic leisure destination in Florida,” said Andrew Branch, chief business development officer for XNA. “Punta Gorda will offer NWA residents a warm destination option for the fall and winter months, and we thank Allegiant Airlines for the continual support in our market.”

The new twice-weekly route to the airport, along Interstate 75 between Sarasota and Fort Myers, is part of a 22-route expansion across Allegiant’s network.

“A hallmark of Allegiant’s service is to connect travelers to warmer destinations where they can enjoy a variety of outdoor leisure activities,” said Drew Wells, senior vice president of revenue and network planning for Allegiant. “And we’ve continued that tradition with this expansion by giving customers more affordable, nonstop options to visit Florida, Arizona and California during the fall and winter seasons.”

The network expansion includes 24 additional cities. Introductory one-way fares on the new routes range from $39 to $59 if booked by Wednesday (Aug. 11).

Recently, low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines announced twice-weekly nonstop flights from XNA to Orlando International Airport (MCO) beginning Nov. 1. The nonstop flights on Monday and Friday were part of a 20-route expansion, including five new destinations. While the Frontier flights are new, Allegiant has offered nonstop service from XNA to Orlando, said Alex English, public relations and marketing specialist for XNA.