Allegiant profits from leisure fliers

0 Comments | USA TODAY, October, 2009 | by Charisse Jones

What happens to an airline that ignores the big-spending business traveler, flies to towns many Americans will never visit and charges super-low fares? It becomes one of the most profitable airlines in the U.S.

In the midst of a deep travel downturn, when many of its peers are losing money and slashing flights to survive, Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air is growing. When the company gives its latest earnings report today, it is expected to announce yet another profitable quarter -- its 27th in a row.

Allegiant's success is rooted in its unique niche: providing leisure travelers affordable non-stop flights from small communities such as Bozeman, Mont., or Allentown, Pa., to such vacation hubs as Las Vegas and Orlando. And if passengers want to see a show or visit a...