Allegiant Air

tis · 10-03-2013, 06:55 AM

As most of you have probably heard, there is new air service direct from Portsmouth to Sandford Fl. which is nice for us here in the Lakes Region. I am wondering if anybody has flown with them before. When you go on the site, it is very convenient to find flights, times, prices and dates, but if you need to call them, forget it. I tried to call all day yesterday and it was between more than 40 minutes to more than 50 minutes every time. We are taking our dogs and so I can't just book on line. So I would like input to see if anyone has used them a lot and if it is always like that. I gave up and booked with Southwest. I think if this is typical they will not make it in Portsmouth which is too bad. I have better things to do with my time than be on hold for an hour or more. Heck, I can use that time to be on the forum!!

Chaselady · 10-03-2013, 07:05 AM

We had a friend who used to take them from Worcester,Ma to Sanford and she was always raving about how much she liked them. However that was several years ago.

tis · 10-03-2013, 07:16 AM

Did she need to call them? It seems the issues are when you need to call them. (for me at least)

Merrymeeting · 10-03-2013, 07:44 AM

We used them out of Worcester several times when we lived in central MA. As with the previous posters friend, we were always satisfied with the service. I too hope they make it in Portsmouth.

However, as with most things, you get what you pay for. They are a no-frills airline, competing through low cost, and associated low service. Our experience in Worcester was similar. If you need to reach them by phone, you probably won't

They will get you from point A to point B, but that's about it. If you need any special services (your dogs for example), you are probably better off paying a bit more to fly with someone else.

tis · 10-03-2013, 10:25 AM

It's too bad, because I love the convenience of Portsmouth, rather than Manchester and would like to help support their presence there So I guess it doesn't matter where they are, you can't get their customer service? Thanks for the reply.

Billy Bob · 10-03-2013, 11:50 AM

This airline has been flying to St Pete for a few years. they do a lot of business with small mid west air ports that are not served by other airlines . They just did this large expansion which included Portsmouth . This is also an airline stock to watch .
The rates they charge are GREAT but with a big downside . They are flying into airports with little or no other passenger service. They only have a few flights a day and in some cases only a few each week to a given destination. Their low fairs help sell all the seats. PROBLEM is if anything goes wrong, mechanical , weather , etc you are 100 % stuck ! You will be hard pressed to find a replacement flight on another airline if your flight from Sanford to Portsmouth is canceled . They don't exist . and since most flights are full don't think standby is going to work.
They recently had a flight from the Midwest to St Pete that had to make an emergency landing in Georgia , no big issue but the people on the flight had to wait around all night then around mid day the next morning they put them on a BUS and drove them to St Pete , like 5 hrs on the bus . All the Tampa channels covered the story .
I like to save money but if ANYTHING goes wrong with this airline your vacation turns bad real fast . Stick with Southwest in Manchester , anything gets delayed or canceled they have LOTS of options to get you home . ( no I don't work for SW nor own any LUV stock )

tis · 10-03-2013, 12:02 PM

I agree and I am not going to wait on hold for an hour for ANYBODY unless it is absolutely necessary. It is one of my big pet peeves!

BroadHopper · 10-03-2013, 12:32 PM

I can't understand why people would rather go to Portsmouth than Manchester for flight. I like to take the bus out of Concord to Manchester or Boston. Economical and parking is free!

Portsmouth have very limited passenger service as well as limited parking. I guess folks living in the Eastern parts of the Lakes Region find the drive convenience, but I value passenger service.

codeman671 · 10-03-2013, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

I can't understand why people would rather go to Portsmouth than Manchester for flight. I like to take the bus out of Concord to Manchester or Boston. Economical and parking is free!

Portsmouth have very limited passenger service as well as limited parking. I guess folks living in the Eastern parts of the Lakes Region find the drive convenience, but I value passenger service.

Its nice when you live in Dover and can be at the airport in 10 minutes

Years ago there was an airline that did the Pease to Sanford run. It was very convenient, especially when we went on a company trip with 30-40 people flying down at once.

upthesaukee · 10-03-2013, 01:52 PM

This is the second time around for this airline. They flew out of Pease from 2005 to 2007. First year they had 4 flights per week, and then cut back to 2 flights per week before cancelling all together.

tis · 10-03-2013, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by codeman671

Its nice when you live in Dover and can be at the airport in 10 minutes

Years ago there was an airline that did the Pease to Sanford run. It was very convenient, especially when we went on a company trip with 30-40 people flying down at once.

Was that Pan Am? We did that quite a few times. It was great. That was also a direct flight to Sanford.

tis · 10-03-2013, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by upthesaukee

This is the second time around for this airline. They flew out of Pease from 2005 to 2007. First year they had 4 flights per week, and then cut back to 2 flights per week before cancelling all together.

I don't think they ever went direct to Sanford, did they? Or the Orlando area?

upthesaukee · 10-03-2013, 02:18 PM

Pan Am did the Pease to Sanford run, and so did Allegiant.

tis · 10-03-2013, 02:20 PM

I guess I never knew that Allegiant did that run. THanks for the info. Interesting.

upthesaukee · 10-03-2013, 02:20 PM

I thought they were direct before, but I also think they were "seasonal" to FL...They did go Pease to Sanford if I remember the articles in Seacoast Online.

Newbiesaukee · 10-03-2013, 03:42 PM

Skybus went from Pease to Columbus, Oh and a few other places a while back. It was great while it lasted...it just didn't last long.

SIKSUKR · 10-04-2013, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by codeman671

Its nice when you live in Dover and can be at the airport in 10 minutes

Its even nicer when you live 5 minutes to Manchester Airport with the 4 major US airlines departing more 30 times a day.

It would be great to see Pease grow for commuter traffic but I don't see how it can with its proximity to Manchester and Logan.

AB_Monterey · 10-04-2013, 09:28 AM

I flew both Pan Am to Sanford and Skybus to Punta Gorda ($10 each way!).

Pan Am was a nightmare.

Skybus was acually pretty good although the sales of everything from watches to chocolate on board was a little weird.

I paid an extra $10 to get early onboard access. Apparently, this really PO'd some of the parents who were in line and expecting their usual early boarding because they had small kids.

I've checked Alligiant's prices. I'm unimpressed.

LakeSnake · 10-04-2013, 11:01 AM

So is this new airline business the reason for all the construction around the Pease RT16/RT95 interchange?

tis · 10-04-2013, 12:07 PM

You've got it made, sik, living so close!!

AB, you flew to Punta Gorda from Portsmouth for $10 ??????? That is amazing. We flew Pan Am quite a few times but never got prices any where near close to that!! We never had a single problem with them. We even came in in a snowstorm one time and no delay.

upthesaukee · 10-04-2013, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LakeSnake

So is this new airline business the reason for all the construction around the Pease RT16/RT95 interchange?

This construction started long before the Allegiant agreement.

It is designed to ease the traffic at the Gosling Rd exits and on ramps, the Woodbury Ave exits and on ramps, and the approaches to the bridge area.

There is a lot of commerce on the Pease Tradeport, and this is hopefully going to help with the traffic situation.

AB_Monterey · 10-05-2013, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tis

You've got it made, sik, living so close!!

AB, you flew to Punta Gorda from Portsmouth for $10 ??????? That is amazing. We flew Pan Am quite a few times but never got prices any where near close to that!! We never had a single problem with them. We even came in in a snowstorm one time and no delay.

Yeah, the deal with Skybus was that their first xx seats went on sale for $10, the next XX was $39 and so on.

I just watched for them to extend their schedule and booked immediately. $10 each way plus the extra $10 we both paid to get priority boarding out of Portsmouth.

They didn't didn't last long. There was a fuel price spike soon after and that did them in.

On board was a real trip. They had a catalog with items for sale and the flight attendents would go through the cabin with everything from designer watches and purses to Toblerone. You paid for everything but we just carried a DD coffee on with us :-)

The one time I flew Pan Am, we ended up delayed in Sanford for HOURS. They gave us some credits as compensation but they were gone before we could use them.

tis · 10-05-2013, 01:39 PM

Wow, that was some deal. I never heard about that. At least you were entertained on the flight to take away some of the boredom.

I think we flew on Pam Am about a dozen times and never had a problem.

10-03-2013, 06:55 AM	#1
tis Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 6,408 Thanks: 719 Thanked 1,380 Times in 956 Posts	Allegiant Air As most of you have probably heard, there is new air service direct from Portsmouth to Sandford Fl. which is nice for us here in the Lakes Region. I am wondering if anybody has flown with them before. When you go on the site, it is very convenient to find flights, times, prices and dates, but if you need to call them, forget it. I tried to call all day yesterday and it was between more than 40 minutes to more than 50 minutes every time. We are taking our dogs and so I can't just book on line. So I would like input to see if anyone has used them a lot and if it is always like that. I gave up and booked with Southwest. I think if this is typical they will not make it in Portsmouth which is too bad. I have better things to do with my time than be on hold for an hour or more. Heck, I can use that time to be on the forum!!

10-03-2013, 11:50 AM	#6
Billy Bob Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Tiera Verdi Fl & Moultonborough Posts: 295 Thanks: 115 Thanked 154 Times in 92 Posts	new air line This airline has been flying to St Pete for a few years. they do a lot of business with small mid west air ports that are not served by other airlines . They just did this large expansion which included Portsmouth . This is also an airline stock to watch . The rates they charge are GREAT but with a big downside . They are flying into airports with little or no other passenger service. They only have a few flights a day and in some cases only a few each week to a given destination. Their low fairs help sell all the seats. PROBLEM is if anything goes wrong, mechanical , weather , etc you are 100 % stuck ! You will be hard pressed to find a replacement flight on another airline if your flight from Sanford to Portsmouth is canceled . They don't exist . and since most flights are full don't think standby is going to work. They recently had a flight from the Midwest to St Pete that had to make an emergency landing in Georgia , no big issue but the people on the flight had to wait around all night then around mid day the next morning they put them on a BUS and drove them to St Pete , like 5 hrs on the bus . All the Tampa channels covered the story . I like to save money but if ANYTHING goes wrong with this airline your vacation turns bad real fast . Stick with Southwest in Manchester , anything gets delayed or canceled they have LOTS of options to get you home . ( no I don't work for SW nor own any LUV stock )

10-03-2013, 12:32 PM	#8
BroadHopper Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Laconia NH Posts: 5,512 Thanks: 3,116 Thanked 1,090 Times in 784 Posts	Manchester airport I can't understand why people would rather go to Portsmouth than Manchester for flight. I like to take the bus out of Concord to Manchester or Boston. Economical and parking is free! Portsmouth have very limited passenger service as well as limited parking. I guess folks living in the Eastern parts of the Lakes Region find the drive convenience, but I value passenger service. __________________ Someday may never be an actual day.

10-03-2013, 01:52 PM	#10
upthesaukee Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Alton Bay Posts: 5,547 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 2,398 Thanked 1,918 Times in 1,061 Posts	Second time around for them... This is the second time around for this airline. They flew out of Pease from 2005 to 2007. First year they had 4 flights per week, and then cut back to 2 flights per week before cancelling all together. __________________ I Live Here... I am always UPTHESAUKEE !!!!

10-03-2013, 02:18 PM	#13
upthesaukee Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Alton Bay Posts: 5,547 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 2,398 Thanked 1,918 Times in 1,061 Posts	Pan Am and Allegiant Pan Am did the Pease to Sanford run, and so did Allegiant. __________________ I Live Here... I am always UPTHESAUKEE !!!!

10-03-2013, 07:05 AM	#2
Chaselady Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Melvin Village Posts: 309 Thanks: 150 Thanked 105 Times in 73 Posts	We had a friend who used to take them from Worcester,Ma to Sanford and she was always raving about how much she liked them. However that was several years ago.

10-03-2013, 07:16 AM	#3
tis Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 6,408 Thanks: 719 Thanked 1,380 Times in 956 Posts	Did she need to call them? It seems the issues are when you need to call them. (for me at least)

10-03-2013, 07:44 AM	#4
Merrymeeting Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Merrymeeting Lake, New Durham Posts: 2,217 Thanks: 299 Thanked 795 Times in 365 Posts	We used them out of Worcester several times when we lived in central MA. As with the previous posters friend, we were always satisfied with the service. I too hope they make it in Portsmouth. However, as with most things, you get what you pay for. They are a no-frills airline, competing through low cost, and associated low service. Our experience in Worcester was similar. If you need to reach them by phone, you probably won't They will get you from point A to point B, but that's about it. If you need any special services (your dogs for example), you are probably better off paying a bit more to fly with someone else.

10-03-2013, 10:25 AM	#5
tis Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 6,408 Thanks: 719 Thanked 1,380 Times in 956 Posts	It's too bad, because I love the convenience of Portsmouth, rather than Manchester and would like to help support their presence there So I guess it doesn't matter where they are, you can't get their customer service? Thanks for the reply.

10-03-2013, 12:02 PM	#7
tis Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 6,408 Thanks: 719 Thanked 1,380 Times in 956 Posts	I agree and I am not going to wait on hold for an hour for ANYBODY unless it is absolutely necessary. It is one of my big pet peeves!

10-03-2013, 02:20 PM	#14
tis Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 6,408 Thanks: 719 Thanked 1,380 Times in 956 Posts	I guess I never knew that Allegiant did that run. THanks for the info. Interesting.

10-03-2013, 02:20 PM	#15
upthesaukee Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Alton Bay Posts: 5,547 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 2,398 Thanked 1,918 Times in 1,061 Posts	I thought they were direct before.. I thought they were direct before, but I also think they were "seasonal" to FL...They did go Pease to Sanford if I remember the articles in Seacoast Online. __________________ I Live Here... I am always UPTHESAUKEE !!!!

10-03-2013, 03:42 PM	#16
Newbiesaukee Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Coral Gables, winter; Long Island, summer Posts: 1,349 Thanks: 922 Thanked 569 Times in 295 Posts	Skybus went from Pease to Columbus, Oh and a few other places a while back. It was great while it lasted...it just didn't last long. __________________ "You're only young once, but you can be immature forever."

10-04-2013, 09:28 AM	#18
AB_Monterey Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Alton Bay Posts: 293 Thanks: 86 Thanked 78 Times in 49 Posts	I flew both Pan Am to Sanford and Skybus to Punta Gorda ($10 each way!). Pan Am was a nightmare. Skybus was acually pretty good although the sales of everything from watches to chocolate on board was a little weird. I paid an extra $10 to get early onboard access. Apparently, this really PO'd some of the parents who were in line and expecting their usual early boarding because they had small kids. I've checked Alligiant's prices. I'm unimpressed.

10-04-2013, 11:01 AM	#19
LakeSnake Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Pine (Alton) Mountain Posts: 138 Thanks: 39 Thanked 33 Times in 20 Posts	So is this new airline business the reason for all the construction around the Pease RT16/RT95 interchange? __________________ I'm in NH 24/7 now.

10-04-2013, 12:07 PM	#20
tis Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 6,408 Thanks: 719 Thanked 1,380 Times in 956 Posts	You've got it made, sik, living so close!! AB, you flew to Punta Gorda from Portsmouth for $10 ??????? That is amazing. We flew Pan Am quite a few times but never got prices any where near close to that!! We never had a single problem with them. We even came in in a snowstorm one time and no delay.

10-05-2013, 01:39 PM	#23
tis Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 6,408 Thanks: 719 Thanked 1,380 Times in 956 Posts	Wow, that was some deal. I never heard about that. At least you were entertained on the flight to take away some of the boredom. I think we flew on Pam Am about a dozen times and never had a problem.