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| By Carmelo Turdo |
Passengers were treated to refreshments and a commemorative luggage tag before the flight, the twelfth nonstop destination served by Allegiant Airlines from MidAmerica St. Louis Airport. Gulf Shores will be served twice weekly - Monday and Friday - with fares in the $45 range. Both Allegiant and the airport are celebrating this new service as part of a route strategy linking underserved communities across the Midwest and Southeastern U.S.
"We
look forward to connecting passengers in Belleville to Gulf Shores,
Alabama. Our brand of all-nonstop flights at unbeatable value continues to
resonate with customers," said Drew Wells, Allegiant's Chief Commercial
Officer, in a news release. "This region has been overlooked by other carriers, and we are
thrilled to open the door to new vacation options for travelers. Allegiant is
committed to providing budget-friendly options that allow our passengers to
customize their dream vacation.”
"I am absolutely excited to have a new location for our passengers to travel to," Darren James, Director of MidAmerica Airport, told The Aero Experience before the flight left the gate. "Destin is one of the most popular locations out of our airport, Gulf Shores being right next door, I know it's a very popular destination for St. Louis folks...We were fortunate to add Knoxville last year, we've added Gulf Shores this year. So back to twelve nonstop destinations out of our airport. And we continue to talk to them [Allegiant] about new destinations."
MidAmerica St. Louis Airport is continuously growing beyond its original footprint as the civilian side of the joint-use airport adjacent to Scott AFB. It is now home to the Boeing St. Clair production facility along with AVMATS and other airport tenants. A 42,000 square foot terminal expansion was opened in June of 2023 for additional TSA lanes and passenger holding areas for Allegiant Airlines. Two additional passenger boarding bridges were added and the concession space was remodeled. A future apron expansion project will add three parking spaces to the terminal.
Currently, Director Darren James anticipates the opening of a new general aviation facility, which will include a federal inspection station for international flights and services for private aircraft owners, by the end of the year. The Aero Experience will have more coverage of this project later in the summer.
Allegiant's inaugural flight to Gulf Shores is commemorated below:
The Aero Experience thanks MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, Allegiant Airlines and everyone who contributed to making this new route service a reality.
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