AUSTIN (KXAN) — Allegiant Air will cut seven nonstop routes out of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport as the airline plans to end base operations in Austin early next year.
Allegiant established the base for employees and aircraft in 2021 at a cost of $75 million. At the time, the airline said it would create at least 89 new jobs. Base operations are scheduled to end on Jan. 7, 2025, an airline spokesperson previously told KXAN.
"When they close the base, they will only be able to fly to other Allegiant bases, so that means that some routes will be dropped," said Jamy Kazanoff, deputy chief of air service at AUS.
Flights to Bozeman, Montana; Eugene, Oregon; Louisville, Kentucky; Omaha, Nebraska; Santa Ana, California; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Washington Dulles will be discontinued, according to an AUS spokesperson.
KXAN reached out to Allegiant for comment and to confirm the last day of service on each route but has not yet heard back.
The route cuts could result in as much as a 30% decrease in the number of seats Allegiant provides out of AUS, Kazanoff said. Airport officials are hoping to backfill some of the routes with other airlines. Five of the routes are currently not served by any other airline. In addition, Kazanoff said the airport is encouraging Allegiant to fly nonstop from Austin to other bases, estimating about 15 of which are not currently served from AUS.
Allegiant previously cited the upcoming of the South Terminal and lack of space at the main terminal as reason for the base closure.
"Unfortunately, the gate space we have been offered will not allow us to sustain our base at AUS. However, we will continue to serve Austin with all flights operating as turns from other bases, providing our customers with the exceptional service they have come to expect from Allegiant," a spokesperson told KXAN in June.
"The facilities are different in the main terminal than they are in the South Terminal. They are more expensive," Kazanoff said. "They were offered a bussing operation or a gate from the main terminal in the common use area, and the price is different than what they currently enjoy."
The closure of the South Terminal is anticipated in early 2026 as part of the airport’s Expansion and Development Program. A new midfield concourse is planned in its place, along with supporting infrastructure, such as a new connector tunnel to the main terminal and new taxiways. Because of the closure, Allegiant and Frontier Airlines will move flights to the main Barbara Jordan Terminal.
In the first five months of 2024, Allegiant carried more than 121,000 passengers in and out of AUS, accounting for 1.4% of passenger traffic at the airport. Allegiant currently operates 18 nonstop routes from Austin.
