Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air is discontinuing service between Las Vegas and four destinations in April, citing declines in profitability due to higher fuel costs.
The airline, which specializes in connecting small cities to resort destinations, confirmed over the weekend that it would end twice-weekly service between Las Vegas and Knoxville, Tenn., Lexington, Ky., Redmond, Ore., and Pueblo, Colo.
Allegiant is ending its flights to McCarran International Airport from Lexington’s Blue Grass Airport on April 7, Pueblo Memorial Airport on April 8 and Knoxville’s McGhee Tyson Airport and Roberts Field-Redmond Municipal Airport on April 9. The airline said passengers with reservations beyond those dates would get full refunds on their tickets.
The airline said it would continue to operate flights from Knoxville and Lexington to its Florida destinations and from Redmond to Mesa, Ariz., and Oakland, Calif.
The Lexington flights used Allegiant’s new Boeing 757 twin-engine jets, which are destined for use for the airline’s new Hawaii service that will begin later this year. Allegiant, which has a reputation for dropping unprofitable routes quickly, started its Lexington-Las Vegas flights on Nov. 16.
Las Vegas flights to and from Redmond began in March 2007 and flights to and from Pueblo started in October 2010.
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines also is cutting two routes — nonstop flights between Las Vegas and Norfolk, Va., and Cleveland — but it’s adding nonstop flights to and from Detroit, a route Southwest hasn’t flown since 2006.
The schedule changes take effect Sept. 30. Southwest is reintroducing its Detroit nonstop flights with $99 one-way fares on flights between Sept. 30 and Nov. 2 that will be sold on its website through Feb. 27.
Southwest said the Norfolk and Cleveland routes were seasonal cuts and that the flights would be reinstated. The airline said it would continue to offer one-stop and change-of-planes routes to and from the two cities.