Allegiant dropping Santa Rosa-Phoenix

Allegiant Air will end flights early next year from Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa to the Phoenix area, less than eight months after starting the service, the low-cost airline confirmed Thursday.

“There was simply not enough demand to support continuing the route,” spokeswoman Hilarie Grey wrote Thursday in an email.

Another possible factor is that competitor American Airlines announced in October that it will offer daily nonstop service from Santa Rosa to Phoenix-Sky Harbor International Airport. That service is slated to begin Feb. 16.

The last Allegiant flight from Santa Rosa to Phoenix-Mesa will be Jan. 2.

Allegiant “is continuing per the current schedule” its twice weekly service between Santa Rosa and Las Vegas, Grey wrote.

An airport spokeswoman said Wednesday that county officials now will seek new ways to promote Allegiant’s Las Vegas service because many residents have long called for such flights.

“We’ve been hearing that for many years,” said Gina Stocker, the airport’s marketing specialist.

In May, Allegiant became the second commercial airline to operate in Sonoma County. Alaska Airlines started providing service from Santa Rosa in 2007 and now offers daily service to San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, Portland and Seattle.

In October, according to airport figures, Allegiant reported 3,877 passengers in the month with a load factor of 65%. Alaskan reported just above 27,000 passengers through the facility in the month – up 4.8% over the same month in 2015. Its load factor (how full its planes were) was an average of 82%.

Since beginning service, Allegiant’s total passengers handled through October was reported at 21,922. Year-to-date figures for Alaska show passenger traffic up 19.5% at about 261,070 passengers thus far through October.

American Airline’s entrance into the market was announced in October. With service starting on Feb. 16, 2017, American is planning with daily flights to Phoenix.Flights will be operated by American Airlines partner SkyWest on its Bombardier CRJ-700 70-seat jet aircraft.

Allegiant already has Thursday and Sunday flights to Mesa, Ariz., on its schedule.

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