Oakland flight could be suspended
Allegiant’s nonstop flight between Kalispell and Oakland, Calif., could be put on hold this winter due to a lack of gate space at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The possible seasonal suspension has local tourism officials on edge with serious marketing and economic development efforts planned for the San Francisco Bay area.
Allegiant’s flight to Oakland, which was added this past spring, is currently scheduled to continue to February, according to Allegiant spokeswoman Jessica Wheeler. Local tourism representitives, however, have been told the flight could be suspended as early as mid- January.
The airline recently suspended flights out of Billings, Pasco, Wash., and Sioux Falls, S.D.
“Our intention is to continue the [Kalispell] flight,” Wheeler told the Pilot last week. “We’re trying to find a solution.”
Allegiant typically operates out of Terminal 6 at LAX, which recently underwent a $238 million renovation. Alaska Airlines helped pay for the overhaul and moved into Terminal 6 following completion, leaving Allegiant’s operations without a home.
“LAX has a unique system of allocating gate space,” Wheeler explained. “There are a handful of airlines who have permanent space, and those who don’t, don’t.”
Allegiant is one of the “have nots” in this case. They typically sublease gate space from Delta, a partner of Alaska Airlines.
“It’s [Delta’s] space and they no longer can make that available to us,” Wheeler explained.
Allegiant is actively moving planes out of LAX to be based elsewhere. Instead of typical out-and-back flights to LAX, routes will now follow a triangle pattern with planes based in other locations.
“Because of that, it impacts the Oakland schedule,” Wheeler explained.
Allegiant is looking at alternative airports to base planes, which could keep some of the Oakland flights online.
About 5 percent of all tourists visiting Whitefish are from California, behind only Washington, Minnesota and Alberta. Allegiant’s direct flight presents local tourism officials with an opportunity to further tap into that market.
“We’re excited about that market,” Whitefish Convention and Visitor Bureau board member Nick Polumbus said. “There are a ton of skiers there — about half of a million in the San Francisco market. They drive 4-5 hours and sit in traffic to get to Tahoe and [with the direct flight to Oakland] we think we can compete with that.”
Polumbus, who is the marketing director at Whitefish Mountain Resort, said Whitefish is lucky to have the Calgary metro area within a five hour drive and Missoula just down the road providing sustained visitation.
“But, the direct flights we have are really imperative for growth,” he explained. “We’re doing a good job of pulling people out of Calgary and Missoula, and even Seattle. They drive or take the train. But in terms of seeing steady measured growth, we have to find new markets, and that relies on these flights.”
Polumbus said Allegiant officials have expressed their desires to keep the Kalispell to Oakland flight.
“They’ve told us they’re looking at a lot of options,” he said. “They think this route is going to be great.”
Whitefish Chamber of Commerce’s plans for an economic development mission to the San Fransisco market has been put on hold with the flight in jeopardy.
The chamber had presented plans for a three- to five-day economic development mission, an idea that was sparked last spring after Allegiant’s announcement of the Oakland fight.
“We’ve taken the trip off the front burner,” chamber executive director Kevin Gartland said. “With the flight up in the air, we don’t want to go there until we know that we have year-round air service.”
He said they are looking to reschedule the trip for next fall.