Allegiant to add flights from Peoria to Orlando
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- Published on Tuesday, 19 August 2014 15:42
- Written by Paul Gordon
Direct flights from Peoria to Orlando, Florida will soon be available again, according to officials from the General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport.
Allegiant Air will begin flying to and from Orlando, home of Disney World, on Mondays and Fridays beginning Nov. 14, said Gene Olson, director of airports. The flights will depart Peoria at 12:30 p.m., he said, and arrive at Orlando Sanford about three hours later. “That makes it perfect for a week-long trip or a long weekend,” he added.
Attired in a Hawaiian-type camp shirt and shorts, Olson told a small crowd gathered at a news conference Tuesday that this is good news for all travelers, especially families, in central Illinois. “Now vacationers will have even more options when flying to Florida from Peoria. It is another connection from our wonderful town to another great place,” Olson said.
This will be Allegiant’s fifth destination from the Peoria airport, along with Las Vegas, Phoenix/Mesa, Tampa/St. Petersburg and Punta Gorda. It started with the Las Vegas flights in December 2006.
Allegiant now has two flights a week, on Sundays and Thursdays, from and to Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington. Before that, AirTran had flights from Bloomington to Orlando.
Allegiant had offered directed flights from Peoria to Orlando once before, but that service ended because it was unable to compete with the AirTran service from Bloomington, which started first.
“That didn’t work but we are confident this will and we are excited to offer it,” said Olson.
Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis praised Olson and the Airport Authority for working diligently to increase destinations from Peoria while improving service at the airport. “They have done a great job putting Peoria back in the lead” for flights in and out of central Illinois, said Ardis, citing the fact the Peoria airport has set monthly records in five consecutive months for number of passengers served.
“These flights go both ways and it is always nice to have people fly in and visit our town,” Ardis said.
State Rep. David Leitch, R-Peoria, noted the importance of a strong airport to successful economic development. “I don’t think there is a better-operated agency that is working for our community today that the Peoria Airport Authority,” Leitch said.
Peoria International Airport, which opened a new terminal in 2011, was named Airport of the Year this year by the Illinois Department of Transportation Division of Aeronautics. It currently has flights to 10 destinations with service by Allegiant, United (to Chicago and Denver), American (to Chicago and Dallas/Ft. Worth) and Delta (to Atlanta, Detroit and Minneapolis).
