Allegiant adds Minnesota flight to Sarasota airport

Allegiant Air is adding to its list of destinations from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport this week with word that it’s launching service to Minneapolis-St. Paul in October.

The twice-weekly route makes its first trip on Oct. 6, and the airline rolled out introductory $49 each way fares. In addition to the new route to the upper Midwest from SRQ, the airline also announced the fall debut of flights from Orlando-Sanford and Fort Lauderdale to Akron, Ohio — a route already served from Sarasota.

Read more: The Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport is planning to begin construction this year on five more gates.

"We look forward to connecting vacationers from Minnesota and Ohio to popular coastal destinations in Florida," said Drew Wells, Allegiant’s senior vice president of revenue and planning. "Allegiant is dedicated to providing the most affordable, accessible flights — without the hassle of layovers or connections."

In conjunction with the release of the Allegiant new flight, SRQ posted a new chart listing its destination tally at 53 and airline tally at 11, though some aren’t available year-round, such as Air Canada service to Toronto.

Allegiant now has 30 destinations from SRQ, the most of any locally serving carrier.