Allegiant adds two destinations at SRQ

Allegiant this week announced a further expansion of its destinations from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.

The Las Vegas-based air carrier will serve 29 destinations from SRQ when the new flights to Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Tulsa, Oklahoma begin in the fall. The new routes are part of a 22-route nationwide expansion announced this week, set to capitalize on holiday travel.

“A hallmark of Allegiant’s service it to connect travelers to warmer destinations where they can enjoy a variety of outdoor leisure activities,’’ said Drew Wells, a senior vice president at Allegiant in charge of revenue and network planning.

The flights to Iowa kick off on Nov. 19. The Tulsa flights begin Dec. 15.

In Punta Gorda, new flights to Austin, Texas and Bentonville, Arkansas launch in mid-November.

In large part to the arrival of Allegiant and Southwest Airlines, traffic at Sarasota-Bradenton International has driven record-setting passenger gains in recent years. Between the two carriers, 48 destinations have been added since 2018.

The airport set a monthly mark in July with more than 326,000 arrivals and departures. Across the month, 326,947 passengers used the airport, which was 122% more than the pre-COVID-19 mark for July of 147,068 and 424% higher than the 2020 level of 62,405 passengers.

The July traffic was 4.5% higher than June’s.