New Flights Between Long Beach, Las Vegas

A new airline has pulled up to Long Beach Airport, just four months after another airline abandoned its beachhead there.

Fresno-based Allegiant Air Inc., in business since July 1998, began daily Long Beach-Las Vegas service on Nov. 5. Flights leave Long Beach three times a day at 7 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Sundays through Fridays and once on Saturdays, at 7 a.m. Introductory one-way fares, good through Nov. 30 (except Thanksgiving weekend), are $39 coach and $79 first class; round trips are double those prices. The airline operates three DC9-51s with 115 seats each, according to President Jim Patterson. It also flies charters, scheduled Fresno-Las Vegas service and seasonal service (which ended in October this year) to South Lake Tahoe from Burbank and Las Vegas. Reservations: tel. (877) 202-6444.

In July, Salt Lake City-based WinAir Airlines, citing failure to get an infusion of investment capital, ceased operations after eight months of running flights from Long Beach to Las Vegas and several other cities. Although American and America West still fly from Long Beach, only Allegiant runs Las Vegas flights from there.

Allegiant is among several airlines that have recently expanded service to Las Vegas. Start-up National Airlines began service from Los Angeles in May.