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First nonstop flight to Hawaii departs Saturday

By Mike Prager mikeprager15@gmail.com(509) 459-5454

Allegiant Air couldn’t have picked a better time of year to kick off its new nonstop service from Spokane to Honolulu.

People of the Inland Northwest are pretty much tired of the cold, dark days of winter.

At 8 a.m. Saturday, Allegiant will take off with its first load of passengers aboard a Boeing 757-200 aircraft, arriving on Oahu at 12:30 p.m. Hawaiian time.

“You can literally be on the beach for lunch,” said Todd Woodard, Spokane International Airport spokesman.

The departure marks a return of nonstop Hawaii service for Spokane after the city went for years without it.

Allegiant’s entry into the Spokane market will mirror the company’s business model of jetting leisure travelers from smaller cities like Spokane to top vacation destinations.

“It’s taking people from cold, snowy places to warm, sunny places,” said Jessica Wheeler, public relations manager for Allegiant Travel Co.

Allegiant Air is a subsidiary of Allegiant Travel. As such, Allegiant assembles travel packages that include airfare, lodging and rental car. Customers also have the choice of booking airfare only.

“We have significant buying power, the ability to get great deals for our customers,” she said.

A review of Allegiant’s website shows that many of the upcoming Spokane flights are already full. However, Wheeler said that during the week following the inaugural flight, there will be discounted fares available.

Spokane is now one of 88 cities served by Allegiant with flights to 14 leisure destinations.

To kick off Allegiant’s inaugural flight, the airport is planning a send-off with dancers from Gonzaga University’s Hawaii-Pacific Islanders Club, refreshments and official remarks. The event is planned for the Allegiant gate inside the secured area in the A concourse.

“Anytime you have an inaugural flight, you do something special,” Woodard said.

Here is an update on discounted introductory fares: Allegiant Air on Friday announced an introductory fare of $140 each way for its weekly flights from Spokane to Honolulu. Bookings must be purchased by Feb. 16 for travel by Aug. 15. Allegiant Air today is kicking off its new weekly non-stop service from Spokane to Honolulu, and is offering the fares to draw Spokane passengers to the service. Allegiant Travel Co. President Andrew C. Levy said in a news release, “We are confident area residents will appreciate the convenience of flying nonstop to Hawaii and the value of bundling their air, hotel and car rental reservation together.” The company specializes in serving smaller cities like Spokane. It uses its bulk purchasing power to offer discounts on vacation packages. Allegiant is new to Spokane. The Honolulu flights will depart Spokane International Airport at 8 a.m. on Saturdays, arriving on Oahu at 12:30 p.m. - in time for lunch, officials said. The return flights are on Fridays arriving in Spokane at 7 p.m. Flight availability and bookings are obtained at allegiant.com.