Allegiant Air Fees

[momof2disprincesses]

I have never flown Allegiant before. We always travel Air Tran.

However, I saw a really good deal from Allegiant and the airport it flies out of is literally 5 minutes from our house, as opposed to 2 hours for Air Tran (Milwaukee is the closest). So I thought I'd try Allegiant and see how it goes.

First of all, it only flies into Sanford airport so we will have to rent a car.

Second, I just booked and our flight is now $120+ more due to fees!!! Thank goodness there are only 2 of us flying!

To pick our seats was $51.96. To do "priority boarding" was $39.96 and then they added on a "convenience fee" - don't even know what that is for $29.98! We are not going to check bags (that would have been another $100 for 2 people) so I'm wondering if they charged us a convenience fee because of that.

Has anyone else flown Allegiant? I'm hoping I didn't make a huge mistake!

 

[WDWisTheBest]

I have never flown Allegiant before. We always travel Air Tran.

However, I saw a really good deal from Allegiant and the airport it flies out of is literally 5 minutes from our house, as opposed to 2 hours for Air Tran (Milwaukee is the closest). So I thought I'd try Allegiant and see how it goes.

First of all, it only flies into Sanford airport so we will have to rent a car.

Second, I just booked and our flight is now $120+ more due to fees!!! Thank goodness there are only 2 of us flying!

To pick our seats was $51.96. To do "priority boarding" was $39.96 and then they added on a "convenience fee" - don't even know what that is for $29.98! We are not going to check bags (that would have been another $100 for 2 people) so I'm wondering if they charged us a convenience fee because of that.

Has anyone else flown Allegiant? I'm hoping I didn't make a huge mistake!

There are a couple of threads that discuss Allegiant Air. Since you are so close to the airport, why don't you go to discuss your fees directly at the airport with an agent? There might be an adjustment or you could understand their fee system better with a direct explanation.

 

[nascargirl]

We use Allegiant out of Allentown, PA. We were told that the convenience fee is for booking online. We were told in order to avoid that charge we could either go directly to the airport and book with an agent. Of course that is when someone is actually there. The other was to go to our local mall and use their kiosk. When Allegiant was first new, you did not have to pay for priority boarding. This charge is to help you guarantee an overhead bin. I always make sure to uncheck this as our carry on items fit under the seat. We do enjoy flying with them and don't mind that they are back to Sanford. This airport is very small and friendly.

 

[TaraPA]

When booking online you have to pay the "convenience fee" but the fees for seats & priority boarding you can UN-check, and you wont be charged. Since you already booked I don't know if you can call & get those removed, if you want, but for future reference just be aware that all the fees are pre-checked off when booking, you actually have to un-check the boxes yourself to opt out.

 

[momof2disprincesses]

I realize I could uncheck the boxes for picking my seats and priority boarding. I chose those in lieu of paying for baggage. You basically pay a fee for one or the other and I like the idea of being able to be assured I can sit with my spouse and have room for our carry-ons as we typically only fly with carry-on luggage to avoid baggage fees (plus we have a good system for flying with carry-ons only).

I also wish I would have been able to determine what the fees for seats, priority seating, baggage, convenience fee, etc. would have been before booking but I was unable to find that info on their website.

Plus I think its funny that they charge you to book online but wouldn't if I went to the airport and needed a paid employee to do that for me. That's seems counter-productive!

We are DVC members so we can do our laundry once we arrive and we will have to rent a car since we're flying into Sanford so we can stop at Wal-Mart and get shampoo, etc. as needed once we arrive.

I was just shocked that a $79 flight each way suddenly became a $260 flight round-trip once fees were assessed!

 

[minnie10]

I have been researching all of the fees also. The $14.99 convenience fee is for each segment of flight per person. To avoid this you have to go and buy in person. You have to be careful though, I almost drove 60 miles yesterday to save $210 worth of fees for 7 people. I called and found out they are only open to purchase tickets for 1 hour on Thursday and 1 hour on Sunday. I thought this was strange, but maybe they are just good money manager. I am sure the pilot will land that plane on Thursday and then run upstairs and sell us our tickets. In today's economic tuff times, it sounds like a plan, although it is a little crazy..

 

[sammielynn]

We have flown Allegiant several time, love them. We never pay for boarding or seating. We have always had seats together. My son's are 21 and 19 so if they have to sit alone, it is fine. Their overhead bins are not as large as Air Tran, so carry on luggage is an issue. We always check one bag and have the rest in carry on. So if we have to gate check our carry on luggage it's no big deal to us we have to wait on our one big bag anyway.

 

[webworm]

We live in Canada but because of the ridiculous airfares and surcharges we have to pay leaving here we always fly out of the US and save many $$$$. We are flying for the first time with Allegiant out of Youngstown, Ohio on March 12th to St.Petersburgh Clearwater airport. It was total luck because I got fares for $44.00 each way for the 4 of us. A few hours later they went up to $115.00 each way. Total return was $124.00 or $496.00 for the 4 of us. We are just taking a carry on back and opted for open seating so we didn't have to pay those extra fees. Our kids are teenagers so no biggie if we don't get seats together anyhow.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Since you are so close to the airport, why don't you go to discuss your fees directly at the airport with an agent?

Seriously, are you suggesting that someone drive to the airport, go through the expense and hassle of parking, then wait in usually long lines for a ticket agent who is busy helping people waiting to check in for a flight that day, so you can get an explanation of fees? Why not just check the website or telephone?

 

[PurpleDog]

I just got back from Sanford/Orlando on Allegiant and thier seating policy has now changed slightly - at least from the last time I flew them. They are the absolute experts at "nickel and diming" you to death !!

If you do not purchase a seat location - either on line or at the counter [one hour before the flight is the cutoff to buy a seat assigment], then you will fly via "open seating." My wife and were the last 2 people to board and did not have a problem seating together and having room for carryons. However the plane was not full.

My suggestion is this: arrive at least 90 minutes before the flight and ask how full the plane will be. If it IS full and you DO want to sit together and have room for carryons, pay the 9-12 bucks per person for the seat assigment.

FYI, they told me that because I prepaid for a checked bag, that I was allowed to check a 2nd bag for free. They also told me that that 2nd bag free is NOT advertised because its all had to do with how full the flight is.
They advised me that I should never "count on it."

 

[PurpleDog]

Seriously, are you suggesting that someone drive to the airport, go through the expense and hassle of parking, then wait in usually long lines for a ticket agent who is busy helping people waiting to check in for a flight that day, so you can get an explanation of fees? Why not just check the website or telephone?

The Allegiant counter is ONLY open on the days they fly from your airport, and even then, its not always "open".

I got off a flight last week that was turning around and going back to Sanford and was told they could not talk to me until the flight going back to Sanford took off !