Now that Skybus is gone, Allegiant Air announces it will stay at PTIA. One need only read the statements from Allegiant officials and PTIA chairman Henry Isaacson to realize why they were pulling out in the first place:
Allegiant had announced last month that it planned to pull out of PTI effective May 31. Company officials cited rising fuel costs and less-than-desired passenger numbers for the decision.
But Thursday, officials told a different story.
“The presence of Skybus was a destabilizing factor for us at Piedmont Triad and a significant factor behind our original decision to withdraw,” Robert Ashcroft , Allegiant’s vice president for planning , said in a news release. “We preferred to stay clear of a company acting in ways we did not understand. … With Skybus no longer a factor, we are delighted to re-commit to the Triad.”
…..”I want people in the Triad to understand that Allegiant is an altogether different airline than Skybus,” Isaacson said. “They’ve been around for awhile; they’ve been making money; they’re established. I think the only reason they were leaving us is that Skybus was sort of permeating the low-fare territory. They don’t compete at the point of origin with another low-fare carrier.”
With this new development, you have to wonder if Isaacson would still put together an incentives package for another discount carrier in a “heartbeat.” Perhaps they will learn something from this episode. But never assume.
