Get to know Allegiant, the Las Vegas stadium’s naming rights partner
With Allegiant Air chosen as the stadium naming rights partner of the Raiders’ $1.9 billion Las Vegas stadium, now is a good time to bring those who will visit the facility up to speed on the Las Vegas-based carrier.
The company began operations in 1997 under the name WestJet Express and changed to Allegiant Air in 1998. Operating out of an office in Summerlin, the company is headed by CEO Maurice Gallagher Jr. who has served as chairman and CEO of the airline since 2003.
The chance to feature the locally run company’s name all around the stadium, which Gallagher said will be one of the premiere facilities in the world, was something he and the airline jumped at.
“This doesn’t happen every day, so it’s a moment in time, which I’m a big believer in,” Gallagher said. “We made a decision to go forward with this and we’re going to look back at it as one of the best things we ever did.”
Here’s what you need to know about Allegiant:
Annual passenger count
Allegiant served about 14.3 million passengers last year, with 1.2 million of those being Las Vegas passengers.
Fleet size
Allegiant has 86 aircraft in its fleet. That number is expected to be increased to 90 by year’s end.
Routes
Allegiant flies more than 450 nonstop routes, serving more than 120 cities. Of those, 55 routes are to and from Las Vegas.
“All of our routes are nonstop,” said Sonya Padgett, Allegiant spokeswoman. “Our business model is out-and-back, which means our flight crews return to their homes after each work shift.”
About 75 percent of Allegiant’s routes are non-competitive, with the airline connecting smaller cities or under-served markets to destination cities.
On-time performance
Allegiant ranked number seven out of 13 U.S.-based airlines in the latest report from airline data provider OAG ranking on-time performance between June 2018 and May 2019.
Allegiant was found to be on time 78 percent of the time during that 12-month span, netting the carrier a three-star rating. Only Hawaiian Airlines got a five-star ranking, with an on-time performance of 88 percent. Four carriers received four-star ratings; six airlines, three-star ratings; and one airline, a two-star ranking.
Employee headcount
Allegiant employs about 4,100 people across the U.S. About 1,500 of those are located in Las Vegas, between the Summerlin headquarters and McCarran International Airport.
Revenue
Allegiant saw $1.7 billion in total revenue in 2018. For the first half of 2019 the carrier has amassed $943 million in revenue, after reporting its 66th consecutive profitable quarter.
Charitable interest
Among Allegiant’s charitable work, the ultra-low-fare airline is among Make-A-Wish’s top national corporate sponsors. The airline has flown over 1,500 Wish Kids to their destinations over the past five years. Allegiant also is a national sponsor of the American Red Cross.
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.