Allegiant to Connect Flights from Bloomington to Orlando

Starting in May, an airline carrier will begin providing flights from Bloomington's airport to Florida's Orlando-Sanford International Airport.

AirTran currently offers flights each week into and out of Bloomington to Florida, but that airline will end service in June. Carl Olson, who is the director of the Central Illinois Regional Airport, said Allegiant Air will maintain a new connection to Florida.

"There are other business destinations that we're interested in looking at, but you have to go where the customers are," Olson said. "You have to realize that an airport is a business that has to serve our customers, and our customers in Central Illinois want to go to Central Florida."

Allegiant currently operates flights between Peoria and Tampa, as well as Las Vegas and Phoenix.

With AirTran's imminent departure this summer, the Bloomington airport is expected to lose about 40-percent of its service. AirTran's jets carry 117 passengers while Allegiant flies 150. Olson said he could not comment on efforts to retain that lost business, but he said AirTran's flights have averaged 90-percent capacity and he anticipates similar results with Allegiant Air.

Allegiant begins Thursday and Sunday service between Bloomington-Normal and the Orlando area on May 16, just weeks before AirTran ends its flights. Allegiant is offering $75 one-way introductory fares for this summer if booked by Feb. 6.

Meanwhile, Vision Airlines recently ended service between Champaign's Willard Airport and an airport near Fort Myers, Florida.