Let's face it -- commercial air travel has become one of the most unpleasant things you can pay to experience. But IMHO Allegiant has taken that misery to a new low.
We got hooked into Allegiant when we lived in southern Oregon, and they were about the only airline flying full-sized jets of out airports other than PDX.
Oh, sure, Allegiant has had high numbers of emergency landings and aborted takeoffs, and they have operated second, third, or even fourth hand aircraft. But they've apparently recently switched to new(er?) Airbus planes. And the FAA keeps them in line safety-wise, right? Right?
Anyhow, a series of failed trips had left us with Allegiant vouchers that wanted burning up. So when we needed a flight out of MKE to a city served by Allegiant, we decided to use them.
So far, so good.
The main current annoyance involves Allegiant's pricing.
The initial airfare tickets quoted online seem appealing. But by the time you add lots of money for carry-on and checked baggage, charges for assigned seats, charges for charges, etc. ... well, it all adds up. A LOT.
One of the most annoying charges is for "Trip Flex" which is supposed to buy you out of penalties if you have to cancel. Of course, all you get is a voucher that expires in one year from the booking (NOT flight) date, not a refund.
Also, buried in the confusing terms of Trip Flex is a note that if you cancel, you still lose "carrier charges" and "related booking fees." For a recent cancellation of a round-trip for two, that amount to $18 x 4 for a $72 loss. Which is more than the quoted initial airfare!
After sitting on the phone for nearly 40 minutes to ask an agent about the possibility of getting a refund of the "carrier charges" because of our concerns about traveling during a period of compromised security due to the government shutdown ... haha ... I was told we could have avoided the "carrier charges" by booking in-person at the airport. Of course, she continued, their agents are only at MKE during scheduled flight times. And those agents are swamped dealing with people trying to check in for their flight. So ... read more