MELBOURNE, Fla. – Just before 11 a.m. Thursday, Allegiant Flight 2430 from the Charlotte, North Carolina, metropolitan area touched down in Melbourne — launching a new route for the Space Coast’s first low-cost airline since Spirit canceled operations after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to News 6 partner Florida Today.
“I have had the pleasure of serving on the Melbourne Airport Authority for 17 years. And this is a day that has always lived as a dream,” said Jack Ryals, board chairman.
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“Today, it’s a reality,” he said.
Ryals spoke at a podium during an Allegiant welcoming ceremony near the Gate 4 ticket counter at Melbourne Orlando International Airport, News 6 partner Florida Today reported.
Outside on the apron, firetrucks greeted the first arriving plane from North Carolina with a celebratory water salute as it taxied to the terminal.
Allegiant started service at MLB on Nov. 11 with a nonstop route to Pittsburgh International Airport. Thursday marked the debut of nonstop flights to Nashville International Airport in Tennessee and Concord-Padgett Regional Airport, just outside Charlotte.
These new Melbourne routes operate two days a week. Allegiant is offering introductory one-way fares as low as $33 through Saturday.
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Allegiant’s Melbourne debut expands its Florida footprint. The airline flies to and from Destin-Fort Walton Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers-Punta Gorda, Jacksonville, Key West, Sanford, Sarasota-Bradenton, St. Petersburg-Clearwater and West Palm Beach.
“Allegiant travelers bound for Florida now have the option to land right here in Melbourne, with immediate access to our beautiful beaches, our adventurous ecotourism, our unique shopping areas like downtown Melbourne and our Eau Gallie Arts District, our fun attractions. And…