The U.S. low-cost airline sector is under pressure. Spirit is at the center of bailout speculation. Frontier is retrenching. JetBlue is deep into a multi-year run of losses. Then there is Allegiant. Profitable, disciplined, and – with its planned acquisition of Sun Country Airlines – actively reshaping the lower end of the market.
“Allegiant’s success isn’t dependent on any other carrier. We kind of run our own race,” CEO Greg Anderson told Skift. “We’re trying to separate ourselves from the pack.”
That separation is becoming more meaningful as the industry tightens. Anderson expects fewer airlines in the U.S. by the end of the decade and little chance of new ones emerging to replace them.
“There’s a lot of consolidation discussion happening. So, whether through consolidation or elimination, I would think there will be fewer carriers by 2030,” he said.
Speaking from the carrier’s Las Vegas headquarters, Anderson stopped