ILM prefers to view new Tampa flight as half-full

Wilmington’s first Tampa Bay-bound commercial flight took off on time Thursday morning, but with fewer than half of its seats full.

Sixty-seven passengers took Allegiant Air’s flight to St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport at 10:40 a.m. Thursday morning, said Gary Broughton, airport operations director. Allegiant flies 150-seat, MD-80 jets.

On the inbound flight from Tampa earlier Thursday, 62 people arrived at Wilmington International Airport, Broughton said.

Broughton said he expects the numbers to improve. The week before Thanksgiving is typically a slow travel week, with students still in school and so many people traveling over the holiday, he said.

“I think it’ll be a good flight,” Broughton said. “It’s something we’ll just have to watch.”

Las Vegas-based Allegiant now offers flights to Tampa on Thursdays and Sundays. Flights will leave Wilmington at 10:40 a.m. and arrive in Tampa Bay at 12:15 p.m. Flights departing Tampa will leave at 8:20 a.m. and arrive in Wilmington at 10 a.m.

Allegiant spokeswoman Tyri Squyres said she wasn’t worried about Thursday’s passenger numbers and that “bookings pick up as expected over the holidays.”

For Sunday’s flight, about 100 tickets had been sold by Thursday afternoon, Broughton said. And Allegiant had sold 102 seats and 128 seats for the Thanksgiving day and Nov. 30 flights, respectively.

Allegiant Air officials said in a news release Thursday that the airline is offering fares of $49 each way on flights purchased by Dec. 3 for travel by Feb. 28. That price doesn’t include a number of taxes and fees. A quick search of the company’s Web site Thursday afternoon showed some one-way fares at $29.

Reservations may be made through the company’s Web site, www.allegiantair.com, or by phone at (702) 505-8888.

The Tampa-St. Petersburg area of Florida is the second destination out of Wilmington for Allegiant, which recently resumed twice-a-week service to the Orlando area after suspending service during the slow fall travel period.

Tampa is the No. 7 final destination for air travelers leaving ILM, airport officials have said. With the Tampa flights, ILM will have direct service to five of Wilmington passengers’ top 10 destinations – New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Orlando and Tampa.

Others in the top 10 without direct flights are Washington, D.C., Chicago, Las Vegas, Denver and Boston.

Patrick Gannon: 343-2328

patrick.gannon@starnewsonline.com