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Allegiant ends Orlando route

BY MOLLY MCMILLIN

The Wichita Eagle

If you have a ticket

Allegiant Air said it will contact customers holding reservations for flights to Orlando scheduled after July 7. Customers with tickets have three options:

• Travel earlier

• Change the reservation to Las Vegas

• Receive a refund

Allegiant Air will pull its twice-a-week service between Wichita and Orlando about a year after it began, the airline said Thursday. Its last day of service will be July 7.

Allegiant spokeswoman Tyri Squyres said the route had not performed as well as the airline expected when it added it in May 2007.

Rising fuel costs played into the decision, she said.

"That puts a lot of pressure on our route to perform," Squyres said. "We tried to ride it out as long as we could."

Allegiant had the only nonstop flight between Wichita and Orlando.

"We hate to see this happen," Mid-Continent spokeswoman Valerie Wise said.

However, travelers can still reach the destination through other carriers, Wise said.

Las Vegas-based Allegiant, founded in 1997, began service from Wichita to Las Vegas in 2003. Flights to and from Vegas, which it operates six days a week, won't be affected, Squyres said.

"Wichita has been a fantastic market for us overall," Squyres said.

In the past 60 days, Allegiant has discontinued flights from Huntsville, Ala., to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale and from Kingston, N.C., to Orlando, Squyres said. In December, it discontinued some flights to Las Vegas.

Reach Molly McMillin at 316-269-6708 or mmcmillin@wichitaeagle.com.