Low-fare carrier cites fuel costs; flights end May 31

Low-fare carrier Allegiant Air, which started service from Huntsville International Airport to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., late last year, said Friday that it will end those flights at the end of May.

"If not for (higher prices for) fuel, we would probably not be making this announcement," Allegiant spokeswoman Tyri Squyres said.

"The (Huntsville) market has not met expectations we set for it," she added. "We usually allow more time for the market to mature and development. (But) fuel changes the way you do business."

Escalating fuel prices put so much pressure on a route to perform, she said.

As of February, Allegiant had 4.2 percent of the Huntsville market. Its "load factor," or the percentage of occupied seats, was about 57 percent in January.

Allegiant also is ending its scheduled service from Greensboro, N.C., to Orlando and Tampa, Fla., and is canceling flights between Phoenix-Mesa and Santa Maria, Calif., and between Fort Lauderdale and Rockford and Peoria, Ill., and Fort Wayne, Ind.

Allegiant will continue to operate all of these flights through May 31. Customers with reservations June 1 and beyond will be contacted directly by Allegiant.