Allegiant
Air was founded in 1997 under the name WestJet Express. After
a trademark dispute with West Jet Air Center of Rapid City,
South Dakota and with the name's similarity to WestJet Airlines
of Calgary, Alberta, the airline addopted the name Allegiant
Air and received its operating certificate for scheduled and
charter domestic operations in 1998. The airline also has
authority for charter service to Canada and Mexico.
Scheduled
service began on October 15, 1999, between Las Vegas and the
airline's
initial hub in Fresno, California, with Douglas DC-9-21 and
DC-9-51 aircraft. Shortly after the shut down of WinAir Airlines,
the Allegiant opened a hub in Long Beach, California, mirroring
WinAir's network. The airline was unable to bring in enough
revenue to cover its costs, and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
protection on December 13, 2000.
In
June 2001, Maurice J. Gallagher, Jr. joined the airline and
soon became its President and Chief Executive Officer. Having
formerly worked with WestAir and ValuJet Airlines, Gallagher
led the airline's transformation into its present form, moving
the base to Las Vegas and focusing on smaller markets that
larger airlines did not serve.
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