STEWART AIRPORT – Eight years after Allegiant Airways first entered the Hudson Valley market with flights from Stewart Airport to Orlando Sandford, Florida in October 2005, the Las Vegas-based airline is coming back.
Starting on October 31, the carrier will operate two flights per week from Stewart at Newburgh to St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport in Florida.
Allegiant officials and representatives of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will outline details of the flights on Tuesday.
Allegiant operated at Stewart the first time until January 2007 when it pulled out of the market citing competition. The airline had a captive market from Stewart until Air Tran and Jet Blue entered the field, also providing non-stop flights to Florida. However, since then, Air Tran also let Stewart and more recently it left Westchester County Airport in White Plains. Air Tran is now owned by Southwest Airlines.
Allegiant will join Delta, US Airways and Jet Blue at Stewart.