Wanna get away this spring? Travelers from Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport now have a new destination open to them. Allegiant Air now offers a direct flight from Toledo to the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona, which began on Wednesday, March 9.
The new route is part of a nine-route expansion across Allegiant’s network, with an additional 13 cities added to their routes.
The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority celebrated the inaugural flight with a ceremony at the Kranz Airport, featuring live music and cake. Inaugural passengers also received a free T-shirt.
“The Phoenix area is a destination that is already very popular among local residents, and we are happy to now offer a convenient nonstop, low-cost option on Allegiant when flying to the Southwest,” Thomas J. WInston, President and CEO of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority said in a press release.
Founded in 1997 as “WestJet Express,” Allegiant Air is a budget airline with corporate headquarters in Summerlin, Nevada, near Las Vegas. It has a fleet of 121 airplanes to its name.
Operating since 1955, Toledo Express Airport was renamed in 2021 in honor of Apollo Flight Director Eugene F. Kranz, a Toledo native. In addition to Phoenix-Mesa, the airport offers nonstop flights to Orlando Sanford, Ft. Meyers/Punta Gorda and St. Pete-Clearwater, Florida via Allegiant.
More than $1.5 million has been allocated to the Kranz Airport as part of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which will be used for capital improvement plan projects.
Tickets from Toledo to Phoenix are available with one-way flights starting as low as $49. For more information or to book tickets, visit the Toledo Express website at toledoexpress.com.