Allegiant Extra previews the airline's premium future

Just before the pandemic, Allegiant quietly did something that didn’t seem very… Allegiant. The carrier experimented with its own twist on extra-legroom seating on just three aircraft. The experiment clicked and Allegiant Extra was born. Management expanded the offering to more aircraft and more routes, though not all.

Allegiant Extra bundles extra legroom seating, priority airport services, baggage, and other perks into a more premium experience — by low-cost carrier (LCC) standards anyway. At the time, it looked like just another ancillary product designed to boost revenue by generating more cash than from the ticket itself.

Today, it looks like the opening chapter of a much bigger story. Following the lead of other LCCs before it like Frontier, Spirit (rip), and Breeze, Allegiant in spring 2027 will venture into territory few would have imagined even a few years ago with the introduction of Allegiant First aboard select Boeing 737 MAX twinjets.

Launching first from Punta Gorda, Florida, the new cabin will feature just eight seats in a 2-2 configuration with 37 inches of pitch, generous recline, upgraded amenities, and bundled services that move the airline upmarket for its increasingly upscale customer base. Allegiant says the new cabin is designed to complement, not replace, Allegiant Extra, making today’s extra-legroom product the clearest preview yet of where the airline is headed.

My own Allegiant history goes back even farther. The last time I flew the airline was in 2018 aboard one of its well-worn McDonnell Douglas MD-80s (as seen in this photo).

By sheer coincidence, it happened to be the very same stormy evening that 60 Minutes aired its highly critical piece about Allegiant’s safety record.

Some passengers walked off the flight as the story was aired just prior to boarding!

I personally saw the segment as a hit piece. But as turbulence bounced the old Mad Dog around the Florida skies, it wasn’t exactly the most relaxing time to be contemplating the airline’s maintenance practices.

Thankfully, both Allegiant and its fleet have changed dramatically since then. For starters, the MD-80s are gone.

Allegiant’s Airbus A319/320 fleet took over and has since been augmented by Boeing 737-8 and 737-8200 MAXs, as part of a 50-strong order.

The MAXs started arriving in October 2024. With premium flying all the rage these days, and with First Class on the horizon for Allegiant, the airline is making perhaps the boldest product move in its near 30-year history.

Now was the perfect time to take another look at the carrier!

If Allegiant First is the destination, Allegiant Extra is the preview. Extra! Extra! Real all about it! See what I did there?

Booking an Allegiant flight is a masterclass in airline merchandising. My one-way base fare from Fort Lauderdale to Indianapolis started at $123. That bought exactly one thing: a seat on the airplane. Basic economy at its most basic!

From there, the airline walks passengers up its ladder of ancillary bundles, though everything is still available ‘a la carte.’ The “bonus” package adds the typical assigned seats, checked and carry-on bags, and and a more flexible change policy.

The top tier “total” bundle unlocks the full Allegiant Extra experience with priority check in and boarding, an assigned extra legroom seat, one checked bag, a full size carry on, reserved overhead bin space, and a fully refundable ticket instead of a travel credit and change fee.

The jump to “total” added another $124, effectively doubling the price of the ticket. At first blush, it felt like a splurge. Twenty-four hours later, after experiencing Fort Lauderdale on a Sunday morning, I realized it was money well spent. Allegiant Extra isn’t just about extra legroom. On the right day, it’s a stress-reduction package.

Before departure, Allegiant sent a “get ready to travel” email with a clever timeline of the airport itinerary, along with a handy checklist. I’d have added: “Remember to download content and charge your devices” for reasons that I will explain later.

The app worked exactly as advertised. A reminder email popped up in my inbox exactly 24 hours prior to departure, alerting me to check in. A few taps later, my mobile boarding pass was ready.

Fort Lauderdale was awash in sun-soaked tourists heading home. The terminal overflowed with oversized suitcases, flip flops, short shorts, and families trying to squeeze every souvenir into already bulging roller bags. The standard Allegiant check-in line stretched so far across the terminal that I initially couldn’t even see the ticket counter.

Fortunately, I didn’t need to. The Allegiant Extra priority lane was completely empty. Praise the lord!

Allegiant priority lane at the airport.

Within minutes my checked bag was on the belt, and I was making my way to TSA PreCheck, though once I discovered that Terminal 1 has CLEAR, I put my membership to work! Allegiant recommends passengers arrive at least two hours before departure. Looking at the regular queue, I completely understood why. Before I had even reached the gate, the upgrade had already begun paying dividends.

Things weren’t much quieter there. Every seat was occupied and late arriving passengers hugged the walls waiting for boarding to begin. When Zone 1 was called for Allegiant Extra guests, active-duty military, and eligible cardholders, I happily left the crowd behind.

A few minutes later my carry-on was tucked into the reserved “extra” overhead bin while passengers farther back searched for the last remaining scraps of bin space. The on-the-ground experience alone was quickly becoming worth the price of admission.

Otherwise, boarding was quick and efficient, even with the teeming throng of obviously occasional flyers. Allegiant is really working to raise the bar on its less-than-stellar on-time record. That said, the carrier has a statistically low mishandled baggage rate and a solid completion rate, placing it near the top of The Wall Street Journal‘s annual rankings for both metrics.

After scrutinizing the clean cabin, I settled into one of the first five rows reserved for Allegiant Extra so that my back and butt could put the airline’s budding premium aspirations to the test.

The hard product, with an emphasis on hard (especially for lean-framed humans), is Acro’s Series 3 Superlight ST slimline seat, which has been installed across the majority of the carrier’s Airbus A319 and A320 fleet.

The pre-reclined seat uses Acro’s curved backrest design to maximize knee and shin clearance, creating noticeably more personal space than the tape measure might suggest.

Standard Economy offers between 29 and 30 inches of pitch, while Allegiant Extra adds up to another six inches. Nobody is going to mistake it for luxury, but the additional personal space is immediately noticeable.

The slimline seat itself is firm, lightweight, and unmistakably designed for efficiency rather than indulgence. Comfort isn’t a word I’d personally used to describe any slimline.

Allegiant has also relocated the literature pocket to the top of the seatback, freeing up valuable knee room below. The tradeoff is minimal storage, but given the choice, I’d rather have the legroom.

The armrest, as is now the unfortunate norm, was about as wide and as comfortable as a clothes hanger. I exaggerate… but only just a little.

The diminutive tray table could almost accommodate my iPad, almost. Device holders? Banish the thought!

The author has loads of legroom in his seat

Once airborne, Allegiant’s ultra-low-cost roots become more apparent with a complete lack of inflight connectivity (despite there being an antenna hump atop the leased A320). There isn’t even a wireless IFE option, whereby cached content from a server is streamed to passengers’ own devices.

Need to power up your device? There are no USB ports, and no AC outlets. As Allegiant prepares to introduce Allegiant First in 2027, it has yet to announce an onboard Wi-Fi plan.

There is an inflight magazine — a rarity for any U.S. carrier these days. It is chock full of advertorial.

The soft product is curious. Allegiant has identified that a cohort of its customers are well-heeled, owning second homes and such. Since they are loyal buyers of Extra, Allegiant has catered parts of its catering program to them.

Earlier this year, the airline generated buzz by announcing it would stock Johnnie Walker Blue Label on select flights for $35 a bottle. That’s not exactly the sort of spirit you’d expect from a no-frills LCC.

It also unveiled its own branded Altus wine and, effective August 1, has made soft drinks, juice, coffee, and tea complimentary throughout the cabin. When I flew, only water was complimentary regardless of which bundle you purchased.

Service began promptly after we reached cruise. My flight predated the August 1 beverage enhancement, so complimentary nonalcoholic drinks were limited to holders of the Allegiant branded Visa card.

A line up of beverages available for purchase on the menu

Snacks are all an extra cost. Even so, the buy-on-board menu proved surprisingly extensive with a bunch of branded bundles to boot. That’s good for bellies and the bottom line.

The airline has put real thought into its onboard offerings, and the prices weren’t too extortionate.

Don’t expect anything approaching a meal, however. This is solidly a snacks-only service

I happily assembled what could best be described as an airport shelf-stable charcuterie board: two $8 Olli meat and cheese trays, and a bag of Cheetos. I paired it with $9 glasses of Allegiant’s new Altus wine. I felt absolutely boojie!

The cabin crew kept service moving at an efficient pace, and the lavatories remained clean throughout the flight.

What surprised me was the demeanor. For a leisure airline carrying vacationers to and from Florida, I expected a more fun vibe. Instead, the service was professional but just meh. Airlines like Southwest (and once Spirit) know that good, upbeat crews brimming with personality are a free frill that raise NPS scores.

One thing I did appreciate was what didn’t happen. They exercised restraint around the credit card pitch and didn’t hawk other wares like I would have expected.

Once service concluded, the cabin settled into a comfortable monotony with the crew periodically collecting trash and tidying the lavs, which I appreciated. We glided into Indy ahead of schedule.

Bags were promptly on the belt, not lost. A point-to-point network has its advantages in the lost bags department!

Allegiant’s former tagline “travel is our deal” sums up where they have come while their new tagline “together we fly” underscores their upmarket aspirations.

Meanwhile, the carrier is still providing a solid, reliable, and affordable way to get from heartland Point A to sun-and-sand Point B non-stop. I look forward to trying its new Allegiant First product when it debuts.