Last week I boarded a plane for my third time with Allegiant Airlines. I knew what to expect so I chugged a water and some pumpkin chocolate chips cookies beforehand to hold me over until I landed in sunny Arizona. However, I felt bad for the lady sitting next to me. When I sat down next to her, she shortly began talking to me and an hour and a half adventure had just begun.
She began to talk about how thirsty she was and how she couldn't wait until they brought around the free water so she could quench her thirst that began from having to dump out her water before security.
And that's when I broke the news. 'So when flying Allegiant, they don't give you any free water or pretzels or snacks,' I told her. With a look of horror on this woman's face I quickly tried to find her some prices.
'Here are the beverages,' I said as I showed her the pamphlet from the back of the seat in front of me.
She looked down at the pamphlet and with a loud remark exclaimed, 'Four dollars for water?!'
She went on to explain how she already had to pay to check her bags, to get the seat she wanted and now for this. One phrase just kept ringing over in my mind: That's the price you pay when you fly Allegiant Airlines.
So to save some people from having similar experiences, these are some things you should know before opting for the 'cheap' airline. It can be cheap if you do it the right way, but you have to know what you're getting yourself into.
First, like mentioned before, they do not give out free water or snacks. At the Provo airport they also do not have a water fountain and may not let you bring water through security, so STOCK UP. Go into hibernation mode. Fasting mode perhaps. They do have a bathroom, so drink all the water you can if you know you're going to be out for more than a couple hours. And bring snacks that will last you.
Second, pack light. Just to have a carry-on bag costs money. If you need to take an extra bag reserve it online before-hand with your ticket, it will save you some money. Otherwise at the airport, it costs $50 each way per passenger (allegiantair.com) for a carry-on bag and $100 each way for the first checked bag, $75 for the second. So if you're going for the weekend, shove everything into a backpack and put it under your seat. Otherwise, your cheap flight can turn into expensive extremely quickly.
Another suggestion is that unless you're picky, pick the seat that they give you. It costs anywhere around $8 to choose your seat.
Lastly, they fly out at awkward times. Many times they only fly out on Thursdays and Sundays- which can be great for a weekend trip. But last time but Sunday flight left at 6 am in the morning. It's something to consider if that's going to be a problem for you. You need to arrive a couple hours ahead of time, because they didn't let my brother on when he got to the gate 45 minutes early.
Allegiant Airlines can be great and an extremely cheap way to go if you know what you're getting into. So be informed, do your research and don't be like the lady who was dying of thirst sitting next to me and had to drop $4 on water, $8 on a new seat, and $100 extra on baggage. Remember: that's the price you pay for flying Allegiant Airlines. So do it right.