Allegiant Air will cease all operations at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in early 2026, marking the end of a 17-year presence at the airport.
The ULCC plans to end its last two routes from LAX—service to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and Bellingham, Washington—on Jan. 3, 2026, according to OAG Schedules Analyser data. Both routes are scheduled to operate 2X-weekly during the winter season with Airbus A320-family aircraft.
The decision follows Allegiant’s March announcement that it would close its LAX crew and aircraft base effective Sept. 2—although at the time the carrier said it intended to continue serving the airport from other bases.
Allegiant launched service from LAX in May 2009 and opened the airport as a base in 2016. Its exit reflects a broader strategy shift toward nearby Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), where Allegiant has announced new service to Provo, Utah, and Bellingham beginning Feb. 12, 2026.
“We’ve proudly served LAX for nearly 17 years so the decision to leave is not one we made lightly,” a spokesperson said. “It is driven by Allegiant’s long-term strategic goals and reflective of our flexible business value. With LAX’s per-passenger costs projected to reach nearly $64 by 2031 (per Fitch Ratings), we’ve chosen to pivot toward a more sustainable and value-oriented model in the LA basin.”
The spokesperson added: “Burbank’s lower operating costs and streamlined gate and facility usage allow us to offer more attractive fares to our customers while creating a better working environment for our team members. With a new terminal slated to open in late 2026, the BUR experience is only set to improve. We’re confident that this transition to Burbank will better serve our customers and position Allegiant for continued success in Southern California.”
The change will leave Delta Air Lines as the only carrier linking LAX and Cincinnati, operating six times per week. However, Allegiant is the sole operator on the LAX-Bellingham route.
The exit from LAX comes as Allegiant reports solid demand trends across its network. In a Sept. 10 update, Chief Commercial Officer Drew Wells said, “demand has remained solid with trends outperforming our initial expectations.”
“The demand environment continues to show resilience across our network, providing momentum as we move into the fall and holiday periods,” he added.
For August, Allegiant carried nearly 1.5 million scheduled service passengers, up 12.6% year-on-year. Available seat miles rose 14.6% while load factor slipped 1.9 points to 82.6%.
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