As LVIA shatters records again, Allegiant weighs fate of route on 'seasonal hiatus'

HANOVER TWP., Lehigh County, Pa. — Passengers continue to travel through Lehigh Valley International Airport at a record pace, and there’s no sign that front-door traffic is slowing down.

Even with the fate of one major route up in the air.

Officials confirmed Tuesday the highest passenger traffic level on record for June, with 98,589 passengers through the airport — a 17.1% jump from June 2023.

Those numbers came after records also were shattered in May, when LVIA saw its highest passenger traffic for the month since 2004.

The 85,243 passengers through the gates in May also was a 16.5% increase from May 2023.

“The record number of travelers reflects the growth of leisure destinations and excellent connectivity when choosing ABE,” Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority Executive Director Thomas R. Stoudt said in a release.

A leisure destination in question

While LNAA spokesman Colin Riccobon acknowledged Wednesday there are no big updates — yet — on the Allentown-to-Denver route Allegiant plans to suspend this winter, future scheduling will be announced as soon as airport officials know more.

It absolutely remains on the table that service could be restored in the spring, Riccobon said, but that announcement would come from the carrier.

Reached Wednesday afternoon, an Allegiant spokeswoman said the ABE-to-Denver route "will go on a seasonal hiatus in November."

"Allegiant is unique among airlines as a low-cost carrier that is 100 percent focused on leisure travel," Stephanie Garibay of Allegiant Media Relations said.

"As a rule, we consider all of our routes to be seasonal because our business model is built on demand and seasonality. Our structure is designed to be flexible so that we can offer leisure travelers low-cost airfare during vacation seasons.

"That said, each city is unique and has its own season, so the period when we offer a particular route or put it on a seasonal hiatus can vary.

"We are constantly evaluating when our customers want to fly to their favorite destinations.

"We’ve seen that folks from eastern Pennsylvania love to spend time outdoors enjoying Denver in the warmer months," Garibay said.

While Garibay said Allegiant can’t share future route plans, "there’s always a possibility for this route to return in 2025" and the airline is "assessing current and past markets and adjusting service accordingly."

Momentum continues, with a hiccup

“Obviously, June was very busy and July is going well and we're still seeing a buzz around the terminals,” Riccobon said.

The lone hiccup — one that had a ripple effect through the entire aviation industry — came July 19 when cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike had an issue that caused major disruptions to companies worldwide.

The widespread outage disrupted flights around the world as airports lost access to all computer systems.

“That could have an effect on the numbers overall for the month of July because of the cancellations we did experience,” Riccobon said.

By the numbers in June at LVIA, American Airlines traffic jumped 37.3%, Allegiant was up 22.7% and Delta increased slightly, by 1.7%.

The only drop was United, which saw a 15.6% decrease from last June.

Buttigieg: Customers have right to a refund

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday sent a letter to airline chief executive officers on refund obligations stemming from the mass disruptions from CrowdStrike caused at the height of the busy summer travel season.

“I want to ensure there is clarity and a shared understanding when it comes to the rights of air travelers and the obligations of U.S. and foreign airlines,” the letter said.

It outlined a customer’s right to a full refund when they do not opt for travel alternatives following a cancellation or delay.

The refund requirements took effect May 16, Buttigieg said in the letter, and the “expectation is that airlines are doing everything in their power to comply.”

The letter reinforced that airlines must inform passengers of a right to a refund whenever a flight is canceled or significantly changes, and cash refunds — not vouchers or credits — must be automatic.