Allegiant Air says it is beginning the process of reaching out to customers about future flight cancellations at Redmond Municipal Airport. It comes after the revelation that Allegiant suspended operations to and from Redmond in May.
This was Allegiant’s statement to Central Oregon Daily News on Wednesday night:
“The entire commercial aviation industry is being impacted by staffing shortages and high fuel prices at a time when demand for air travel is at an all-time high. In order to maintain the integrity of our operations and deliver our passengers the most reliable service, we made the difficult decision earlier this year to reduce our capacity in many markets. As a result, we suspended service at Redmond Municipal Airport (RDM). Our last flight at RDM was in May 2022.
Allegiant’s business model is built to be flexible so we can respond to market conditions such as these. As industry dynamics evolve, our network planning team will continue to assess our current and past markets and adjust service accordingly.
In the meantime, we’re doing everything we can to ensure we have adequate labor to meet demand. We’re offering extra incentives, including higher wages, bonuses, work schedule flexibility and more.”
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When we posted this to Facebook on Thursday morning, a few people commented that they had booked flights on Allegiant and claimed they had yet to hear from the airline.
Allegiant responded, saying “We started actioning the cancellations at RDM this week, and are still in the process of letting customers know. If viewers contact you saying they have not yet received a refund or heard from us, they will be contacted by customer care in the coming days. Fares will automatically be refunded to the original form of payment.”
Allegiant added that it is that the May suspension was a seasonal hiatus.
“At the time, we intended to restart service in the fall. However, due to dynamic market conditions, including the staffing shortage that’s impacting the commercial aviation industry, we made the difficult decision to suspend service at RDM,” Allegiant said. “We did so far in advance of October to minimize the impact on our customers and give them time to make other arrangements for their travel.”
Allegiant also said that each market it services is unique and has its own season.
The City of Redmond says the airport does not determine the carriers or the routes, both are up to the airlines.
