Philly’s airport just lost Spirit Airlines. Another low-cost airline is moving in.
Allegiant is adding direct flights to Knoxville, Des Moines, and Grand Rapids from Philadelphia.
A new low-cost airline just touched down at Philadelphia International Airport.
Allegiant, which is based out of Las Vegas and has been in service since 1999, started operating out of PHL last week.
The airline is offering direct flights from Philadelphia to the Knoxville, Tenn., area’s McGhee Tyson Airport; Des Moines International Airport in Iowa; and Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Each route will operate twice a week, with flights on Thursdays and Sundays to Knoxville, on Mondays and Fridays to Grand Rapids, and on Thursdays and Sundays to Des Moines.
“We are excited to welcome Allegiant to the PHL community and to have a leading leisure airline choose to expand its network with us,” Philadelphia airport CEO Tracy Borda said in a statement. “Their nonstop service between Philadelphia and Des Moines, Grand Rapids, and Knoxville starts just in time for the city’s big summer festivities and enables more visitors to come to Philly.”
Allegiant also plans to offer flights from Philadelphia to St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport in Florida beginning in October, which will operate on Mondays and Fridays. Allegiant is the only airline currently planning to offer service to that airport from PHL, according to airport spokesperson Heather Redfern.
“This will be especially popular with Phillies fans traveling to spring training,” PHL chief commercial officer Kate Sullivan, said in a statement Tuesday.
All new Allegiant flights will fly out of Terminal E.
A roundtrip flight to Des Moines departing Philadelphia on Thursday, June 25, and returning on Sunday, June 28, costs $215 including fees and taxes, for a basic-level ticket with seat selection and a carry-on bag. A roundtrip basic-level flight to Knoxville on the same dates costs $441.
Allegiant’s plans to fly from Philadelphia were first announced in November. The airport’s then-CEO Atif Saeed noted in a statement that the airline’s addition would come during “one of the biggest years ever for our city and our airport.”
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PHL’s largest carrier, American Airlines, also offers direct flights to Knoxville, Des Moines, and Grand Rapids through its subsidiaries.
Allegiant arrives at PHL just as the airport lost an ultra-low-cost airline. Spirit Airlines shuttered abruptly earlier this month, roiled by financial struggles. The airline was among PHL’s top five largest carriers in 2024 carrying over 1.7 million travelers that year but didn’t make the list in 2025. Before ceasing operations, Spirit offered between three and seven daily flights out of PHL.
Breeze Airways has stepped in to fill the gap left behind by Spirit’s closure at Atlantic City International Airport, offering destinations where the now defunct airline used to fly.
