Budget airline adds more flights to Myrtle Beach airport, marking first growth in months

Budget fliers will still be able to use Allegiant to reach Myrtle Beach from three destinations in the Northeast and one in the Midwest, Myrtle Beach International Airport announced Thursday.

Allegiant, like other airlines, has been testing out new flights to vacation destinations like Myrtle Beach from smaller regional airports as well as larger cities.

Thursday’s announcement was the first confirmation that flights to and from Albany, New York; Cincinnati; Lehigh Valley, Pennsulvania; and New Windsor, New York will stay on the schedule. In a Facebook post, the airport shared that flights to and from those cities and Myrtle Beach will be available through at least May 15.

This is the first news regarding flights to and from Myrtle Beach in nearly three months. While that might not seem like a lot of time, since March of 2021, small and large airlines have been adding hundreds of new flights to Myrtle Beach, often with announcements coming every month.

The time since Avelo Airlines first arrived at Myrtle Beach International Airport in May is the longest such stretch, during tourism season, without any new flights announced in nearly two years.

The airport’s announcement on Facebook was met with applause from many travelers.

Though others expressed that they still want more flights added, and for them to be available year-around. Much of the airport’s schedule is seasonal, with a focus on March through September. Few airlines run all destinations all year.

In the comments, requested destinations for Allegiant included Traverse City, Michigan; Austin, Texas; and Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Others wished the airline would make flights to cities including Clarksburg, West Virginia; Columbus, Ohio; Indianapolis; and Pittsburgh available all year.

“Unfortunately, passenger demand for (Myrtle Beach to Indianapolis) is incredibly seasonal and flights have historically not performed the best outside of peak June-July summer travel,” the airport replied in a comment to one traveler. “If that changes in the future, airlines will typically adjust schedules accordingly.”