Watch CBS News

Budget Airline Now Offering Flights From Pittsburgh To Florida

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The bitter cold no doubt has some people wishing they had a plan to escape to some place warm.

Could Allegiant Air be the answer? It started flying to three destinations in Florida from Pittsburgh International earlier this month. And just this week, it announced that beginning in June, it'll fly non-stop to another popular destination for Pittsburghers: Myrtle Beach.

Al Snyder, of Scott Township, just escaped to Florida on Allegiant Air.

"There was sun every single day," said Snyder.

Allegiant is a budget carrier based in Las Vegas that's begun non-stop flights from Pittsburgh to Jacksonville, Saint Petersburg and Fort Myers.

"It was such a great deal. It allowed me to go to Florida, and I think I had only booked it a week and a half in advance," said Snyder.

The price he paid? $65 each way.

But Ruth Nagy, from AAA Travel, says travelers should realize that budget carriers charge extra for a lot of services you might expect to be free.

"The base price of these fares looks really good," said Nagy. "But then if I add all these extras, is it really the bargain I thought it was going to be?"

She says they charge for everything from carry-ons to a drink of pop.

"They charge for pre-assignment of seats," said Nagy. "So if you're a family traveling together and you want to make sure you're sitting next to your kids, you're going to make sure you pay for those pre-assignments on the seats."

But for Snyder, the extras didn't outweigh the savings and the convenience of a direct flight.

"I don't think I would have gone to Florida this time to visit if Allegiant Air hadn't been around," said Snyder.

Beginning in June, Allegiant will fly non-stop to Myrtle Beach three days a week. Spirit Airlines out of Latrobe offers a similar seasonal non-stop to Myrtle Beach, but Pittsburgh International had lost its non-stop to Myrtle Beach when US Airways stopped offering it three years ago.

Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.