Originally Posted by
CousinEddie
Again, so what. If VA hadn't presented such a blurry ownership structure in the beginning, they wouldn't have attracted that kind of attention. The DOT required them to make changes prior to certification since they were found to not be in full compliance. Again, legitimate issues were raised that required changes. Ever wonder why Allegiant didn't have these issues?
Allegiant started as a scheduled charter airline in the 1990s, flying Fresno to Las Vegas using an old SAS DC-9-21. As mentioned, it did not set out to establish hubs in major cities and develop a route structure to challenge the major airlines. It did not start with great fanfare, huge amounts of funding, and large orders for brand new airplanes like JetBlue or Virgin America. Allegiant was barely a blip at the corner of major airlines radar screens when it acquired its AOC. Completely different animal altogether.