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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Allegiant flights to Bay Area begin Friday

Allegiant Travel Co., which currently runs non-stop flights between Idaho Falls and Las Vegas, Scottsdale, Ariz., and Los Angeles, starts its twice-weekly flights to Oakland, Calif., on Friday.

Fares for the first few weeks start as low as $40 one-way, although that applies only to certain dates. Using the booking program on Allegiant's Web site, if I wanted a round trip this weekend, flying out Friday and returning Monday, the cost would be $493.20 (that includes taxes). That's last minute, though. If I wanted to do the wine country for my birthday at the end of July, I could get a ticket and a room in Napa for as little as $542.83.

Other big news from Allegiant is that they are adding service between Las Vegas and Honolulu starting June 29. This doesn't mean you can book Allegiant out of Idaho Falls, change planes in Vegas and head for Hawaii.

"Our business model isn't based on connecting flights," said Sabrina LoPiccolo, spokeswoman for the company. Allegiant is more focused on offering travel deals to its customers by providing low-cost travel packages that include not only air, but hotel, rental car and attractions.