Allegiant Air Boeing 757 N902NV outside ATS at Paine Field in Everett, WA on Sunday.
I know, I know, I have posted a lot of blogs not only on Allegiant’s new Boeing 757’s, but also their semi-new livery. What can I say, I love new liveries and new airplane types. Put them together and I can’t resist.
While driving around Paine Field on Sunday, there was a nice treat sitting outside of ATS in Everett: N902NV. Although I was aware that N902NV was at ATS, I haven’t seen her in person. Previously I wondered if Allegiant’s semi-new livery would look better in person than in photos and I think it does.
Taking a look at this close up photo of the door, you can see there is no interior trim on the door and what looks like wires hanging down from the inside. I assume that the interior has not yet been completed and work should continue at ATS. N901NV, the other Boeing 757, is stationed at Flightstar Aircraft Services in Jacksonville, FL. I followed up with Allegiant again to see if there was any news on these Boeing 757’s and at this time they are still staying silent.
On top of seeing their new aircraft, Allegiant also announced last week that if you don’t pay for an assigned seat, you will end up having Southwest-style open seating. This will be the new order for boarding:
* Priority Boarding for those that pay $9.99 extra per leg on top of seat assignment fee
* Pre-boards
* General Boarding – those who purchased seat assignments for $6.99 or $9.99
* Families with children under 7
* Everyone else, in order of check in
If a passenger does not board during their specified boarding time, they forfeit their seat assignment. Now, that would be frustrating for a family of 3 that dropped $30 to sit together.
I will be taking my first flight on Allegiant next month from Bellingham to Las Vegas. I have heard you can purchase Allegiant MD-80 models on board the aircraft, you better believe I will be getting one of my own.
UPDATE:
On Allegiant’s SEC presentation they state under a plan to amend the 757 fleet and Hawaii program:
* Operate 757 in domestic mainland, non-ETOPS flying (ETOPS is needed to fly over 60min away from an airport)
* After several months of operational experience, apply for ETOPS
* Target ETOPS approval in 2012
Interesting. Allegiant has confirmed with me that the Boeing 757’s will start flying in mid-2011, but there was no talk about pushing flights to Hawaii to 2012. Is Allegiant just having issues with getting ETOPS certification or does the FAA want Allegiant to get some experience flying the Boeing 757 domestically over land before having them ETOPS certified. I am not sure now, but hoping to find out. Thanks to Dan Webb for finding this.
MORE PHOTOS OF ALLEGIANT 757 N902NV AT PAINE FIELD
Somehow open seating following reserved seating doesn’t sound like the same thing. It needs a different name, like leftover seating.
Heh. Maybe if they made it sound really bad like “you are too cheap to pay for seating, so now you get scraps seating” maybe more people would pay for reserved seating :).
David
My take on the open seating is that it is just a grap for more money. With the letter I recieved from Allegiant addressed to the Valued Customer, I did not feel too valued. They should have just made everyone pay for the seats. The prices offered are great in comparison to what we would pay leaving from Vancouver. The taxes are always as much as the flight. We are flying on the 29th and to be perfectly honest, the flight is short and I really don’t care where I sit. My concern is making sure they do not delay the flight. Twice we have been stuck in the Bellingham airport for hours. Try 8 hours. This happens way to often.
My issue is that why are they including Exit Row’s in their open seating. I really disagree. Flight we were on there was 4 of us that paid $ 14.99 and left 6 open seat’s. Now, 4 took advantage of the open seating and paid nothing. One man was with a cane and not fit to open the door if we had to evacuate. I feel Exit row’s should be exempt from open seating unless you pay the extra fee. On another airline if you did not pay for an Exit row you were not able to sit there, so they made them move after showing there ticket after in flight. Why just don’t do what Southwest does.
We found the open seating policy a disaster! We paid extra for assigned seats on the way home, only to have so much congestion we couldn’t get boarded. The cattle-chute effect happens. The gate attendants were in such a hurry to grt passengers boarded they didn’t honor, or care, as I tried to make my way through the herd of people to board. A man had taken both my husband’s and my seats. The stewardess refused to help and the man and woman wouldn’t give us our seats. I sat in the middle and my husband sat in the rear. Allegiant took $36 from us for the seats and didn’t let us use them. They refused a refund of the fee! We will not use this airline again, due to their horrific policies. I am 80yrs old and in good shape, but I was nearly trampled to the ground from how crazy people get to board open seating. This was dangerous!!
My family has experienced the “open seating” and it has been a disaster! We paid for assigned seats to be together, but the cattle herd came barging in and took 3 of our 5 seats, as we were situating luggage! I asked them politely to relocate and they refused. I asked the stewardess to help. She said, ‘Sorry, if you didn’t get it, you can’t have it.’ Thanks for NO help. We didn’t take a long time, just enough to stow our luggage, and boom, the crowd overpowered us and that was that. No refund of the seat assignment or any help.
This is obviously a ploy to extort more $$$ from passengers! By the time I paid for 5 tickets, checked bags, carry-ons, seat assignments, etc, the ticket price was about what Delta had. I will try to avoid this airline next time. The hassle is not worth the little money saved.
Keep flying these piece-of-crappola budget airline folks. BUT…how’s about the ceasing of this bitchin’,moaning.whining and crying when a policy like “open seating” ends up kicking you and your precious family in their collective arses!!!
Idiots…
AND…spare me the rebuttal folks. I’ve been in this industry for 34 years with ONE responsible large airline who KNOWS how to treat it’s customers!
Allegiant’s open seating is a disaster! I live a couple of miles from a small regional airport that currently is used only by Allegient commercially. (military training still takes place there as it is a former base and private jets come and go) Since the open seating, the flights leave and arrive late every day and night. Then I had the joy of flying with them last week. Overall, Allegiant is a fantastic airline, but they need to get this under control. Because the open seaters are clamoring for the best seat–they clog the entry to the jetway making it impossible to distinguish who has a seat assignment and who doesn’t. They call for those who have the assignments–but again, the cattle herd lines up and blocks the way. when you finally muddle through that, and the open seating begins, there is no order whatsoever. And it never fails, open seaters take their time getting to where they want to go, and furthermore, take forever getting their crap in the overhead bins and getting their tails out of the aisles. Our last flight left 30 minutes late and got in more than a half hour late. They are a no frills airline, so I don’t see them going into the expenditures of what Southwest does to control their lines, but they could easily use what’s already available in their area and simply put a sign at the head of each line. SEAT ASSIGNMENTS and OPEN SEATING. I swear Hugo from Lost was on our flight (ok, not really, but he did look like him)and he blocked the lane, only mumbling “yes, but go ahead” to each person who asked if he did have a seat assignment. Grrr! He was simply lying to keep his place, but impeding the process. C’mon Allegiant–get it under control!