Allegiant Air Returning to Portsmouth

Allegiant Air this fall will begin offering passenger airline service out of the Portsmouth International Airport at Pease, which has been without a commercial airliner since 2008.

Allegiant, a budget airline based in Las Vegas, Nevada. made the announcement in a news release Tuesday.

It will be the first time passenger airline service will be offered at Pease since Skybus ceased its operation there. Several other airlines, including Allegiant, have previously operated out of Pease in the last 20 years.

Allegiant will provide nonstop service from Pease to Orlando-Sanford International Airport in Florida.

Eric Fletcher, an Allegiant Air manager, said ticket prices will be "shockingly low." He added there will be free parking.

Below is the news release from Allegiant:

Allegiant announces today new, nonstop jet service to Orlando-Sanford International Airport (SFB) from nine cities, beginning Oct. 25, 2013. Allegiant also announced today, service in 10 new communities, marking 99 U.S. cities served by Allegiant's low-cost, nonstop service to popular vacation destinations, more than any other low-cost carrier in the U.S. To celebrate, the company, known for its exceptional travel deals, will introduce the new service with roundtrip fares as low as $99.

1. Bismarck, N.D. - begins Nov. 23, 2013
2. Charlottesville, Va. - begins Nov. 21, 2013
3. Clarksburg, W. Va. - begins Nov. 14, 2013
4. Concord, N.C. - begins Dec. 20, 2013 
5. Oklahoma City, Okla. - begins Nov. 14, 2013
6. Portsmouth, N.H. - begins Oct. 25, 2013
7. Springfield, Ill. - begins Nov. 22, 2013
8. St. Cloud, Minn. - begins Dec. 18, 2013
9. Tulsa, Okla. - begins Oct. 25, 2013

Flight days and times can be found at allegiant.com. Travelers can take advantage of everyday low fares and save even more when they book air, hotel, car and even activity and attraction reservations together.

"We are pleased to bring more convenient, low-cost vacation options to more communities," Andrew C. Levy, Allegiant Travel Company President, said. "Allegiant is dedicated to making vacations more affordable for more people, offering our customers the lowest possible base fare and nonstop service to the most popular vacation destinations."

Allegiant differs in many ways from other U.S. airlines. The Company's sole focus is on low-cost, nonstop leisure travel, providing customers with low base fares and great value. Allegiant's innovative business model has allowed it to grow from one plane and one route just over a decade ago, to offering access to low-cost, nonstop travel to 14 vacation destinations in 99 communities nationwide. Allegiant also offers discounts on vacation packages, including hotels, rental cars and attraction tickets, through its website, allegiant.com.

"These additional destinations represent the largest route expansion in our history and a tremendous opportunity for us to showcase both Allegiant and the Airport to Central Florida. We are also very excited about the introduction of the Airbus 320s into their fleet mix, and continue to be impressed with Allegiant's exponential growth in today's market," said Larry Dale, Orlando-Sanford International Airport President/CEO.

Robert Cook contributed to this story