Two of America’s finances airways are planning to affix forces.
Allegiant Air introduced plans to amass rival Solar Nation Airways on Sunday, in a deal valued at roughly $1.5 billion.
The merger would convey collectively two leisure travel-focused ultra-low-cost carriers: Allegiant, identified for ferrying passengers from underserved cities to trip spots, with Solar Nation, which does the identical — primarily out of its Minneapolis-St. Paul Worldwide Airport (MSP) residence base.
The deal could be topic to regulatory approval by the Trump administration, so vacationers with flights booked within the coming weeks (and months) shouldn’t see any quick modifications.
Allegiant anticipated the deal to shut within the second half of this yr.
Bookings and operations with each airways will proceed, individually, within the meantime.
What the Allegiant-Solar Nation merger means for vacationers
The merger is anticipated to hyperlink Solar Nation’s MSP base to lots of Allegiant’s mid-size markets, the businesses stated. It will additionally give Allegiant entry to the worldwide locations in Mexico and the Caribbean that it is lengthy coveted.
As soon as full, the mixed airline will function below the Allegiant title and retain its Las Vegas headquarters.
That may imply the tip of Solar Nation as a standalone airline model — one which has been round for 43 years.
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In an announcement saying the information Sunday, Allegiant stated the tie-up would create a “main, extra aggressive leisure-focused U.S. airline.”
“Collectively, our complementary networks will broaden our attain to extra trip locations, together with worldwide places,” Allegiant CEO Greg Anderson stated.
“We’re two customer-centric organizations, deeply dedicated to delivering reasonably priced journey experiences with out compromising on high quality,” Solar Nation President and CEO Jude Bricker added.
Airline consolidation picks up
This might be the second merger involving two U.S. carriers this decade — with Sunday’s announcement coming roughly 16 months after Alaska Airways closed on its acquisition of Hawaiian Airways.
Elsewhere, finances rivals Frontier Airways and Spirit Airways have reportedly reignited merger talks, in current months, amid Spirit’s monetary woes — however no deal has been introduced.
This newest wave of airline mergers (or obvious merger discuss) follows a stretch that noticed the Biden administration efficiently block JetBlue’s Northeast Alliance with American Airways in 2023, and its planned acquisition of Spirit in early 2024.
Backside line
For Allegiant, this acquisition of Solar Nation would characterize a big doubling down on its airline operation, after the corporate in 2025 offloaded its Florida Sunseeker resort and pledged to refocus on its core enterprise.
In current months, the provider has additionally introduced a slew of latest routes and pledged to overhaul its loyalty program.
The businesses deliberate to debate the deal in a name with buyers on Monday morning.
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