Allegiant set to add
flights at NW airport
Budget airline Allegiant is adding two nonstop flights to Florida destinations from Northwest Arkansas National Airport, the airline said Tuesday.
The Las Vegas-based carrier's new flights travel to Fort Lauderdale and St. Petersburg, Fla., and the company will be offering introductory rates as low as $38 on one-way fares, according to a release. The new routes will operate twice per week, with flight times and fare information available at Allegiant's website.
"We're hearing nothing but excitement from travelers looking forward to some long-overdue vacations -- and we're thrilled to offer convenient, nonstop routes to two incredible Florida destinations," Drew Wells, Allegiant's senior vice president of revenue, said in a statement.
The St. Petersburg flight to St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport will begin July 2. The Fort Lauderdale flight to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport begins Oct. 8.
-- John Magsam
On aviation safety,
Mexico's rating cut
U.S. regulators have downgraded Mexico's aviation safety rating, a move that prevents Mexican airlines from expanding flights to the United States just as travel is recovering from the pandemic.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday that Mexico does not meet standards set by a United Nations aviation group.
The downgrade means that U.S. airlines won't be able to sell tickets on flights operated by Mexican airlines, a setback that will mainly hit Delta Air Lines, which has a partnership with Aeromexico.
Delta said its own service to Mexico is not affected by the downgrade, and it will continue to operate all its flights there normally. Delta might have to issue new tickets, however, to customers who used the company to book flights operated by Aeromexico.
FAA safety ratings of other countries are designed to measure those countries' oversight of their airlines, but the ratings do not mean that the airlines are unsafe. The FAA said it will increase scrutiny of Mexican flights to the United States, but the downgrade does not immediately affect current flights.
-- The Associated Press
State index closes
with a loss of 2.47
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, closed Tuesday at 625.54, down 2.47 points.
"U.S. stocks tried to rally at the open only to slide lower throughout Tuesday's session, ending the day at a slight loss as investors continue to wonder if inflation will continue to move higher and stay high for some time to come," said Chris Harkins, managing director at Raymond James & Associates.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.