DALLAS — Allegiant Air (G4) will close its crew base in Los Angeles, California, opened in 2009. G4 blames the closure on rising airport fees.

“Los Angeles is a key city for our network,” a G4 spokesman said in a statement. “We will still serve Los Angeles with all flights as turns from other bases, delivering our customers the outstanding service they have come to expect from Allegiant.”

Operational Restructuring

Allegiant will transition all LAX operations to outside turns, eliminating overnight aircraft parking and crew layovers. This reduces LAX’s function to a spoke in G4’s network, with flights operated by crew bases in Phoenix (AZA), Las Vegas (LAS), and Provo (PVU).

According to thepointsguy.com, the change cuts 14 daily flight rotations from LAX, necessitating the elimination of nine routes. Remaining LAX services will focus on high-density leisure markets like Bozeman (BZN) and Fargo (FAR), maintaining seven routes versus 16 in early 2024.

The move implies nine route cuts from LAX, compounding a 44% reduction in a year's time.

Workforce Impact

The closure affects 127 pilots and 89 flight attendants based at LAX. While G offers relocation packages to bases like Bellingham (BLI) and Grand Rapids (GRR), industry analysts estimate only 35% of affected crew will accept transfers due to Southern California’s high cost of living.

This exodus could benefit legacy carriers, with United Airlines (UA) reportedly fast-tracking interviews for G captains holding Airbus A320 type ratings. First officers face tougher prospects, as major carriers prioritize pilots with 2,500+ turbine hours—a threshold many G first officers (averaging 1,800 hours) haven’t reached.

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