Flint-area travelers just got two new reasons to book a Florida getaway. Allegiant Travel Company announced two new year-round nonstop routes from Flint Bishop International Airport, connecting Mid-Michigan directly to Orlando International Airport and Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, with introductory one-way fares as low as $69.
The Orlando route launches February 10, 2027, and the Fort Myers route follows a day later on February 11, 2027, according to Morningstar, which published the carrier's announcement. Those introductory fares for both new routes must be purchased by Tuesday, and come with limited seats and dates, plus the possibility of optional baggage charges. Fares otherwise include taxes, carrier charges and government fees, though Allegiant notes that fare rules, routes and schedules remain subject to change without notice.
Beyond the two brand-new destinations, Allegiant is also adding frequency to two routes it already flies out of Flint Bishop. Service to Sarasota Bradenton International Airport will now run Wednesdays, Fridays and Mondays starting February 10, 2027, while flights to St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport will add Thursdays, Sundays and Tuesdays beginning February 11, 2027. The additional frequencies, the company said, came due to popular demand.
Airline and Airport Leaders Weigh In
"The new routes expand service between Michigan and Florida and provide convenient access to popular destinations," said Drew Wells of Allegiant, who added that the year-round flights and added frequencies provide customers with greater flexibility and value when planning travel. Flint Bishop Airport CEO Nino Sapone called the announcement “tremendous news” for the airport and for travelers throughout Mid-Michigan.
Allegiant, based in Las Vegas and traded on Nasdaq under the ticker ALGT, operates more than 650 routes and serves nearly 175 cities across the United States and select international destinations under both the Allegiant Air and Sun Country Airlines brands. The company says it carries approximately 22 million annual customers as it focuses on connecting travelers with what it calls people, places and experiences.
A Familiar Pattern of Florida Expansion
The new routes continue a run of Florida additions from Flint Bishop that stretches back years. Allegiant introduced nonstop service to Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport in November 2024, which at the time marked its tenth nonstop destination out of Flint Bishop, according to information from Flint Bishop Airport. That steady cadence of leisure route additions reflects how consistently Florida markets have driven demand among Mid-Michigan travelers.
Allegiant has built deep roots in Flint since establishing an aircraft and crew base at the airport in February 2022, when it stationed three Airbus A320 aircraft locally as part of a $75 million investment that created at least 89 jobs, per PR Newswire. That base allows the carrier to keep planes and crews in Flint year-round, supporting the kind of expanded, year-round schedules now on offer. Allegiant's share of total passenger traffic at Flint Bishop grew from less than 7% in 2016 to more than 54% by 2021, making it the airport's dominant carrier.
Not every recent move has been an expansion. Hoodline reported this summer that Allegiant trimmed several Flint routes, suspending its Newark-Flint and Flint-Destin/Fort Walton Beach services, a reminder that the ultra-low-cost carrier frequently recalibrates lower-frequency routes to match seasonal demand even as it adds elsewhere.
Flint Bishop's Growing Regional Role
The airport itself has been busy on multiple fronts. Flint Bishop served 687,489 total passengers in 2025, with 344,893 enplanements, keeping it as Michigan's third-busiest commercial airport behind Detroit Metropolitan and Grand Rapids' Gerald R. Ford International, according to Wikipedia. Alongside Allegiant's leisure network, the airport maintains daily connecting service through legacy carriers American Airlines and United Airlines, including routes to major hubs like Chicago O'Hare.
In May 2025, airport leadership launched a multi-million-dollar terminal modernization project backed by a $2 million FAA grant, adding upgraded ticketing counters and new terrazzo flooring featuring downtown Flint architectural landmarks, as reported by International Airport Review. Sapone has said the goal was designing the terminal to reflect the local community's identity as flight offerings continue to grow.
The airport's footprint extends beyond its runways, too. Just south of Flint Bishop in Mundy Township, Michigan state agencies and local economic partners spent roughly $261 million between 2024 and 2026 acquiring land and demolishing homes to assemble a 1,300-acre industrial megasite known as Project Grit, Hoodline previously detailed. Between that megasite, the terminal upgrades and Allegiant's expanding Florida schedule, Flint Bishop is increasingly positioned as an economic anchor for the wider Mid-Michigan region.
Founded in 1928 on 220 acres of farmland donated by banker and General Motors board member Arthur Giles Bishop, the airport that bears his name has evolved from a modest local field into a hub with growing national reach. Tickets for the new Orlando and Fort Myers routes, along with the added Sarasota and St. Pete-Clearwater frequencies, are now available for booking.
