To those who say, "ignore the bad reviews", bear in mind everything is great until it isn't. Then it's TERRIBLE!
I started this account specifically to share my terrible experience with Allegiant, with whom I have been a regular customer for around ten years. Zero stars is what they deserve. Last week, I received news that a relative of mine had passed away. I live in Florida and the service was to be held in Arkansas. The closest available flight was from Sanford, Florida to Tulsa, Oklahoma, a two hour road trip on both ends for me.
The flight was scheduled to depart at 7:15 AM and arrive in Tulsa at 8:55 AM. The funeral service that I was to attend was at 1:00 PM CST and located 2 hours from the Tulsa airport.
The first problem that I had was with the boarding pass, which I had tried to present via PDF on my phone. No go. The PDF, even though it had the QR code, is not acceptable. I had to then go and stand in line at the counter after having stood in line at security.
Around 6:30, when the plane should have been boarding, the terminal counter people announced that there was a problem with the aircraft. The counter staff said safety testing was beginning on a backup aircraft, which should be determined to be flyable, soon.
At about 6:45, it was announced that the backup plane failed safety checks and that a new plane would be flown in from Punta Gorda. The counter staff indicated that it would only take 20 minutes to fly in a replacement plane as Punta Gorda is only about 100 miles from Sanford.
At 7:05, people began to inquire as to the status of the replacement plane from Punta Gorda. They were told that the plane would arrive shortly as it was already in the air.
At 7:18, the plane had not arrived and passengers received text messages indicating that the flight would be delayed until 11:10 AM. At that point, I was confused, as there would be no reason why it would take that long to get a plane from Punta Gorda. I assumed it was a mistake and asked the counter staff for confirmation. They admitted that the flight was delayed until after 11:00 AM. I explained that I was to be at a funeral service at 1:30 and that their delay would make me late. The woman nonchalantly told me that was too bad. I then asked for a refund, as my only reason for traveling was to go to a funeral that they were going to force me to miss. She told me that she couldn't give a refund and that I'd have to call customer service. So, I did.
At 7:47 AM, I called customer service to ask for either a refund or a new way to get to my destination. I was placed on hold four times, for about ten minutes each time. Mary was her name. She said she was trying to find an alternate way for me to get to my destination, but also said that she couldn't book me through a different airline. Allegiant is the only airline they deal with and that was the only flight, all day, within 500 miles of my destination. I explained that I had no reason to travel if I missed the funeral and requested a refund. She declined. She said she would not be able to offer a refund in any circumstance. She directed me to the local counter and said if anyone could give a refund, it would be them. Of course, they directed me to her.
So, I'm stuck in an airport wearing a hot wool suit for a funeral that I cannot attend because an airline cannot manage their affairs in a responsible and professional manner and get people to their destinations on time. I'm hot, I'm sad, and I'm mad. And, I'm irrelevant to the airline that I just spent a few hundred bucks on for a flight that I no longer need.
At 11:21 AM, I received another text message, this one telling me that my 7:15 flight which had been delayed to 11:10 has been delayed until 12:00 PM. We took off even later than that.
So, I finally get to Tulsa at around 2:30 PM, local time. I had booked my car rental through Allegiant, which I had never done before on prior trips. Man, did I regret that. I went to Alamo to pick up my car, and was told to go to the outside counter for faster service. So, I did. When I got there, I was told that I needed to pay another $42 for my car rental because I had not met the terms of my contract. The terms? I was late by more than five hours.
Yelp deleted my initial review because it was posted in duplicate. I posted here and then again for their corporate office in Las Vegas because they don't have a Yelp listing for Allegiant in Tulsa.
Return trip was more of same. Flight to depart at 9:35 AM CST and arrive at 1:08 PM EST. I had to get a room in Tulsa so I would get to the airport in time.
At 4:54 AM, I get a text saying the flight is delayed until 1:40 PM.
At 8:56 AM I get a text saying the flight is delayed until 2:10 PM.
At 1:06 PM I get a text saying the flight is delayed until 2:50 PM.
We took off after 3 PM. Arrived in Sanford at 6:17 PM EST.
Missed the funeral. No refund. Smug followup email to my complaint saying "you took the flight, so no refund." read more