ROANOKE (WSLS10) - The Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport celebrates a decade-long partnership with Allegiant airlines.
Firetrucks gave an arriving Allegiant flight a water cannon salute Monday afternoon. And $200 travel vouchers and cake were also given to passengers.
This airline was the first low-fare carrier the airport contracted with. During the 10-years, Allegiant has carried nearly 540,000 passengers.
Most recently, the airline added a flight to Saint Petersburg, Florida.
The airport's marketing director Brad Boettcher told us he hopes to continue expanding Allegiant services to Fort Lauderdale by the fall of 2017.
"Allegiant is interested in adding a flight," said Boettcher. "Right now, they are going through fleet renewal so, they're retiring their McDonald Douglas M.D. series aircraft and are replacing them with air busses. And so, at this point they want they want to put us into Fort Lauderdale, but they don't have the aircraft to do it."
As for the Dallas, Fort Worth and Denver flights, Boettcher said negotiations are ongoing. The goal is to reach a deal over the next year.