Allegiant to L.A. flights resume June 6

Two airlines have announced dates for the resumption of seasonal service from Cedar Rapids to Denver and Los Angeles.

Frontier Airlines will resume seasonal direct flights to Denver on April 14. The airline will offer flights on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings.

Frontier suspends service between Cedar Rapids and Denver during the winter months. The airline began service to The Eastern Iowa Airport in May 2012.

Travelers will be able to fly nonstop between Cedar Rapids and Los Angeles beginning June 15, when Allegiant Air resumes seasonal service.

Allegiant will offer two weekly flights to Los Angeles through the summer from The Eastern Iowa Airport. Flights are scheduled for Wednesday and Saturday afternoons.

Allegiant offered similar service the last two summers that ended in early September.

Allegiant has declined to offer the L.A. flights throughout the year, saying the market has been very seasonal for the ultralow cost carrier. The airline has said it must balance the cost of gate and landing fees at Los Angeles International Airport with the revenue from travelers using the air service.

Eastern Iowans using the seasonal flights to Los Angeles live primarily in urban areas, while those flying Allegiant to Las Vegas, Orlando Sanford, Phoenix-Mesa, St. Petersburg/Tampa and Punta Gorda/Fort Myers come more broadly from urban and rural areas.

The Eastern Iowa Airport has added a boarding bridge to the lower concourse, enabling passengers on Allegiant and Frontier Air to board and leave aircraft without being exposed to the elements. The airport also has added a refreshment kiosk in the lower concourse.

The $50 million remodeling of the airport passenger terminal includes an expansion of the B concourse planned for 2017. It will add two permanent boarding bridges, which also will relieve congestion on the C concourse.