Allegiant Air would pay an estimated $22.8 million to keep flying out of Clearwater's St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) under a proposed five-year deal with Pinellas County.
Proposed deal would raise airport revenue
The agreement, covering Oct. 1, 2026, through Sept. 30, 2031, would bring PIE roughly $8.6 million more than the carrier's prior contract, according to Tampa Bay Business & Wealth. That's a 60.6% jump over the previous deal's approximately $14.2 million value.
The deal is not final. The final dollar amount depends on how much Allegiant flies from PIE over the five years. The county's Office of Management and Budget said the higher fees are needed to balance PIE's operating fund and meet capital improvement needs through fiscal 2031, according to the report.
What changes for the airline
Every Allegiant arrival would carry a landing fee based on the aircraft's maximum weight. That fee starts at $1.43 per 1,000 pounds in fiscal 2027 and rises to $1.48 per 1,000 pounds by fiscal 2031.
Each aircraft turn through PIE would also carry a charge covering the terminal, baggage systems, gates, ramps and boarding bridges. Airlines with more than 6,000 annual departures would pay $223.71 per turn in fiscal 2027, a 7% discount off the standard rate. Those per-turn rates rise 3% each year after fiscal 2027.
Allegiant would also lease 3,697 square feet of exclusive terminal space, including three offices and baggage-claim storage, at $24.26 per square foot. That works out to about $89,700 a year.
Program rewards airlines for new routes
The deal includes a route-incentive program with an initial annual budget of $500,000. New routes adding a destination PIE doesn't already serve would get two years of waived landing fees, terminal rent and other airport charges. The program also offers up to $150,000 per new city pair for marketing in the first year and $100,000 in the second.
Routes simply shifted from Tampa International Airport would not qualify.
Commissioner raised concerns about competition
The incentive fund addresses a concern Commissioner Kathleen Peters raised at an Aug. 12 county work session on PIE's renovation plans. "I'm frustrated that eight years later, all our eggs are in one basket still," Peters said then, according to Tampa Bay Beacons.
PIE's passenger traffic keeps setting records
Allegiant remains PIE's dominant carrier. The airport flew nonstop to 63 cities as of February, PIE said, and set an all-time passenger record in 2025 with 2,794,067 travelers, a 14% increase over 2024.
New revenue not yet in the budget
The additional revenue from the Allegiant agreement is not yet built into PIE's proposed fiscal 2027 budget. The current budget plan carries $3.39 million in airline service-charge revenue, calculated at 95% as required by state law. The county plans to update the airport's revenue projections before budget adoption if commissioners approve the contract.
Either side can terminate the agreement on 90 days' written notice. The county commission vote date for the Allegiant deal has not been confirmed in public records.
