The McDonnell Douglas MD-80s that form the backbone of Allegiant’s fleet are rapidly approaching the end of their life, not so much due to a lack of virtue on the part of the airframe but rather due to the heightening scarcity of parts. Allegiant’s current fleet plan calls for 53 MD-80s, 6 757s, 10 A319s, and 10 A320s in its fleet by the end of 2016, though a recent transaction could push the number of A319s up to 22. Even with those aircraft, Allegiant is only pushing a 32% increase in fleet size, much smaller than the near-doubling that Spirit and Frontier are likely to pursue over the same period. But as mentioned before, the MD-80 fleet is on its last legs and A319/A320 secondhand demand around the world is still robust (driving up acquisition costs). The 757 could be an interesting add in limited markets, but it’s nearly as old as the MD-80 (admittedly with more cannibalization potential) and likely too big for most of Allegiant’s markets.
