Allegiant: Unique Business Model Provides Substantial Upside

Allegiant Travel Company (ALGT) is a low-cost airline that focuses on flying leisure travelers to warm weather destinations. Over the past decade, it has been the most consistently profitable U.S. airline, with 39 consecutive profitable quarters. CEO Maurice Gallagher has attributed the company's success to "going left when everybody else went right." Some of the major keys to Allegiant's success have been: 1) keeping fleet costs low by buying used aircraft at bargain prices; 2) serving smaller markets where there is no competition; 3) matching capacity to demand based on seasonal trends; and 4) driving high ancillary revenues. This strategy has allowed Allegiant to grow profits in spite of the current high fuel price environment, and...