Allegiant Airlines will start gradually retiring its MD-80 fleet throughout next year starting with one of its two MD-87 by the end of this year and a second MD-87 as well as five additional MD-80s next year that will be replaced by the A319-100s Allegiant will start putting into scheduled service from spring 2013.

Allegiant currently operates 4 MD-82s, 46 MD-83s, 2 MD-87s and 6 MD-88s. The MD-87s will be cut from the fleet as it has lost its charter contract with casino operator Caesar to F9. In other news, Allegiant has announced that it is looking at launching international flights to Mexico from late 2013 or early 2014 from its bases at Las Vegas McCarran and Orlando Sanford. It is also considering launching Cancún as a new destination market from smaller US cities around the same time.