**B-Roll & Photos**
LAS VEGAS, Nov. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, dozens of
Allegiant Travel Company (NASDAQ: ALGT) employees gathered at the
airline's West Coast Training Center to celebrate their newest
pilot: Ben, a 14-year-old wish kid.
The airline partnered with Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada to grant
Ben's wish to be a pilot, flying him and his family in from
Reno Tuesday.
"We've been partners with Make-A-Wish since 2012 and have flown
more than 2,000 kids and their families to their wish destinations,
so we understand the transformational power of a wish," said
Gregory Anderson, Allegiant
president. "But this is the first time we've had the honor of
actually granting a child's wish. Our team members wanted to create
an unforgettable experience for Ben and I believe they
succeeded."
After receiving his pilot's wings and uniform, Ben joined two
Allegiant captains in the flight deck of the company's full-motion
Airbus simulator, where he "flew" his first flight to Reno, Nevada. Along for the ride were his
father and sister. After the flight deck doors closed, the
Allegiant captains gave Ben the same treatment a pilot-in-training
receives, turning over the controls to him and teaching him how to
take off, steer the aircraft and land.
Ben's training really began Tuesday, when he flew into
Las Vegas on an Allegiant flight.
The pilots enlisted his help in preparing the aircraft for
departure, showing him how they conduct their pre-flight checks,
including an inspection of the exterior of the plane.
"They say it takes a village to raise a child, but we know it
takes a community to grant a wish," said Scott Rosenzweig,
Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada president and CEO. "Allegiant Air
continues to walk beside us in giving the prescription of hope for
children with critical illnesses and provides us our home here at
Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada. And when we found out Ben's wish, we
only had one team in mind, Allegiant. They not only make our kids'
wishes come true but ours too!"
Allegiant became a national partner with Make-A-Wish in 2012.
Since then, the company has donated more than $7
million to the organization through in-kind flights and
sponsorships.
Allegiant's partnership with Make-A-Wish extends beyond wish
flights. In 2017, the airline donated office space at its Las
Vegas headquarters to Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada. This allows
the nonprofit to reduce its administrative costs, dedicating those
funds to wish fulfillment.
Allegiant also donates $1 from every Wingz Snack Packs
sold in flight to Make-A-Wish and is the presenting sponsor of the
annual Walk for Wishes event in Las Vegas.
Allegiant – Together We Fly™
Las Vegas-based Allegiant
(NASDAQ: ALGT) is an integrated travel company with an airline at
its heart, focused on connecting customers with the people,
places and experiences that matter most. Since
1999, Allegiant Air has linked travelers in
small-to-medium cities to world-class vacation
destinations with all-nonstop flights and industry-low average
fares. Today, Allegiant serves communities across the nation, with
base airfares less than half the cost of the average domestic
roundtrip ticket. For more information, visit us at Allegiant.com.
Media information, including photos, is available
at http://gofly.us/iiFa303wrtF
Allegiant Media Contact
Phone: 702-800-2020
Email: mediarelations@allegiantair.com
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SOURCE Allegiant Travel Company