LAS VEGAS — The parent company of Allegiant Air says its chief executive has resigned and that chairman and former CEO Maurice Gallagher will return to lead the budget airline.
Allegiant said Thursday that John Redmond resigned as CEO and a director of the Las Vegas-based company, effective immediately. The company did not say why he left.Gallagher, who has played a role in several low-cost airlines, became Allegiant’s majority owner and joined the board in 2001. He was. He oversaw a period of strong growth, as the company built a fleet of more than 120 planes and added more routes.
Allegiant primarily serves leisure travelers heading to vacation destinations such as Las Vegas. Like rivals Spirit and Frontier, the airline charges low base fares but generates revenue from fees on extra charges. Besides the airline, Allegiant isThe company has reported $144.6 million in profit during the first six months of the year, compared with a loss of $3.5 million in the same period last year.
Redmond joined Allegiant’s board in 2007, served as president, and took over as CEO last June after a career in the hotel business, including high-level jobs at MGM and Caesars World. The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.