Allegiant & Punta Gorda

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

I announced somewhere that the budget sequester was going to shut down the Punta Gorda control tower funding, shortly after Allegiant announced it as a destination, an announcement that breathed life into that airport.

It did not.

Here are the airports serviced from/to Punta Gorda:

Punta Gorda, FL
Alentown, PA
Asheville, NC
Bangor, ME
Branson, MO
Cedar Rapids, IA
Des Moines, IA
Fort Wayne, IN
Greenville, SC
Knoxville, TN
Lexington, KY
Moline, IL
Niagara Falls, NY
Peoria, IL
Plattsburgh, NY
Rockford, IL
South Bend, IN
Springfield, IL
Toledo, OH
Youngstown, OH

Someone enterprising needs to build a parking area/building there where all the Snowbirds can store their "condo" cars.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

I see I have not updated this.

Allegiant has added several regional airports to be served by direct flights to and from Punta Gorda. It became newsworthy this Winter as they simply did not show up and left dozens of people stranded in PG.

Allegiant is having some operational problems, with a few flights in their system getting rescheduled for the following day every now and then. That happened to one of our houseguests who had to be driven a long way the next day, again. There actually is ample notice if one takes the time to check advisories on their website:

Travel Advisory

There are no travel advisories at this time. This page will be updated if any flights are rescheduled or cancelled.

We recommend you check the status of your flight before you leave for the airport by clicking the 'Flight Status' link at the top of this page.


We used it three times the last two weeks, and there's no better way to go 1000 miles in 2 hours for $50 or $60.

Is there?

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Last Winter, Allegaint added Springfield, MO to the list that serves Punta Gorda, and every flight we or our houseguests were on was filled.

Sadly, of the 21 regional airports they have decided to serve this Winter, Springfield, MO is not one of them.

That means we will have to pick up and drop off our houseguests at St. Pete/Clearwater, which means fried shrimp or shrimp pasta at Shells.

[grest Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close grest]

Try the Salt Rock Grill in Indian Shores.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Try the Salt Rock Grill in Indian Shores.

Oh, I did not know Allegiant is landing there.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Try the Salt Rock Grill in Indian Shores.

Funny though. . . . last Winter when it was time for one of our houseguests to fly back north out of PG, there was bad weather up north, so Allegiant gave them the option to rebook in the next week for no new fee. So, she said, "Wow! 4 more days of sunny and 80 or go back to a blizzard. What should I do? What should I do?"

We took her to Clearwater to fly back, so ate at Shells and then dropped her off. Then, DW said, "Let's go out to the beach."

We fought the urban sprawl to get there and the urban sprawl the beach has become there, and DW said, "Let's get out of here." So we fought the urban sprawl and traffic to get back to 275."

That area is just not our cup of tea.

[grest Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close grest]

Though it is beautiful, Clearwater Beach does not appeal to me because it is totally packed....not so much with Indian Rocks Beach, one of my favorite places for a morning walk.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Though it is beautiful, Clearwater Beach does not appeal to me because it is totally packed....not so much with Indian Rocks Beach, one of my favorite places for a morning walk.

More than 20 years ago, DW and I did a "1 Day Show" in Clearwater on Saturday and in the park on Indian Rocks Beach on Sunday. It was our first "vacation" together.

We went to Orlando for the next week, and were introduced to timesharing. Our first tour was at Orange Lake when it was just what is now the West Village. Our second tour was at Wastegate, when it was Buildings A & B, and clubhouse, a tent, and a lot of mud.

By the end of the week our timeshare journey began.

It was good-ish when it was good-ish, before it wasn't good, before you could do the same thing without having to join the club.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

The difference between there and our neck 'o the beach is that just south of Sarasota/Venice US 41 and I-75 jog east to go around Charlotte Harbor, so that when they get to Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda, they are 30 miles m/l from the Gulf. Of course, development/sprawl congestion followed the major highways.

When I first went to SW FL, there was no I-75, and places like Bonita Springs were quaint little villages. Ft. Myers Beach, Bonita Beach, etc. resorts were old Florida Mom and Pop places.

The area directly south from Venice, down to Boca Grande, got skipped over by the big-time developers. There are no beachfront high-rises, national motels, or chain restaurants other than McDonald's, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, etc. It is still very-much old Florida.

Of course, that is changing because people from all over the world who are looking for peace and quiet in addition to warm and sunny are finding it.

We seldom venture to 41 HWY, except to scour for bargains at the Cootie Bin (my name for the Goodwll Bargain Barn).

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Also, there are not many Orlando-style highrise or sprawling timeshare resorts in SW FL.

The bulk of the SW FL resorts were developed by a fellow from the Midwest, Ball State University, as Captran resorts. Most are beachfront motel conversions, with a few purpose-built ones thrown in. They started in the 70's, before the Orlando resorts started.

In their own way, they have a modest, simple Midwestern charm. Lahaina Inn is a good example.

[M. Henley Class President Find all posts View Profile Close M. Henley]

Simple Midwestern (forget the simple charm).

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Hi Melvin.

[grest Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close grest]

DH's family lived in Punta Gorda until a few months ago...not much beach to walk

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

DH's family lived in Punta Gorda until a few months ago...not much beach to walk

Nope.

Plenty in our neck 'o the Gulf, though.

With no urban sprawl, highrises, etc. That's yet to come.