Charlotte airport hits record

PUNTA GORDA — Nearly 77,000 passengers passed through the Punta Gorda airport in March, a monthly record for the small airport in Charlotte County.

Discount travel company Allegiant is the sole airline at the Charlotte County airport, but it has been expanding operations and based crews in Punta Gorda. March's passenger totals represent a 128% increase in passengers compared with the same month one year ago.

Las Vegas-based Allegiant now provides nonstop jet service to 23 cities from Punta Gorda. The company specializes in arranging travel to leisure destinations such as Southwest Florida with air service, hotels and rental cars. The company caters to tourists from underserved cities such as Allentown, Penn., Niagara Falls, N.Y., and Youngstown, Ohio.