Harrah’s awards charter deal

Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2001 | 9:49 a.m.

Harrah's Entertainment Inc. of Las Vegas has awarded a contract for air charter flights to Fresno, Calif.-based Allegiant Air Inc.

A Harrah's spokesman said Allegiant will fly casino customers on charter flights between Laughlin and several other locations around the country where it has casinos. Flights will begin in mid-January.

Allegiant, which will fly a 130-passenger twin-engine MD-87 jet for the charter, also is a scheduled air carrier at McCarran International Airport, offering six flights a week between Fresno and Las Vegas.

The range of the new jet would enable nonstop flights to Laughlin from the East Coast, said company President Jim Patterson.

Allegiant takes over an air charter contract originally held by Sun West International LLC, a regional carrier based in Canada that discontinued operations earlier this year.

Harrah's filed suit in Clark County District Court after Sun West stopped flying. The Harrah's suit seeks to recover $377,000 in prepayments for charter flights and $622,000 it spent to accommodate guests who were stranded when the company ceased operations.

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