Allegiant's issues magnified by lack of alternatives

Thursday morning, an Allegiant Air flight from St. Pete-Clearwater to Niagara Falls was diverted to Orlando/Sanford because of an "operational decision," but no further details were given.

It's the latest issue facing Allegiant recently. Twice in the last month, Allegiant planes made emergency landings at PIE, one for smoke in the cabin; the other had pressurization problems.

"I don't think this is special to Allegiant," said FOX 13 consumer reporter and aviation aficionado Chris Chmura.

We asked our own expert: What's going on here?

"Trust you me -- all of the airlines having problems like this every single day all over the country," he said. "The problem is Allegiant, by virtue of its low cost model, doesn't have the ability to rebook passengers on other airlines and that's when frustration really begins to grow."

He recommends going with a major carrier if the prices are similar.

Fliers like Mary Mill say overall their experiences with Allegiant have been solid.

"It is not expensive to fly, you can take your family, it's not a big deal. You can go more often," she said.

Passengers on that diverted flight were given $50 vouchers.