Allegiant Airlines will begin nonstop airline flights from Portsmouth to Southwest Florida via Punta Gorda Airport. Spring Training begins in a week and it will be easy for New Englanders to see their Red Sox in the new Fenway South stadium in Fort Myers or catch a variety of games at the Rays home in Port Charlotte where the Red Sox will play on March 16 and 25. Allegiant will offer flights starting at $89 dollars one way.

Punta Gorda is only a short drive north of Fort Myers and the airport is easy to access from I-75. Punta Gorda has more than doubled its traffic in the last year and is fast becoming an alternative to the more crowded airport in For Myers and even Sarasota, Tampa and St. Pete.