After reading that the Nevada-based airline Allegiant was adding a route between Gulf Shores and Huntsville, I was ecstatic: the Rocket City is where many of my family members live.

Allegiant prides itself on being the only airline with all non-stop flights. After booking my (relatively inexpensive) flight (for their inaugural flight on May 21), I discovered that this is their specialty, so none of their guests have to spend hours in, say, the Atlanta airport. What’s the saying, “If you’re going to heaven, you have to go to Atlanta first”? But I digress...

Just like most airlines, travelers must report to check in at the airport two hours before departure. That was a quick, 21-mile drive from where we live in Fairhope.

The check-in people were quite friendly and excited about this new route. After checking in, travelers are required to go on the airport’s parking app and pay to leave their car there, which was another easy thing for me to do.

Next was getting a quick bite, and that wasn’t so easy or inexpensive. Since the Gulf Shores International Airport is relatively new, all they had under their roof was a Lulu’s, which offered wraps, sandwiches and snacks (on the return flight, I noticed they had a food truck parked outside). Water, sodas, and canned wine or beer were their liquid offerings.

The airport itself was very clean and pleasant; I sat with another couple whose flight was taking them to Omaha, Nebraska. Another young lady I chatted with was flying to see family in Little Rock, Arkansas. Like me, they were all thrilled that their trips were non-stop.

Finally, they called for boarding the flight to Huntsville. The flight was only 46 minutes long, and we were deplaning just a few minutes after landing at Huntsville International Airport.

The return flight on Sunday afternoon was much the same, with Huntsville’s airport offering more by way of dining options. I was back home and cooking dinner before 6 p.m. and was already thinking about taking the trip again. It saved me a couple hundred dollars’ worth of gas and that most precious of commodities: time.

If you’re interested in taking this trip, be aware that, as of now, the Gulf Shores-Huntsville trip is a summertime destination, expiring August 16 unless demand obliges Allegiant to keep that route longer or permanent. To learn more about Allegiant and their nonstop flight destinations, go to www.Allegiant.com.