Allegiant Air Pilots To Strike Tomorrow [Update: Court Puts Strike On Hold]

UPDATE (7:10pm): The strikes are on hold following a U.S. District Court decision to issue a temporary restraining order. Corey Berger, an Allegiant pilot based in Phoenix, is responding on behalf of the pilots:

“Allegiant Air executives are pocketing millions while reducing benefits for pilots. The deterioration of the scheduling system alone is keeping pilots from seeing their families and many facing exhaustion. Striking is not an easy decision; it is a last resort, and because Allegiant executives are so unwilling to restore basic scheduling practices, we have been left no other option. Although we know that our strike to restore the status quo is legal, we will comply with the judge’s decision and look forward to having our voices heard at the upcoming hearing.” 

Veteran pilots at Allegiant Air, the country’s most profitable airline, announced this morning that they will not be flying regularly scheduled routes on Thursday, April 2nd from the airline’s major hubs across the country, including Orlando, Phoenix, Tampa and Las Vegas.  The strike comes as Allegiant refuses to re-establish a prior scheduling system and restore other basic benefits that have been illegally rolled back over a two-year period during which the company has posted record-level profits.

In January, 98 percent of the company’s pilots, including those on reserve duty, voted to authorize a strike according to the Airline Professionals Association Teamsters Local 1224. The strike has the potential to ground more than 250 flights from taking off Thursday, impacting over 33,000 customers, including thousands headed to March Madness Final Four events, Spring Break travelers and others.

The pilots have not seen any real progress is the labor dispute in over two years. Now, they will plan to strike tomorrow. Allegiant Air flies out of Orlando Sanford International Airport.

“Striking is a last resort, but we cannot continue to stand by a company that flaunts the law by robbing the pilots of legally protected rights and benefits. The company has to restore the status quo that it illegally took from us,” said Tom Pozdro, a pilot based in Las Vegas. “We deeply regret the inconvenience to our passengers and other work groups and encourage them to call Allegiant, asking them to do what is right by honoring its commitment to its pilots and the public by restoring our basic, legally regarded standards, protections and benefits.”

On Monday, pilots posted an open letter to Allegiant customers alerting them to concerns at the airline, including operational problems that lead to the delays and cancellations that have frustrated many of the companies customers.

A strike could lead to significant flight delays and cancellations as well as major revenue loss for the airline. Allegiant Air is the most profitable commercial airline in the U.S. with 48 consecutive profitable quarters. Its executives are among the highest compensated in the industry, with the company CEO – and largest shareholder – taking home tens of millions in shareholder returns in recent years, according to the union.

“Allegiant is making millions in profits, yet executives refuse to invest in the company’s infrastructure, operations and workforce. The haphazard scheduling system is creating exhaustion and stress for pilots,” said Tom Cox, a pilot based out of Phoenix who has been with Allegiant for over five years. “Pilots at Allegiant want to put our company on the right track for long-term success, and that means reinvesting in its workforce and planes. They can start with complying with the law by reinstating the legally protected work rules and benefits they took from us.”