Meetings Held To Discuss Operating, Safety Concerns

The Allegiant Air Pilots Executive Council, an employee group of Allegiant Travel Company pilots represented by Teamsters Local Union 1224 in Wilmington, OH, plan to begin formal dialogues with Allegiant stakeholders and other influential voices in the financial community, including institutional shareholders, equity analysts, corporate lenders and insurers, in order to address operating and safety concerns that exist at the airline.

"Allegiant management has turned a deaf ear to serious operational concerns raised by the pilots," said Capt. David Bourne, Director of Airline Division at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. "We believe Allegiant's financial backers have a right to know what is going on and be given a chance to weigh in on vital changes needed for Allegiant's long-term success before it's too late."

"Allegiant's low-cost model works if it can actually support the growth of the business," Bourne said, "However, management's lack of operational know-how and flat-out resistance to put badly needed investments into infrastructure is taking a significant toll on flight operations, which could ultimately jeopardize flight safety. It's obvious to us that the major service disruptions over the last several months, ranging from multiple fleet shutdowns, chronic staffing and equipment shortages, significant ramp-up in 3rd party contracting for scheduled flights and sub-servicing and the shutdown of the company's training department, all flow from the short-sighted decisions being made at the top."

"It is very unusual for a company's training department to be shut down," said Dan Wells, President of Teamsters Local 1224. "Allegiant has yet to even acknowledge the training shutdown, much less show its pilots a plan for corrective action or indicate if those changes will adequately satisfy Federal Aviation Administration concerns. Many Allegiant pilots have been delayed in training for months, which we believe is driving a major increase in outsourcing due to the shortage of company pilots to fly scheduled flights and re-route equipment back to hubs and maintenance centers."

"Management has ignored repeated requests for clarity on the training program by both the union and Allegiant's own pilots," Bourne said. "We've filed a Freedom of Information Act submission with the FAA on the matter, but the agency's only reply was that there is an ongoing investigation at the company. In the meantime, Allegiant pilots continue to bend over backwards to work with the company to address the very significant issues that are interfering with the ability of Allegiant flight crews to do their jobs properly and service customers effectively. We are hopeful that conversations with investors and other Allegiant stakeholders will lead to a breakthrough on some of the key obstacles affecting the future of the airline."

FMI: www.teamster.org