Allegiant Pilots Vote in Favor of Strike, Here’s What That Means For Northwest Florida Economy:

In Brief:

•🧑‍✈️ Who: Allegiant Air pilots, represented by Teamsters Local 2118

•✈️ What: Potential strike over pay, scheduling, and benefits

•📅 When: Strike could happen after a federal impasse and a 30-day cooling-off period

•📍 Where: Allegiant operations nationwide, with local impact in Destin-Fort Walton Beach

•💰 Why: Pilots say they earn less than industry standards and demand better working conditions

Although negotiations continue – Allegiant and the union representing its pilots continue to barrel toward a strike as the summer vacation season approaches.

 

In the last month, Allegiant pilots conducted picketing actions at Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport to bring attention to their demands from the company.

 

Allegiant pilots voted overwhelmingly, 97%, to strike if the government declares an impasse in negotiations. The 1,400 or so pilots, represented by Teamsters Local 2118, would only have the ability to strike after the government’s National Mediation Board declares an impasse – per the Federal Railway Labor Act. Of those 1,400 pilots – 43 live in the Destin-Fort Walton Beach area.

 

The pilots and the airline would have to sit out a 30-day ‘cooling-off’ period before deciding to strike.

 

RELATED: Travel Hacking from Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport could save you thousands on trips.

 

“It is important to note that none of these conditions have been met, and the Teamsters Local 2118 cannot legally call for a strike, a slow-down, or any other kind of “self-help” action until all of them have been met,” said Allegiant Press Representative Hector Mejia in response to our request for an interview with Allegiant Airlines. Mejia noted that they had no one available to speak with Mid Bay News about the situation. “During this past year alone, IBT Local 2118 changed its negotiating team four times and was placed into an emergency trusteeship by the national union, which has impacted the negotiating process,” Mejia noted in his email, “Despite these unexpected changes, Allegiant remains steadfast in its commitment to working in good faith to secure a deal for our pilots.”

 

The pilots have been working under a contract negotiatied in 2016.

 

Brad Keller is the Allegiant Pilot’s Union local steward. He says the strike is about pay, benefits, and retention of pilots. Last year, according to Keller, Allegiant pilots flew 17 million passengers to all destinations and more than 600,000 passengers to the Destin-Fort Walton Beach area to visit. A strike would, he argues, harm more than the pilots without paychecks and the airline without paying customers. “If we go on strike, all that comes to a halt,” Keller said, “I know some of your readers might be cheering at the idea of less traffic on John Sims Parkway, but think about what that really means. Small business owners, seasonal workers, and the tourist industry depend on travelers. A disruption on Allegiant’s operations, like a strike, could have a ripple effect on the economy, impacting jobs, restaurants, and hotels.”

 

He says that Allegiant pilots and first officers get paid significantly less than other airlines – including other budget airlines. He worries about the company’s long-term profitability due to the fact the airline’s first officers will jump ship at the first chance they can get for a pay raise. “Right now, we’ve got first officers – Some of them can’t afford apartments in their base cities. They can earn more managing a fast food restaurant than they can flying 186 passengers on an Airbus at 500 miles an hour,” Keller said, “They’ll get off shift after 12 hours, and they’ll go drive Uber just to make ends meet. And that’s it’s unacceptable. We’ve got to come to an agreement, and it has to be soon.”

 

Keller says first officers, the second pilot on an aircraft will earn about $60,000 per year with Allegiant. Captains will earn 24% less than their peers at other airlines – even after Allegiant’s proposed raises.

 

Mejia, the press representative for Allegiant, noted that the airline has set aside money that represents an 82% pay increase for first officers that has been accruing since the last major labor relations activity took place in 2023.

 

But more critical to Keller and other local pilots who’ve built their lives around the scheduling that allows them to be at home most nights of the year is the proposed changes to scheduling Allegiant made. “They’ve left gaping holes in all the other work rules. All of our rules are defined in the contract that we signed. So without these rules, they can do whatever they want with us. We could be gone for days at a time. We could work to the FAA limits, and that’s just not acceptable, Keller added.

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Branding

Allegiant (NASDAQ: ALGT) has seen its stock price tumble from a high of $250 in the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s currently trading at about $100 a share.

 

Despite the fall in stock price, Allegiant has made significant moves in the advertising and marketing sphere to promote itself. The company bought the naming rights to Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders.

 

Additionally, it secured a $175 Million loan, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, to build its Sunseeker resort property in Port Charlotte in 2019.

 

Keller and pilots on the Emerald Coast for Allegiant say these moves make their argument for a more significant pay increase and scheduling protections for them. “They’ve got enough money to put their name on the side of a brand new stadium. They’ve got enough money to spend nearly a billion dollars on a resort in Port Charlotte, but they can’t bring us up to industry standard, Keller said, “They’ve got the resources; they just don’t have the desire to meet our demands.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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