Allegiant Air pilots represented by Teamsters Local 2118 held a coordinated, nationwide informational picket earlier this week at all 22 crew bases nationwide, calling on the company to agree to a contract that values their contributions and provides industry-standard compensation.
According to the union, the action came as Allegiant continues to pour millions of dollars into failed resorts, stadium deals, and entertainment ventures, all while seeking unacceptable quality-of-life concessions at the bargaining table — including proposals that undermine seniority, weaken scheduling protections, and leave Allegiant pilots up to 50 percent below their peers in compensation.
“Allegiant executives have spent years throwing away money on one failed venture after another while the pilots who keep this airline flying still don’t have the respect they deserve,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien in a media statement. “The company is clinging to concessionary demands, delaying progress, and gambling with the future of an airline built on the hard work of its pilots. Allegiant needs to abandon these reckless priorities and return to the table with a serious proposal that reflects industry standards.”
Allegiant pilots have voted by 97 percent to authorize a strike and delivered a decisive vote of no confidence in the company’s senior leadership and board of directors. The continued delay is already pushing experienced pilots to competitors, threatening Allegiant’s ability to retain crews, maintain reliability and protect essential service to communities across the country.
Allegiant pilots are currently working under a contract that was ratified in 2016 and became amendable in 2021. First officers in their first year earn about $50,000 annually at Allegiant, compared to regional pilots whose salaries start at $100,000, Gregory Unterseher, Director of the Teamsters Airline Division, told Reuters.
According to Reuters, Las Vegas-based Allegiant offered pilots a 50 percent immediate wage hike, rising to 70 percent over a 5-year contract, plus 50 percent more retirement contributions and improved disability benefits.
Though the pay seems attractive, scheduling remains contested—pilots claim Allegiant arbitrarily changes off days while reserve pilots work nearly all on-call days. Teamsters Local 2118 alleges Allegiant wants to label 20 percent of pilots surplus while maximizing other pilots’ schedules, which the airline denies.
With contract talks stalling, the company risks losing pilots to better-paying rivals just as it hoped to capitalize on Spirit Airlines’ second bankruptcy.
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