Allegiant Air pilots begin voting on strike authorization

The Teamsters union representing 1,300 Allegiant Air pilots has begun conducting a nationwide strike vote against the Las Vegas-based, low-cost air carrier.

Teamsters Local 2118 representatives said the vote began Friday to authorize a walkout against the airline, which connects small cities across the United States to leisure destinations, including Las Vegas, Phoenix and several locations in Florida.

Union and company negotiators have been exchanging proposals over pilot schedules and other quality-of-life issues since June. The union alleges that company management is trying to sidestep pilot concerns about scheduling.

“It is outrageous that Allegiant is trying to get us to make these scheduling concessions to pay for wage increases,” Scott Whitman, a 20-year captain at Allegiant, said in a release. “This is one of the most profitable major airlines in America. Its executives boast all the time about how they consistently outperform the industry. Allegiant doesn’t need concessions — it needs pilots. But corporate greed will drive us away unless something changes quickly.”

Allegiant officials say they have been negotiating with the union in good faith and hope it will as well.

“Allegiant remains committed to negotiating in good faith to achieve an agreement that supports our pilots and ensures the continued success of our company,” the company said in a Friday emailed statement.

“Allegiant has offered our pilots competitive wages — starting with an immediate average increase in hourly wages of 50 percent with an average 70 percent increase over five years,” the company said. “Additionally, we have offered a significant increase in retirement benefits, long-term disability and extensive scheduling and quality-of-life improvements. We look forward to completing this process to ensure our pilots receive an agreement they can be proud of.”

The federal National Mediation Board is conducting negotiation efforts. If the union receives authorization to strike, it can call for a release from the mediation board. Under federal labor laws, a release from bargaining would launch a 30-day “cooling-off period,” after which pilots could walk off the job without notice.

Company officials noted that a strike vote authorization would not assure a walkout, citing the need for a release from mediation, the cooling-off period and that all bargaining procedures under the Railway Labor Act must be exhausted.

“It is important to note here that none of these conditions have been met, and the Teamsters Local 2118 cannot legally implement a strike at this time,” the company’s statement said.

Allegiant flew more than 2.2 million passengers to and from Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport in 2023 making it the seventh-busiest commercial air carrier at the airport.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.