From: http://roadwarriorvoices.com/2015/0...sing-planes-that-barely-pass-safety-standard/
It’s safe to say that Allegiant Air, its passengers and flight crew haven’t had the best week.
On June 9, smoke filled the cabin of a Hagerstown, Maryland-bound flight and the plane was forced to make an emergency landing. Passengers were evacuated using the plane’s emergency slides and four injuries were reported. Three days later, passengers on a Boise-bound Allegiant flight were forced to evacuate themselves onto the plane’s wing after the smell of fuel and smoke permeated the cabin. And the Allegiant Pilots Union has written a letter to the airline’s shareholders warning that these incidents – and the dozens of others that have occurred – are due to the budget carrier’s willingness to “cut corners” when it comes to safety.
The pilots and union researchers studied a six month period between September 2014 and March 2015 and discovered 65 instances where Allegiant flights were diverted or had to return to the gate for engine or mechanical problems. Adding to the “oh crap” nature of their report, four of those incidents involved the engines shutting down during a flight. Chris Moore, the Pilots Union Representative, told WFTS:
That doesn’t encompass every diversion or air return, so that’s just a snapshot of what’s reportable. My guess is there’s probably more than that.
The union’s letter and report also claims that Allegiant has one of the oldest fleets in the industry, with the average age of their planes ranging between 22 and 24 years old, depending on the model. “Pilots are forced to fly aircraft that barely passes acceptable safety standards,” the report’s authors wrote. Although its fleet could be euphemistically described as “experienced,” the union alleges that the mechanics who service them are anything but: 55% of Allegiant’s mechanics have less than four years of experience.
Allegiant released a statement, accusing Teamsters Local 1224 – the Pilots Union – of using this report to “manipulate the public.” The airline also says that it has two internal safety programs in place to monitor the health and safety of its fleet. The statement reads, in part:
Allegiant’s safety record is among the best in the aviation industry. In fact, as a result of the threatened strike by the Teamsters, Allegiant recently completed a period of heightened surveillance by FAA. Throughout this process, the FAA did not find any safety issues with our operations.
Allegiant’s pilots had planned to strike in April over unrelated labor and wage issues, but the strike was called off at almost the last possible minute.
It’s safe to say that Allegiant Air, its passengers and flight crew haven’t had the best week.
On June 9, smoke filled the cabin of a Hagerstown, Maryland-bound flight and the plane was forced to make an emergency landing. Passengers were evacuated using the plane’s emergency slides and four injuries were reported. Three days later, passengers on a Boise-bound Allegiant flight were forced to evacuate themselves onto the plane’s wing after the smell of fuel and smoke permeated the cabin. And the Allegiant Pilots Union has written a letter to the airline’s shareholders warning that these incidents – and the dozens of others that have occurred – are due to the budget carrier’s willingness to “cut corners” when it comes to safety.
The pilots and union researchers studied a six month period between September 2014 and March 2015 and discovered 65 instances where Allegiant flights were diverted or had to return to the gate for engine or mechanical problems. Adding to the “oh crap” nature of their report, four of those incidents involved the engines shutting down during a flight. Chris Moore, the Pilots Union Representative, told WFTS:
That doesn’t encompass every diversion or air return, so that’s just a snapshot of what’s reportable. My guess is there’s probably more than that.
The union’s letter and report also claims that Allegiant has one of the oldest fleets in the industry, with the average age of their planes ranging between 22 and 24 years old, depending on the model. “Pilots are forced to fly aircraft that barely passes acceptable safety standards,” the report’s authors wrote. Although its fleet could be euphemistically described as “experienced,” the union alleges that the mechanics who service them are anything but: 55% of Allegiant’s mechanics have less than four years of experience.
Allegiant released a statement, accusing Teamsters Local 1224 – the Pilots Union – of using this report to “manipulate the public.” The airline also says that it has two internal safety programs in place to monitor the health and safety of its fleet. The statement reads, in part:
Allegiant’s safety record is among the best in the aviation industry. In fact, as a result of the threatened strike by the Teamsters, Allegiant recently completed a period of heightened surveillance by FAA. Throughout this process, the FAA did not find any safety issues with our operations.
Allegiant’s pilots had planned to strike in April over unrelated labor and wage issues, but the strike was called off at almost the last possible minute.
