Punta Gorda pilots speak out on Allegiant Air strike

Over 90% out of 1300 Allegiant pilots voted yes on a practice picket, advocating for what they think they deserve.

Allegiant Air pilots said they want a new contract, one that’s amendable, fair and, in their words, what they should be paid.

The amount has not been decided as they go through a third party for negotiation, but the one clear thing they want is change.

• RELATED: Allegiant Air releases annual report

Allegiant Airlines said it offered pilots a competitive package, including a 50% average
increase in hourly wages that scale to 70% over five years.

However, the pilots are not satisfied, and passengers might not be either if this disrupts holiday plans.

Tim Frinfrock is a frequent Allegiant passenger. He said that the pilots should be paid fairly.

“I think they need to be paid correctly, it’s everyone trying to make a living, a decent wage, a liveable wage,” said Frinfrick. “Pilots are crucial, there’s a lot of travel, there’s a lot going on, so I think they need to take care of the pilots.”

Last year, the company brought in $2.5 billion in revenue. Today, the pilots, some on their break or some on their off days, picketed to show how important this is to them.

Jim Clark is a captain with Allegiant Airlines. He said that the pilots are sticking together in an effort to get a new contract.

“We will do it till we get a contract,” said Clark. “That’s just the bottom line. I mean, you got to keep the awareness up there. They got to realize that this pilot group is unified and will stand behind each other to get that contract done.”

Clark said that the situation can affect passengers as well.

“We’re trying to get the awareness across the system because we have 24 bases, and so the flying public doesn’t always see it,” said Clark. “The public here only thinks about their routes, but we still have routes and– you know, Grand Rapids — that fly, we have routes that fly out of Las Vegas, that they need to be aware that the company shrinks because they don’t hire the pilots. It could affect them.”

The demonstrating pilots said they were either on their breaks or their off days, either way, they all decided it was important for them to come together.

The airport does not have a comment on the negotiations at this time.