Allegiant Air Pilots Stage Nationwide Pickets Today, November 18, 2025

More than 1,400 Allegiant Air pilots are holding coordinated informational pickets at 22 airports across the United States today, pressing for a new contract while the airline says flights will operate as normal.

What’s happening at Allegiant airports today

On Tuesday, November 18, 2025, Allegiant Air pilots represented by Teamsters Local 2118 are lining airport sidewalks and access roads from Florida to Washington State in a synchronized, one‑day protest. The pilots are holding “informational pickets” — not a strike — aimed at pressuring the ultra‑low‑cost carrier to deliver a long‑promised contract. ^[1]

According to the union and multiple local outlets, more than 1,300–1,400 pilots are participating, with demonstrations scheduled roughly between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. local time at all 22 of Allegiant’s pilot bases. ^[2]

Allegiant and the union both describe the action as symbolic: pilots are off duty while picketing, and the airline says it expects to operate a full schedule.

Where pilots are picketing

Teamsters Local 2118 says the informational picket is taking place at every Allegiant crew base, including: ^[3]

Northeast & Mid‑Atlantic:
- Lehigh Valley, PA (ABE)
Midwest:
- Appleton, WI (ATW)
- Des Moines, IA (DSM)
- Flint, MI (FNT)
- Grand Rapids, MI (GRR)
- Indianapolis, IN (IND)
- Knoxville, TN (TYS)
- Nashville, TN (BNA)
- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky (CVG)
South & Southeast:
- Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL)
- Orlando Sanford, FL (SFB)
- Punta Gorda, FL (PGD)
- Sarasota–Bradenton, FL (SRQ)
- Destin–Fort Walton Beach, FL (VPS)
- Savannah, GA (SAV)
Mid‑Atlantic / Appalachia:
- Pittsburgh, PA (PIT)
- Asheville, NC (AVL)
West & Southwest:
- Bellingham, WA (BLI)
- Phoenix–Mesa, AZ (IWA)
- Provo, UT (PVU)
- Las Vegas, NV (LAS – Allegiant headquarters)

Local coverage shows pilots gathering on sidewalks near terminals, cellphone lots, and shuttle pick‑up areas, holding coordinated signs criticizing management and calling for “fair, industry‑standard” pay and scheduling. ^[4]

Why Allegiant pilots are protesting

Nearly five years of talks — and rising frustration

Pilots say Tuesday’s pickets are the result of contract negotiations that have dragged on for nearly five years. In markets like Fargo, N.D., Appleton, Wis., and Florida’s Gulf Coast, union officials tell local media that Allegiant pilots have “lost confidence” in management after years without an updated agreement. ^[5]

Teamsters Local 2118 argues that:

Allegiant is asking for concessions in areas such as scheduling and work rules while the company expands its network and invests in side projects. ^[6]
Experienced pilots are leaving for competitors that already secured rich contracts at major airlines. ^[7]
Smaller cities are at risk if Allegiant cannot retain crews, because the airline is often the only carrier offering nonstop leisure routes from those airports. ^[8]

In earlier union bulletins, Allegiant pilots also overwhelmingly authorized a strike — with support well above 90 percent — but that vote is largely symbolic until federal mediators allow any work stoppage. ^[9]

Pay, quality‑of‑life and “industry standard” contracts

The pilots’ core demand is a contract they say matches “industry standards” after a wave of record pilot deals at Delta, United and American in 2023–2025, where cumulative raises of roughly 34–40% over several years reset the pay scale across the industry. ^[10]

Allegiant aviators point out that:

Peers at larger carriers now enjoy substantially higher hourly pay and richer retirement contributions.
Scheduling improvements at those airlines have delivered more predictable trips and better work‑life balance. ^[11]

Union officials say Allegiant pilots helped the airline grow into a profitable ultra‑low‑cost carrier, but compensation and work rules “haven’t caught up” with the rest of the market. ^[12]

What Allegiant is offering — the airline’s side of the story

Allegiant strongly rejects the idea that it is underpaying pilots and insists it has put a substantial offer on the table.

In statements to regional outlets and aviation media, the airline says it is negotiating under the supervision of the National Mediation Board and has proposed a package that includes: ^[13]

An immediate average 50% increase in hourly pilot pay,
Raises that scale to about 70% over five years,
Roughly 50% higher company contributions to pilot retirement plans,
Improved long‑term disability coverage, and
“Extensive” scheduling and quality‑of‑life improvements that the company says still protect its low‑cost, point‑to‑point model.

Allegiant also discloses that it has been accruing a retention bonus since mid‑2023. By the airline’s count, that bonus equates to an 82% pay boost for first‑year first officers and about 35% for other pilots, paid as a lump sum once a new contract is ratified; for senior captains, the bonus pool has already topped $200,000. ^[14]

Crucially for travelers, Allegiant describes today’s action as “informational picketing,” not a work stoppage, and repeatedly stresses that it expects no impact on flight operations. ^[15]

The airline has also pushed back on the union’s narrative, noting in one response that Teamsters Local 2118 has changed its negotiating team several times and was placed into an emergency trusteeship by the broader Teamsters organization — delays that Allegiant argues have slowed talks. ^[16]

Local snapshots from around the country

Punta Gorda & Charlotte County, Florida

In Charlotte County, Fla., Allegiant pilots are demonstrating outside Punta Gorda Airport, one of the carrier’s busiest leisure gateways. Local coverage highlights pilots’ anger that, in their view, Allegiant has poured money into non‑airline projects — including its Sunseeker Resort complex in nearby Port Charlotte — while contract talks languish. Union representatives point to hundreds of millions of dollars lost on that resort investment as a symbol of misaligned priorities. ^[17]

Allegiant’s local statement closely matches its national messaging: the company emphasizes that it is working with mediators to finalize a deal featuring a 50% immediate pay bump and that today’s picket will not disrupt flights. ^[18]

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)

In the Cincinnati region, WKRC‑TV reports more than 1,000 Allegiant pilots are expected to picket at “more than 20 airports,” including CVG. Allegiant is a key player there, operating 22 of the airport’s 55 annual destinations, mostly low‑cost nonstops to sun and leisure markets. ^[19]

Organizers warn that if Allegiant can’t keep experienced pilots from leaving for better‑paying carriers, small‑city routes could be cut back or eliminated — a message aimed at both travelers and local business leaders. ^[20]

Flint, Appleton and the Upper Midwest

In Michigan, CBS affiliate WNEM notes that Allegiant pilots are scheduled to picket from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Flint Bishop International Airport’s cellphone waiting lot, joining similar events nationwide. ^[21]

Across Lake Michigan in Appleton, Wis., WBAY reports that more than 1,400 Allegiant pilots will participate in the pickets and that union leaders have formally asked the National Mediation Board to release the parties from mediation — a step that could eventually lead to binding arbitration or, much later, a legal strike. ^[22]

In Fargo, N.D., KVRR describes pilots as “done waiting” after five years without an amended contract, saying they have “officially lost confidence in management.” The station also carries Allegiant’s full statement outlining its wage and retention bonus offer and reiterating that today’s picket is not expected to affect flight schedules. ^[23]

Des Moines and the central U.S.

At Des Moines International Airport, iHeart’s WHO Radio reports that Allegiant pilots there are part of a nationwide action involving more than 1,400 pilots at 22 airports. The outlet cites a Teamsters release saying pilots want fair compensation and an end to negotiation delays, while Allegiant points to the same 50%–70% pay proposal and enhanced benefits it has highlighted elsewhere. ^[24]

Pittsburgh, Lehigh Valley and the East Coast

In Pittsburgh, WTAE notes that around 40 Allegiant pilots are expected to picket at Pittsburgh International Airport — on the very day the airport opens a new $1.7 billion terminal. A Pittsburgh‑based Allegiant pilot tells the station the event is not a strike and that flights will continue as normal, but warns that without a competitive contract the airline could struggle to staff routes to and from the region. ^[25]

Separately, headline listings from Allentown’s Morning Call show Lehigh Valley International Airport among the locations where Allegiant pilots will picket, underscoring how widely Tuesday’s action touches mid‑sized U.S. airports. ^[26]

Is this a strike? What travelers need to know today

Despite the images of pilots on picket lines, this is not a strike, and Allegiant is legally barred from striking or locking out pilots at this stage of the process.

Under the U.S. Railway Labor Act (RLA), which governs airline labor relations: ^[27]

The National Mediation Board (NMB) — not the union or company — decides when negotiations have reached an impasse.
The NMB can offer arbitration to settle remaining issues.
If either side rejects arbitration, the NMB may release the parties from mediation.
Only then does a 30‑day “cooling‑off period” begin. After that, a strike or lockout becomes legal unless the U.S. president or Congress intervenes.

Allegiant says none of these steps have been completed, and therefore “no work stoppage is imminent.” That assertion is echoed in multiple local reports, which stress that today’s action is designed to draw attention — not cancel flights. ^[28]

Practical tips if you’re flying Allegiant today

For travelers booked on Allegiant on November 18:

Plan to travel as scheduled. There is no official indication of system‑wide cancellations tied to the pickets.
Arrive a bit early. Picket lines are generally outside terminals, but they could add a few minutes to curbside or parking‑lot traffic at some airports.
Monitor your flight. Use Allegiant’s app, website or airport screens for any weather‑ or congestion‑related delays, just as you normally would.
Know your rights. If a flight is significantly delayed or cancelled for reasons under the airline’s control, standard refund and rebooking rules apply; check Allegiant’s contract of carriage and U.S. Department of Transportation guidance for details.

Why this showdown matters beyond Allegiant

Tuesday’s demonstrations come amid a broader wave of labor activism in U.S. aviation:

Big‑three pilot deals: Pilots at Delta and United secured contracts in 2023 that deliver roughly 34%–40% cumulative pay increases over four years, plus major improvements in benefits and work rules — agreements widely described as historic. ^[29]
Strained low‑cost carriers: At Spirit Airlines, unions recently agreed to painful concessions as part of a Chapter 11 restructuring, highlighting the financial squeeze on ultra‑low‑cost carriers facing rising costs and intense fare competition. ^[30]

Allegiant, while generally seen as more financially stable than Spirit, is now caught between:

Pilot expectations shaped by big‑airline contracts, and
A business model built on low fares and lean costs, focused on flying from small and mid‑sized cities to leisure destinations a few times per week.

Pilots argue that if Allegiant doesn’t keep pace on pay and quality‑of‑life, they can and will move to carriers that already have richer deals, leaving Allegiant scrambling to staff airplanes in exactly the markets that depend on its service most. ^[31]

What happens next

Today’s pickets do not automatically trigger any change in legal status. The likely next steps include: ^[32]

Continued mediation under the National Mediation Board.
The NMB’s decision on whether to keep the parties at the table, propose arbitration, or grant a release — something the union has publicly requested.
If a release is granted and cooling‑off period starts, both sides would face intense pressure to reach a deal before any legal work stoppage becomes possible, particularly with future holiday travel seasons on the horizon.

For now, Allegiant’s pilots are making a visible show of unity without grounding airplanes. The message on their signs is aimed as much at local communities as at corporate headquarters: if Allegiant wants to keep flying from small‑city airports across America, pilots say, it needs to invest in the people in the cockpit, not just the planes — or the resorts.

Travelers booked with Allegiant in the coming weeks should keep an eye on updates from the airline and the union, but there is no immediate strike threat today. The battle is on the sidewalks outside the terminals, not yet in the skies.

Allegiant pilots to picket Tuesday at Indianapolis International Airport