Hot summer in the SW US also -. Allegiant

 

Allegiant Air defends safety record amid emergency landings, cancellations

Allegiant Air is defending its safety record after a series of emergency landings and cancellations at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport. 

At the height of its travel season, Allegiant Air finds itself with a challenging public relations problem.

Recent headlines described two emergency landings at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport in June; a series of flight cancellations there and at other airports that left hundreds of passengers temporarily stranded; and a labor dispute with a pilots union alleging Allegiant puts profits above safety.

Facing one of its most difficult years since the budget airline's 1997 founding, Allegiant officials last week moved to counter the perception that its fleet of 70 planes - one of the oldest among U.S. carriers - is plagued by maintenance issues. A spokeswoman said in an interview with the Tampa Bay Times that the airline has one of the industry's best safety records and that recent headlines amount to little more than bad luck.

"So while we can appreciate that there have been some incidents that have been quite public" at St. Pete-Clearwater, "we stand by the fact that our flights are safe and that the safety of our passengers and crews are our No. 1 priority," said Allegiant spokeswoman Jessica Wheeler.