Allegiant Air pilots at Orlando-Sanford airport join national picket in fight for fair union contract

Pilots for Allegiant Air, represented by the Teamsters, picketed outside 22 airports across the country Tuesday, including the Orlando-Sanford International Airport. The action is part of a coordinated pressure campaign in the pilots’ ongoing fight for a new union contract.

According to the Teamsters Local 2118, Allegiant pilots are demanding an end to alleged delays by the airline in negotiating a new contract that meets union members’ needs.

“More than 1,400 pilots at Allegiant across 22 airport bases are coming together as the company continues to ask for concessions while investing in everything except their dedicated pilots,” the Teamsters Local 1224, representing Allegiant pilots, shared in a statement. “By failing to offer a fair contract, Allegiant is losing talented and experienced pilots to competitor airlines and jeopardizing local routes.”

The large-scale picketing action, aiming to raise awareness of their fight, comes on the heels of a 43-day federal government shutdown that led to significant delays and flight cancellations at U.S. airports, due to the shutdown’s disruptions to the Federal Aviation Authority and staffing shortages among air traffic controllers.

The pilots for Allegiant Air don’t want to cause trouble for the flying public and are not on strike — at least not yet. They’re hoping that won’t be necessary.

“What we want, what we demand is compensation, benefits and work rules that are in line with our peers,” Kevin Van Tassel, a pilot for 12 years for Allegiant Air, told Orlando Weekly on the picket line. Van Tassel, who’s based out of St. Pete, works 12-hour shifts, and was joined by dozens of other pilots at the otherwise sleepy Sanford airport Tuesday morning.

Van Tassel told the Weekly he enjoys his work as a pilot. Still, he’s worried that if Allegiant doesn’t reach an agreement with his union that meets their demands, more of his co-workers will leave for other airlines.

“The schedule and the routes and the services that we offer, we won’t be able to sustain it,” said Van Tassel. “The company will not be able to grow, will not be able to even staff the current schedule that we have when our talent leaves to competitors.”

Allegiant Air pilot Kevin Van Tassel pickets alongside fellow pilots at Orlando-Sanford International Airport. (Nov. 18, 2025) Credit: McKenna Schueler

Pilots for Allegiant first voted to unionize with the Teamsters in 2012 and are currently working under a union contract ratified by union members in 2016 that the union describes as “outdated.” They’ve been in negotiations with Allegiant for a new contract “on par with the rest of the airline industry” for nearly five years.

Allegiant Air, based out of Las Vegas, told Orlando Weekly over email that they’ve offered the Teamsters a “competitive package” in bargaining, including an immediate 50 percent average increase in hourly wages that scales to 70 percent over 5 years.

Allegiant says they have also offered a 50 percent increase in direct contribution to pilots’ retirement benefits, improvements in long-term disability benefits, and “extensive scheduling and quality of life improvements designed to honor seniority and protect our business model.”

Neither the union nor Allegiant provided current wage scales for the pilots, when pressed on the issue. But Oliver Shields, an 18-year pilot for Allegiant, told Orlando Weekly that Allegiant pilots are 50 percent behind their industry peers “as far as other airlines’ pay goes, and benefits and work rules.”

“The most important thing is just to be in line with our peers,” he said.

Allegiant Air pilot Oliver Shields is fighting with his union to get pilots’ wages and benefits up to par with industry standards. (Nov. 18, 2025) Credit: McKenna Schueler

Although Allegiant and the Teamsters have been in negotiations for a new contract since 2021, Allegiant told Orlando Weekly that internal changes within the union, including an emergency trusteeship, “impacted the negotiation process.”

A trusteeship is generally established by a parent union (in this case, the Teamsters) “to assist subordinate unions having operational or financial problems or to restore democratic procedures,” according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

A local union spokesperson told Orlando Weekly, in response to Allegiant’s claims, that “local administrative matters do not have an impact on bargaining,” and that what does impact bargaining “is Allegiant’s continued delays and lack of respect for the Teamsters pilots who keep this airline running.”

“Allegiant’s executives have had every opportunity to negotiate a fair contract and they have failed to do so,” the Teamsters spokesperson argued. “They need to come to the table with a serious proposal now.”

“Allegiant’s executives have had every opportunity to negotiate a fair contract and they have failed to do so”

Van Tassel, who didn’t mention the trusteeship in conversation with the Weekly, admitted that negotiations for new contracts in the airline industry can take some time.

Still, United Airlines managed to reach an agreement with the Air Line Pilots Association in 2023, offering pilots pay raises of up to 40 percent over a four-year contract. Pilots for Southwest Airlines, represented by the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, similarly approved a new contract in early 2024 that reportedly offered a 50 percent pay raise for over five years.

Contrary to his employer, Van Tassel framed the delay in reaching a new agreement with Allegiant as a deliberate decision by the airline “to not invest in its labor.”

“[Allegiant has] done a variety of pet projects that have all failed,” said Van Tassel. “They throw money at things like that instead of investing in its own people.”

Allegiant, a travel company that does more than operate an airline, recently sold its “troubled” southwest Florida-based Sunseeker Resort for $200 million after investing more than $700 million in the property, the trade publication Hotel Investment Today reported. It was the company’s first hotel venture.

The Transport Workers Union Local 577, which represents Allegiant Air flight attendants, expressed solidarity with the Teamsters Monday in a social media post. “Solidarity across unions, roles, and workgroups makes us stronger — when we stand together, we send a clear message: fairness, respect, and equitable treatment are non-negotiable,” the union wrote.

According to Van Tassel, this is the third time that Allegiant pilots have picketed over the last two years, and they expect to organize more public actions if Allegiant doesn’t reach an agreement with his union.

Still, he feels optimistic about his role in the industry and with his union. Although fewer than 6 percent of workers in Florida at large are represented by a union, the airline industry is more heavily unionized.

“I believe in the labor movement,” said Van Tassel, when asked why he stays with Allegiant if it’s not offering what he needs. “I believe in the power of unity and the power of people organizing and making and working together with a common goal,” he added. “I want this place to be better … for me having been here.”

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Allegiant Air pilots at Orlando-Sanford airport join national picket in fight for fair union contract

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