More than 1,400 Allegiant Air pilots will hold an informational picket Tuesday at 22 different airports across the country, including here in the Lehigh Valley, amid contract negotiations.
Teamsters Local 2118, which represents Allegiant pilots, said it will hold a nationwide picket to demand an end to what it sees as ongoing negotiation delays. There will not be a work stoppage, and operations should not be disrupted.
When and where are pilots picketing?
The pilots will hold their picket from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lehigh Valley International Airport and 21 other airport bases, including ones in Pittsburgh, Nashville, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando.
✈️ Five years without an amended contract. Allegiant pilots have lost confidence in management.
Enough is enough.
On Tuesday, November 18, Allegiant pilots will stand together in a Nationwide Information Picket.
We’re united for real leadership, accountability, and a stable… pic.twitter.com/B60SYk48J8
— Teamsters APA Local 2118 (@APALocal2118) November 15, 2025
Why are they picketing?
Pilots are picketing in an effort to end negotiation delays, according to the union that represents them.
“By failing to offer a fair contract, Allegiant is losing talented and experienced pilots to competitor airlines and jeopardizing local routes. Teamsters pilots are simply asking to be respected and fairly compensated for the work they do every day and are picketing to remind the company that without pilots, their planes don’t fly,” a statement from the union reads in part.
An Allegiant spokesperson said the union is holding an informational picketing event, which is a routine, legally protect activity that is common during contract negotiations.
The union has said it is seeking better scheduling and compensation.
Will the picketing disrupt operations?
The picketing is not a work stoppage, the Allegiant spokesperson said. Operations will not be impacted.
“Tuesday, the members of IBT 2118 will exercise their right to conduct informational picketing. This is not a work stoppage, nor is one imminent. We are operating our full schedule and do not anticipate any disruptions related to the informational picketing. Our customers can continue to book and travel with confidence,” a company statement reads in part.
A Lehigh Valley International Airport spokesperson also said operations will not be disrupted.
Will a work stoppage occur?
A strike can only happen when all of the Railway Labor Act’s bargaining procedures are exhausted, according to Allegiant. The National Mediation Board, which is mediating the negotiations, must determine if there is an impasse between the union and the airline.
The NMB offers interest arbitration to parties to resolve issues, and if either turns that down, the NMB releases them from mediation. A 30-day “cooling off” period then happens, according to the airline. None of those conditions have been met.
Allegiant, the dominant carrier at Lehigh Valley International Airport, accounts for roughly 66% of flights to and from there, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. It’s also served as an aircraft base for Allegiant since 2020.
The airline offers nonstop routes to 10 different destinations from the ABE.