HANOVER TWP., Pa. – Allegiant Air pilots will hold informational pickets on Tuesday at nearly two dozen airports, including Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) in Lehigh County.

According to Teamsters Local 2118, which represents some 1,400 Allegiant pilots, the pickets will begin at 10 a.m. across 22 airport bases.

An ABE spokesman said the airport doesn’t anticipate any disruptions.

A contract dispute between Allegiant and its pilots has been ongoing for more than a year. Last November, pilots represented by Teamsters Local 2118 voted to authorize a strike if an agreement can’t be reached.

The pickets planned for Tuesday are not a work stoppage. “We are operating our full schedule and do not anticipate any disruptions related to the informational picketing,” an Allegiant spokesperson said in a statement provided to 69 News.

The union accuses Allegiant, a low-cost carrier based in Las Vegas, of “investing in everything except their dedicated pilots.”

“By failing to offer a fair contract, Allegiant is losing talented and experienced pilots to competitor airlines and jeopardizing local routes,” the union said, in a news release. “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.”

But Allegiant said it has offered its pilots a competitive package, including an immediate 50% average increase in hourly wages that scales to 70% over five years, a 50% increase in direct contribution to pilots’ retirement benefits, and scheduling and quality of life improvements.

“Allegiant remains steadfast in its commitment to working in good faith to secure a deal for our pilots,” the spokesperson said.

Allegiant is one of four airlines that flies in and out of Lehigh Valley International. Of those four airlines, Allegiant offers, by far, the lengthiest list of destinations from ABE, including Nashville, Tennessee; Denver, Colorado; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and several cities in Florida.

Just last week, Allegiant began offering nonstop service to Fort Myers, Florida. The airport held a celebration to mark the inaugural flight, as well as to acknowledge the 20th anniversary of Allegiant’s first flight out of ABE.

Allegiant established an aircraft base at the airport in 2020.