Citing public documents filed by Allegiant with the Federal Aviation Administration from January to October, 2017, the program highlighted more than 100 "serious mechanical incidents, including mid-air engine failures, smoke and fumes in the cabin, rapid descents, flight control malfunctions, hydraulic leaks and aborted takeoffs".
"And there was smoke in the cabin and fire coming out of that engine", said Mercedes Weller, who was on board.
Allegiant flies out of Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport on a daily basis with over 40 destinations.
A CBS 60 Minutes report has found that Allegiant Air's planes are three and half times more likely to have mid-air mechanical failures than rival USA airlines.
Allegiant Air is facing controversy over mechanical issues on its aircraft.
The AP reported that Capt. Eric Gust, vice president of operations at Allegiant, said in a prepared statement that "60 Minutes" aired a "false narrative" about Allegiant and the FAA, which he said exercises "rigorous oversight" of the airline. "I have the utmost faith in the FAA and their safety requirements", Piccolo said.
With the 60 Minutes story making national news and casting Allegiant in a negative light, there's a chance it could sway passengers to look elsewhere with their travel plans. However, thanks in large part to the efforts of the airline's mechanics, pilots and dispatchers, Allegiant has become a leader in operational reliability, with the second fewest mechanical cancellations in the industry.
Neither DeNardi and Syth have ever flown the airline, though both said they would have no reservations doing so. Gallagher was a founder, director and executive at ValuJet.
Allegiant Travel Co. fell 3 percent to $146.50 at 10:43 a.m.in NY.
Airlines are frequently the subject of bad publicity, often around poor customer service.
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In addition, the airport surpassed the two-million passenger mark for the first time previous year.
It could be different for Allegiant, however, because the focus now is on whether it's safe to fly on the airline.
60 Minutes found that Allegiant, the target of a 2015 FAA investigation, was 3.5 times more likely to have midair breakdowns than other carriers. "We'd be surprised if there isn't an impact to bookings in the nearish term". It also has limited competition on many of its routes.
In earnings calls, analysts have pressed the publicly traded airline about the rising costs of maintaining its MD-80s, including the loss of revenue when the planes are out of service for increasingly frequent repairs. Some of these planes included outdated McDonnell-Douglas MD-80s. In the years following, the airline replaced its entire fleet of aircraft at the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport with Airbus models.
Allegiant is believed to use Airbus planes on all but possibly one of its routes at Stewart.
The FAA increased its monitoring of Allegiant in 2015 because of labor tension with its pilots. The agency said it did a comprehensive review of Allegiant in 2016, finding no systemic safety or regulatory problems.
The report of "60 minutes" also highlights an incident involving Captain Jason Kinzer, who was sacked in 2015 because smoke was found in the cabin shortly after the take off (sources say).
On Monday, Sen. Bill Nelson sent a letter to the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Transportation, saying the FAA's potential lack of oversight warrant scrutiny.
CBS isn't the first to raise questions about Allegiant's safety record. Kroft himself said in the "Overtime" segment that he is "flabbergasted" that not more people know about Allegiant's safety record.
