News

Actions

’60 Minutes’ report raises questions over Allegiant Air’s safety

Posted at 1:28 PM, Apr 16, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-16 13:28:52-04

A recent ’60 Minutes’ report has raised some questions about the safety of Allegiant Air flights.

Allegiant air is a low-cost carrier that is one of the country’s most profitable airlines.

However, 60 Minutes reports that according to federal aviation records and interviews with pilots, mechanics and industry experts, it may also be the most dangerous.

’60 Minutes’ looked up public documents that show an high number of aborted takeoffs, cabin pressure loss, emergency descents, and unscheduled landings.

Documents from the FAA showed, on average, the airline was nearly three and a half times more likely to have mid-air breakdowns than American, United, Delta, JetBlue and Spirit.

“The airline flew 12 million passengers last year on its 99 planes to 120 destinations from California to Florida,”the report says. “But it’s had persistent problems since at least the summer of 2015 when it experienced a rash of mid-air breakdowns, including five on a single day. It was not a fluke.”

There are several Allegiant flights that offer cheap routes from Norfolk International Airport. Recently, the airline launcheda new nonstop route to Florida with fares as low as $49.

Click here to read Allegiant’s response to customers.