Allegiant Air has hit back strongly against a highly critical ’60 Minutes’ report which detailed more than 100 serious mechanical incidents in less than two years.
CBS conducted a seven-month investigation and said unsurprisingly, it got ‘no cooperation’ from Allegiant or the FAA when researching the story.
The program spoke to several passengers who had experienced various mechanical issues in-flight which included aborted take-offs, cabin pressure loss, and sudden descents.
Allegiant blamed the story on a former pilot who was fired and has filed a lawsuit against the airline.
Allegiant Vice President of Operations Eric Gunst accused ’60 Minutes’ of pursuing a ‘false narrative.’
"CBS produced a one-sided narrative by cherry-picking interviews and ignoring publicly-available facts. For example, the show’s star interviewee, John Goglia, is not an un-biased commentator; he is a paid expert working for a former Allegiant pilot who has sued Allegiant," Gunst said in a memo to employees.
"The FAA exercises rigorous oversight of Allegiant, as they do all airlines operating in the United States. Allegiant complies with all FAA requirements and participates in numerous voluntary safety programs to ensure we operate to the highest standards."
It was previously reported that Allegiant was four times more likely to report a mechanical failure mid-flight than the big three US airlines Delta, United or American.
