Allegiant Air pilots picketing outside the new Pittsburgh International Airport terminal said they’re fed up with sluggish union contract talks and pay well below industry standards.

Jumping to another carrier, including other budget airlines like Spirit or Southwest, could bring more than double the hourly pay, they said.

“All we’re asking for is a fair contract on par with our industry peers,” said Will Fierman, an Allegiant pilot and spokesman for their union, Teamsters Local 2118.

The Las Vegas-based airline has been unable to reach a deal with its more than 1,400 pilots since their contract expired in early 2021. The sides have made little progress toward another collective bargaining agreement, even under the supervision of federal mediators.

Hector Mejia, an Allegiant spokesman, said the airline has offered a “competitive” package, including an immediate 50% average wage increase that grows to 70% over five years.

The company also said it would pay bonuses to pilots once a contract is ratified, with the longest-tenured pilots getting lump sums of more than $200,000, Mejia said.

In addition, Allegiant is offering higher contributions toward retirement benefits, better long-term disability insurance and “extensive scheduling and quality-of-life improvement,” he said.

Pilots say their pay, benefits and scheduling flexibility still wouldn’t be enough under this deal. Their patience for a better offer is running thin.

Last November, they voted 97% in favor of authorizing a strike, which does not guarantee a work stoppage but allows union leaders to call for one if they see fit.

On Tuesday, Allegiant pilots were holding “informational pickets” at 22 airports across the country, which would not impact any flights.

“Allegiant is starting to struggle to maintain or attract pilots,” Fierman said. “We think Pittsburgh travelers ought to know … we’re going to struggle to staff routes to and from this brand new terminal behind us.”

There are 155,000 pilot positions in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with a median salary of about $198,000. An average of 18,200 job openings are expected each year through 2034, according to the bureau.

The starting wage for a co-pilot at Allegiant is $57 an hour, and only when flying, according to the picketers.

Allegiant features exclusive routes out of Pittsburgh International Airport to several Florida cities, including St. Petersburg, Sanford and Key West. It carries 400,000 passengers per year to and from the airport.

The two dozen or so Pittsburgh-based Allegiant pilots were joined Tuesday morning by a handful of former colleagues. Fierman knew of several co-workers who have received job offers elsewhere in recent weeks, noting pilot hiring tends to pick up this time of year.

Allegiant hasn’t totally lost its appeal, though.

It’s the only major carrier with a Pittsburgh-based crew, according to Fierman, meaning joining another company would likely involve moving to a different city.

Switching airlines also means a loss of seniority. That matters because many airlines assign less desirable routes to newer hires, regardless of their experience in the industry.

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