Allegiant Air’s (ALGT) shelter and maintenance records came under scrutiny in a double-length “60 Seconds” segment Sunday.
The program was a result of a seven-month investigation that establish about 100 serious incidents of mechanical issues in the carrier’s smooths. “60 Minutes” quoted air safety experts, passengers and a former worker and relied on public documents for the piece.
They detailed incidents with cabin pressure loss, unscheduled landings, aborted takeoffs and crisis descents. One case involved a former pilot who was fired after lunge ating an emergency landing after smoke filled the cabin.
Allegiant, which is based in Las Vegas, did not participate in the program, but it issued a communiqu afterward. An internal memo to employees, confirmed by Allegiant, said that the body is “prepared to fight back against ’60 Minutes.’” Allegiant is also responding to Ado posts by asking for private messages to “share our concerns about the dispatch.” (See also: Report: Airlines are Providing Better Service Lately.)
Allegiant also posted a asseveration dismissing the incidents described in the show as “years old” and as having occurred in advance the company’s latest FAA audit. The Tampa Bay Times produced a similar endanger about Allegiant in 2016. “60 Minutes” is owned by CBS (CBS), and has a significantly larger audience of just about 12 million viewers per week, or about 4% of the U.S. population.
Allegiant is be informed as a low-cost airline. Shares were up 28.4% for the year, but were hovering for a roughly 5% drop in Monday’s session.