Bellingham Allegiant pilots picket for higher wages as part of nationwide action
About 40 Bellingham-based airline pilots and support crew picketed at Bellingham International Airport (BLI) on Tuesday as part of a nationwide picket in support of Allegiant Air pilots, who are demanding an end to negotiation delays in their fight for a fair contract.
“Today we’re out here picketing to bring awareness to the stalled negotiations between the Allegiant Travel Company and our pilot union,” Allegiant Air First Officer Jaiden Batts said from the picket line.
More than 1,400 Allegiant pilots across 22 airport bases in the country planned to picket Tuesday.
About 20 Allegiant pilots are based in Bellingham, according to Batts. Pilots from other airlines, including Delta and Alaska, participated in Tuesday’s picket, along with Allegiant flight attendants.
“These are your neighbors. These are your friends. These are the people that baby-sit your kids when you’re at work,” Batts said.
Picketers at BLI walked in a line near the airport’s baggage claim while holding signs that read: “Allegiant Air: Bad Bets in Vegas, Bad Bets in Management” and “Allegiant Management Wastes Millions, Pilots Still Waiting.”
Negotiations have been ongoing since the pilots’ contract became amendable about five years ago. Batts said the company is asking for concessions from the pilot group that are “unfair and not industry standard.”
He told The Herald pay rates are a major concern.
“Other airlines — our peers that fly the exact same aircraft, the exact same routes — get compensated much higher than we do, so we’re here to ask for fair compensation,” Batts said.
In a statement to The Herald, Allegiant Media Relations Representative Andrew Porrello said the company has offered pilots a “competitive package,” including an immediate 50% average increase in hourly wages that scales to 70% over 5 years.
Porrello said the company has also offered a 50% increase in direct contribution to pilots’ retirement benefits, improvements in long-term disability benefits, along with “extensive scheduling and quality of life improvements” he said are designed to honor seniority and protect the company’s business model.
“To further demonstrate our commitment to our pilots, Allegiant has been accruing a retention bonus since June 2023 that represents an 82% pay increase for first-year first officers and a 35% pay increase for all other pilots. The accrued money will be paid out in a lump sum cash payment to individuals once a new contract is ratified. For senior captains, that retention bonus has already exceeded $200,000 and counting,” Porrello told The Herald.
No flights were delayed or canceled as a result of Tuesday’s action. For a strike to occur, all of the legally required bargaining procedures under the Railway Labor Act (RLA) would have to be exhausted.
Allegiant operates about two-thirds of BLI’s air traffic in and out of the airport. If a strike were to occur, travelers could expect to see significant impacts.
“That would mean flight disruptions. That would mean cancellations. That would mean Allegiant coming to a halt until the company is willing to come to the table to discuss our compensation package,” Batts said.
Allegiant Air is a budget airline that describes itself as an “affordable and convenient” travel option with low fares. It offers direct flights from BLI to Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Oakland, Palm Springs and San Diego.
The annual base pay for budget airline pilots can vary from about $48,500 to $174,000 for first officers and from about $137,000 to $270,000 for captains, according to Business Insider.
This story was originally published November 19, 2025 at 5:20 AM.
