Not long after 60 Minutes aired a 2-part report tonight on Allegiant Air, company executives sent letters to travelers calling the story “grossly misleading.”
Among the findings, correspondent Steve Kroft reported that between Jan. 2016 and Oct., 2017, more than 100 serious mechanical incidents were filed by Allegiant with the FAA. Kroft talked to passengers, and former officials with the NTSB and FAA. CBS says documents show “an alarming number of aborted takeoffs, cabin pressure loss, emergency descents, and unscheduled landings,” on Allegiant flights.
Kroft requested an interview with the company’s CEO, but instead got a statement from its VP of operations, who also penned this email to the airlines’ passengers. Eric Gust wrote that the incidents reported in the story “are years old, and took place before our most recent, comprehensive FAA audit.”
He also said he was “outraged and astounded” by the report.
This is the response to the @60minutes piece that Allegiant is sending to customers (as a link to a PDF in a Dropbox folder). pic.twitter.com/lfhxOQOD5H
— Jon Ostrower (@jonostrower) April 16, 2018
Before the story even aired, Allegiant sent this memo to employees, claiming the story “breaks no news.”
Allegiant has provided an internal statement to employees regarding this evening’s #60Minutes segment: pic.twitter.com/f6HNm3VSRc
— AirlineGeeks.com (@AirlineGeeks) April 16, 2018