Allegiant Air Under Fire After '60 Minutes' Safety Report
LAS VEGAS (CBS/AP) — The low-cost carrier Allegiant Air is under fire following a "60 Minutes" investigation that is raising significant safety concerns.
Investigators with the news program found that between Jan. 1, 2016 and October 2017, the Las Vegas airline experienced more than 100 serious mechanical incidents, including aborted takeoffs, rapid descents, flight control malfunctions and midair engine failures.
More than a year's worth of Federal Aviation Administration reports for Allegiant and seven other airlines show that the carrier was on average nearly three and a half times more likely to have a midair breakdown than Delta, United, American, Spirit, or JetBlue.
In New England, Allegiant Air flies out of airports in Providence, Rhode Island; Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Bangor, Maine.
Allegiant told 60 Minutes in a statement: "All of us at Allegiant are proud of our strong safety record, as noted in the most current, comprehensive FAA audit. Safety is at the forefront of our minds and the core of our operations."
Shares of parent company Allegiant Travel Co. are down more than 8 percent before the opening bell.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)