Gregory Unterseher

Stories

Allegiant pilots clash with airline over low pay, foreign visa hires, and green card bid

Senior union official publicly opposing Allegiant’s green card strategy

Allegiant Air's contract fight with its pilots (Teamsters Local 2118) spans immigration policy, wage standards, and a proposed $1.5 billion merger with Sun Country Airlines. The roughly 1,400 pilots have been stuck under an amendable 2016 contract — starting pay around $50,000, about half what regional peers earn, with grueling schedules.

Updated May 10

Notable Quotes

Unterseher has accused Allegiant of having "such a hard time in 2023 finding pilots" that it turned to visa hires from Chile while dangling permanent residency despite offering around $50,000 a year—far below peers. ([wsau.com](https://wsau.com/2025/12/06/exclusive-pilots-union-blocks-allegiant-air-bid-to-get-us-residency-for-foreign-hires/?utm_source=openai))

from Allegiant pilots clash with airline over low pay, foreign visa hires, and green card bid · Updated May 10

"The Teamsters and our local unions look forward to working collaboratively with fellow unions at Allegiant and Sun Country to ensure that employees share in any benefits of a merger... any merger must deliver real gains for workers in the form of improved wages, job security, and working conditions." [14][22]

from Allegiant pilots clash with airline over low pay, foreign visa hires, and green card bid · Updated May 10