Allegiant Safety from concerned Passenger
 

Hi all, just wanted to say that everything I say and ask below is with complete respect and ignorance of the industry.

I am a fearful flyer who has only flown 5 round trips in my life (late 20s). Have always been weary of allegiant based on cost and the old motto you get what you pay for. I have flown delta everytime and each and every flight I am miserable and completely on edge in my seat. Even the days leading up to the flight make me nervous. I was just about to beat all this and book my first ever allegiant flight and then this 60 minutes report came out.

I am sick of not traveling though. I am wanting to go to carribean for first time with my gf but major airliners want close to a grand for my round trip flight to the Cayman Islands. This is where allegiant came into play. I live in Louisville and can fly to punta gorda on allegiant for under 200 (I have a family member who lives there). Then drive to Miami and catch a direct flight to grand cayman for about $300, bringing my total flight cost to around $500 - something I can afford.

My questions are

1. Pilots. I am making complete assumptions here and am probably completely wrong. I am asking/saying this with upmost respect. But with the companies business model, I feel like pilots here get paid less. Then I think - well what pilot wants to work for an airline that pays them less, probably has less benefits/perks/prestige and puts them on older aircraft? Then I assume that it’s young, less experienced pilots or just pilots that couldn’t make it to major airliner. Again I am not trying to offend anyone. I put my life in the pilots hands and just want some reassurance on their expertise and record.

2. I was so paranoid that I looked up the flight number for this Louisville to Punta Gorda route (1610 and 1611) and looked at the aircraft being used. Thankfully it is the newer A320 and not the MD. I would refuse to step foot on the MD here even though I think it’s what Delta puts me on when I connect through Atlanta all the time, solely because it’s “allegiants MD.” I got on this plane website and it gave me the age of the different planes in your fleet and I see these A320s are 15-20 years old. How safe are these and are they similar aged to major airliners or do they get extended lives at allegiant?

Just a nervous flyer sick of not traveling but also not rich to where I can just drop a grand on major airline flight to the Carib. Just looking for someone to convince me on why I am safe on an allegiant flight. After all, I know you pilots want to come home every night to your families so you wouldn’t be working here if you thought that was at risk, but I’m just irrational when it comes to air travel.

Also did this on my phone so sorry for grammar!

A current thread with inputs from a variety of pilot's here on APC. It might not do anything to allay your fears - but it will give you insight.

https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/a...ants-turn.html

Then if you think your fear is irrational, then apply that focus to much of the airline industry:

https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/h...s-feb-9-a.html


Spend some time listening to the evening news or watch Discovery TV for a weekend - you'll realize you have much bigger things to fear than Allegiant :D; I mean Yellowstone is going to blow any moment! :eek:

Sorry for my skepticism, but this site is full of trolls. This seems like flame bait, especially for a first post.

But in case you are serious, you should have also found direct flights from SDF to FLL on an allegiant airbus. That may be more convenient for you.

This topic is being beat to death on multiple threads. If you are who you say you are, please take the comments with a grain of salt. This is a pilot b1tch board. Nothing more.

That said, I feel allegiant is a safe airline, I adhere to strict standards, and so does every pilot I know.

As to your comment about young or rejected pilots, and why would someone want to work here, a major draw here is that we don't overnight/layover. We are home in our own bed every night, unlike every other airline. Because of this, many pilots seek this company out and stay. For many, that's worth more than direct compensation.

Not a troll thread at all. My googling earlier after the report led me to these forms and I saw that main thread and realized a lot of people talking were pilots. I’d like to get the honest and correct information from a pilot rather than some John Doe who doesn’t know anything more than I do.

Another question, is it possible to see which exact plane is doing your flight? I mean the exact plane. Just curious because I saw just the other day that the brand new airbus did that route and I’d like to fly on that plane very much ha

You are in good hands with an Allegiant pilot at the controls. They are highly trained, skilled professionals. Allegiant is a very competitive place to be hired as a pilot, just look down at the hiring thread at all of the pilots clamoring for a shot at and interview.

My advice, walk up and speak to the pilots on your flight. Tell them what specifically makes you nervous about flying. I’ve had many passengers do this and I think it usually helps.

The key point on page one of the FAA letter. There have been ZERO fatalities in the US of commercial airlines over the last 8+ years. Compared that to the number of fatalities in cars.

Some nervous flyers intellectually understand flying on commercial airlines (ALL airlines) is safer than getting out of bed in the morning. It is. But something is deeper.

Can you pinpoint your concern? Is it, “I don’t understand how airplanes stay aloft? I would think they would fall out of the sky.” There are good You Tube Videos and Google information about this.

Is your concern about all those switches, buttons, gauges, screens, and other things in the cockpit? How do the pilots know what to look at or what to flip or push? A YouTube tour around the cockpit can be helpful. Know every commercial pilot has hundreds of hours of training, then they spend time ‘booklearning’, classroom training, simulator, and check rides in aircraft. Your pilots (especially the person in the left seat, the Captain) have thousands of hours of successful, safe flying experience.

It is like going to a surgeon to have your appendix removed. The doctor explains they have been doing surgery for years and hundreds of operations like yours. It is routine for them.

Is there a friend you can confide in who feels comfortable with flying and take an airplane trip with them? I realize you may be concerned with admitting this to your girlfriend. I understand. Remember, even though she thinks you are Superman, it is okay to show you have a human chink in that armour. It may even be a chance for her to excercise her motherly instinct of caring for someone she loves.

Most major cities have places where a group can go through their fears and get a chance to go sit in a plane on the ground, and have a pilot talk to you and answer questions. Find out you are not the only person that has fears is comforting.

One of the cheapest things to do is have a good friend who flies and talk with him. He doesn’t have to be a psychologist, just a sound, comforting friend.

Finally, know the media and protestors are best at creating Histeria and playing on peoples’ Fears And Emotions. This sells news advertising. My classic protest sign said, “The World will End Today, Film at 11.”

Hope this helps you.

Excellent post Trans World as well as others. I have watched many videos to understand how planes fly. I am a numbers person in both education and career experience and I know how statistically safe it is, I just am irrational. My concern is that there are so many freaking moving parts on these planes and so many chances for something to go wrong. I know they are built around redundancy but that’s just me being irrational again. Fires are a big worry. Not worried about all those buttons in cockpit but that is intimidating, not sure how you all keep up with that! Doesn’t help that last flight I took the pilot nailed the tail of the plane on the ground when taking off and having seen that tv show “air disasters” just months before where it described a southwest accident having been caused by a hairline fracture in the tail from a tail strike that happened many months before the accident.

A couple of other thoughts.

Even a plane that is 20 years old does not have all 20 year old parts. So many inspections. If it was your car it would be like taking it in weekly for the mechanic to inspect it, do maintence on it every few weeks. Once every so often the mechanic would tear down your engine and replace the cylinders, pistons, cam shaft, etc.

You would not go to that extent on your car. But that is exactly what a commercial aircraft must do during heavy tear downs. It is a requirement.

Know you are not unique in having a fear. I read an excellent book for pilots, an autobiography of Bob Buck, entitled, “North Star over my Left Shoulder”. He loved flying. He met Charles Lindbergh. In the 1930s he flew the DC-3 for TWA. He was the chief pilot. Before he retired he was flying the 747.

A photo in the book was of him sitting in the cockpit of a 747. A passenger was nervous about him flying. How do you know what to do? Do you have any experience? He explained and gave him a tour. Unfortunately with the tight schedule, you cannot get on the plane and interview the pilot you are going to fly with, go over his resume, and have him show you everything in the cockpit. But know he is qualified and experienced.

I look forward to your overcoming your fear. It is like I was taught in public speaking. I was a terrible stutterer as a kid. You become better by just doing it. I actually have learned to enjoy speaking before groups, even though I am a studious introvert. (Incidentally the number one terrifying fear of the human race is public speaking.)

How have you only flown 5 times yet connect through Atlanta all the time?