Court order issued against Allegiant Air pilot strike

Pilots at discount carrier Allegiant Air said they were planning a strike to begin at 3 a.m. Thursday, which could ground 250 flights, affecting 33,000 customers, including those in airports in St. Petersburg, Tampa and Orlando.

The Las Vegas-based airline went to federal court to block the strike by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 1224, calling it illegal.

The airline, which does not have enough replacement crews to fly its full schedule, said it has received a court order forbidding the strike. In an email sent to travelers at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Allegiant officials wrote:

"Dear Allegiant Customers,

"Allegiant Air has been successful in receiving a court order to protect your travel plans. The court instructed the Teamsters not to strike. Based on this, all scheduled Allegiant flights are expected to operate normally.

"We are very sorry for the uncertainty and stress that this situation may have caused you regarding your weekend travel. We simply wanted to make sure you had all the available information and flexibility to make alternative arrangements.

"We assure you, we will honor all previous communications regarding flight changes or 'no-shows' on flights April 1-7, 2015.

"Our team will continue to do everything possible to make sure your Allegiant experience is a good one."

Thursday is one of Allegiant's busiest travel days. This week is especially popular with more people vacation

ing for Easter as well as heading to Las Vegas to watch the NCAA March Madness Final Four basketball games.

Allegiant is one of the most profitable airlines in the world, taking vacationers from smaller U.S. cities to warm destinations such as Southwest Florida, Phoenix and Las Vegas. It has low base fares but charges extra for seat assignments, placing bags in overhead bins and for drinks including water.

The pilots are upset over the company's change in crew scheduling and a rollback in a disability program and other benefits. The two sides had been negotiating until a stalemate in November.

"Striking is a last resort, but we cannot continue to stand by a company that flaunts the law by robbing the pilots of legally protected rights and benefits," Tom Pozdro, a pilot based in Las Vegas, said in statement released by the union. "We deeply regret the inconvenience to our passengers."

Allegiant said in a statement it hoped to address these issues at the bargaining table and called the union's actions "heavy-handed and disruptive."