Judge stops planned airline pilots strike

CLEARWATER — The St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport remains busy Thursday after one of its primary carriers, Allegiant Air, got help from a Las Vegas judge to stop a planned pilot strike.

The judge, according to the airline, issued a temporary restraining order late Wednesday against the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 1224, the union that represents Allegiant's pilots. Earlier Wednesday, Allegiant warned of a planned “illegal strike” that was set to begin the next day, which would've grounded hundreds of flights and stranded thousands of passengers just as the Easter holiday weekend was set to begin.

Allegiant handles a vast majority of the commercial flights that come in and out of St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, connecting the airport to places like Mississippi, Tennessee, Indiana and Pennsylvania.

“Allegiant has every reason to believe that the Teamsters will honor the court's instructions, and will not be able to continue with their illegal intention to strike,” the company says, in a release. “Based on this, all scheduled Allegiant flights are expected to operate normally.”

Allegiant pilots had overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike last January over a dispute involving pilot work rule protections and benefits, the union said at the time. Negotiations had been ongoing since December 2012, and were even mediated a year ago.

The union conducted what it called “informational picketing” at various airports in January, including St. Pete-Clearwater.

Fears of a strike pushed Allegiant shares down Wednesday on the Nasdaq, where it trades under the symbol ALGT. The nearly 7% drop forced Allegiant shares to close at $179.65, its lowest close since Feb. 17.