Allegiant Airlines cancels same flight multiple times, frustrating passengers

Passengers flying Allegiant Airlines out of Idaho Falls Regional Airport to Mesa, Arizona, spent the weekend stranded in Eastern Idaho. The airline canceled the same flight three times in three days.

“I’m ready to be home,” said JoAn Kelly, a stranded passenger. “I miss the 75 degree weather.”

The airport calls the situation a “perfect storm of events.”

Last Thursday, Allegiant Airlines canceled their Phoenix-Mesa flight due to mechanical problems with the Airbus 319 aircraft after it arrived in Idaho Falls. The flight was rescheduled for Friday, but Allegiant canceled the flight again due to weather conditions at the airport. The director of the Idaho Falls Regional Airport said the two other carriers flying out of IDA United Airlines and Delta Airlines had no problems.

“We have documentation that other airlines were using the runway and runway conditions were actually acceptable,” the airport director, Craig Davis, said in a phone interview. “The runway was clear enough to allow airline operations as we had plowed, broomed, deiced and sanded it to obtain an appropriate braking action friction level based on FAA regulations) national notice to airman (NOTAM’s) were issued and other airlines were taking off and landing during the time they canceled the flight,” Davis added later in a written statement. “Remember it is the pilot in command and the individual airlines choice whether to operate their aircraft or not.”

Allegiant then rescheduled the flight for a third time. The plane was scheduled to leave Idaho Falls Saturday evening. As passengers were getting ready to board the plane, Allegiant canceled the flight.

“While Allegiant Airline employees were positioning the jet bridge No. 2 onto the aircraft to finally load this flight, the jet bridge electrical inverter burned out and left the jet bridge (un)usable,” Davis said in a statement to KIFI/KIDK.

Davis said Allegiant was using the taller and larger Airbus 319 for the Saturday flight. He said typically the airline uses the shorter MD-80 aircraft. With the electrical inverter on the jet bridge burned out, Allegiant and the airport worked to find a work-around.

“Airport staff did their best to try to find a solution to help Allegiant including trying to use our other jet bridge No. 1 which does not go high enough for this Airbus aircraft. We tried the airports and the FBO’s portable air stairs which also do not go high enough to reach the Airbus door,” Davis wrote in his statement. “Allegiant made the decision on Saturday night to cancel the flight permanently.”

KIFI/KIDK contacted Allegiant Airlines for a statement. In a voicemail left for reporter Chris Oswalt a spokesperson said it disputes the airport’s stance, saying the plane was the right size for the jet bridge. The spokesperson said passengers were given a $250 voucher for future flights.

The airport says it will look to budget $50,000 next year to buy a backup portable air stair unit, a cost the airport’s director said he tried to split with Allegiant in the past.

“Last year I met with Allegiant Airlines and offered to cost-share the purchase of an appropriate portable air stare unit,” Davis said. “However, they declined the offer saying they did not have the funds.”

Allegiant Airlines eventually got passengers flown out, but not without problems. The fourth flight out of IDA was delayed Sunday evening because the crew was late to arrive after being delayed by weather at a different airport.

JoAn Kelly says she finally landed at her Arizona destination around 10 p.m. Sunday.

“Just landed,” she wrote in a text message. “Yahoo! Now, a two-plus hour drive to Tucson.”