Allegiant pilot says he was wrongly fired over evacuation

[n2doc]

DALLAS (AP) — A pilot who ordered an emergency evacuation after smoke was detected coming from one of the jet's engines is suing Allegiant Air for firing him.

The 43-year-old pilot says Allegiant is putting profits above safety. Allegiant says the evacuation was unnecessary and put passengers at risk — several were injured sliding down inflatable escape chutes.

The incident in June was one of many over the summer that brought unflattering attention to Allegiant. The Teamsters union, which is trying to negotiate Allegiant pilots' first union contract, has publicized the events and accused the airline of cutting corners on safety.

The case highlights a natural tension in the airline industry: Captains are responsible for safety on the plane, but airlines can and do judge their work.

On June 8, Jason Kinzer was the captain of an Allegiant Air jet with 141 passengers scheduled to fly from St. Petersburg, Florida, to Hagerstown, Maryland. Minutes after takeoff, Kinzer says, flight attendants called the cockpit to report smelling smoke, so he declared an emergency and returned to the airport.

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http://bigstory.ap.org/article/40b30937894141b3ad257e9dcb06ea21/allegiant-pilot-says-he-was-wrongly-fired-over-evacuation

[Octafish]

1. What would DemoTex do?

Safety first, I bet.

[marble falls]

2. I think the pilot did the right thing. Particularly when the ground safety team found smoke from....

coming from one of the engines.

[MisterP]

3. they're gonna ValuJet themselves and 50-150 poor screaming people

then Frontier and Spirit