Former Allegiant Mechanic: "This Airline is Dangerous"...

Veteran aircraft mechanic Greg Marino worked at Allegiant Air for just two weeks before he quit because of what he said are the airline's dangerous maintenance practices.

Marino said mechanics at the airline's facility in Sanford often lapsed into bad maintenance habits. He said they failed to follow proper procedure in diagnosing aircraft problems and routinely misused a Federal Aviation Administration program that allowed planes, under some conditions, to fly with inoperative components or systems.
Marino said the airline needlessly delayed repairs in the push to keep planes flying, eroding the margin of safety.
Allegiant officials said the airline has an exemplary safety record and disputes reports of inadequate maintenance. They have blamed the pilots' union — in bitter contract negotiations with the airline — for drumming up unfounded concerns about safety as a negotiation ploy.
Marino said he could not remain part of a system that was so poorly managed.
"So I fired Allegiant as my employer," Marino, 57, said during an interview at his Ocala home. "I didn't give them two weeks' notice. I wasn't going to spend 10 more minutes there. The bottom line for me was that they were operating a dangerous safety culture. I don't stay where this kind of nonsense goes on."