SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) -- A popular airline at Sioux Falls Regional Airport is the subject of a scathing report by CBS's 60 Minutes about safety issues.
Allegiant Airlines strongly disputes the nationally broadcast report that it has three times the safety problems of competing airlines. The broadcast cites documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.
In a written response sent to KELO.com News, Allegiant says the "star" source in the report is highly suspect.
"CBS produced a one-sided narrative by cherry-picking interviews and ignoring publicly-available facts. For example, the show’s star interviewee, John Goglia, is not an un-biased commentator; he is a paid expert working for a former Allegiant pilot who has sued Allegiant."
Allegiant Vice President of Operations, Eric Gust, goes on to write that to suggest the Airline would engage in the practice of asking team members to violate company and regulatory obligations is "offensive and defamatory."
Sioux Falls Airport Manager Dan Letellier says that Allegiant does about 16 to 17 percent of the business at Joe Foss Field. It has popular flights to Phoenix, Orlando and elsewhere.