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.