Latest news with #CharlotteDouglasInternationalAirport
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Charlotte airport employees decry working conditions at city council meeting
Dominique Chambers, left, sorts through post cards outlining labor concerns with other members of the SEIU. (Photo courtesy of 32BJ SEIU.) Charlotte Douglas International Airport employees took to the floor of the Charlotte City Council on Tuesday to allege unsafe working conditions, high turnover, and inadequate wages at the state's largest airport. The employees delivered hundreds of postcards from members of the 32BJ Service Employees International Union outlining labor concerns at the airport before addressing the council during its public comment session at 5 p.m. Speakers from the union urged city lawmakers to raise wages and pass stricter safety standards for the airport at the local level. Dominique Chambers, a wheelchair agent at the airport, said working conditions directly interfere with his ability to assist elderly and disabled passengers. 'Every day, we are met with low wages, minimum benefits, and poor working conditions,' Chambers said. 'The turnover rate is so high and we are so understaffed that many passengers are left waiting. Sometimes, we're even pressured to push two passengers at the same time.' Chambers said the cost of living in Charlotte has outpaced their wages to the point that colleagues of his are forced to stay with their families, live in their cars, or even remain unhoused altogether. Because he makes $12.50 an hour, Chambers said he has no choice but to live with his grandmother. Donielle Prophete, the president of Communications Workers of America Local 3645, said that if councilors do not act on their concerns, then 'now is the time for us to act and vote you off of this dais.' She asked the council to open a committee meeting to allow the union members to propose a new ordinance on workplace safety and higher wages. 'Charlotte Douglas is one of the largest economic engines in the city. If the workers who power it can't count on their elected officials to protect them, then who can they count on?' Prophete said. 'No Charlottean should be working full-time and still unable to afford rent, food, or health care.' Later in the meeting, City Attorney Anthony Fox said the changes requested by the union are preempted by the state's Wage and Hour Act, which largely reserves the right to set labor laws to the state legislature. He added that nothing the union has communicated to him about its proposal has changed that analysis. 'I understand the merits of what they're asking for and it's altruistic, it's noble, but we are restricted by law on what we can do and how far we can go,' Fox said. Councilor Victoria Watlington said it was her understanding that the union's current proposal is not a direct modification to wage and labor standards, but rather, a change to the criteria the city uses to award contracts at the airport that would take into consideration those concerns — something she said is in the council's purview. Though three members of the council — Tiawana Brown, Reneé Johnson, and Watlington — requested a committee hearing on the issue, Mayor Vi Lyles declined to refer the issue, citing a need for further consultation with the city attorney. Brown also requested that Lyles authorize the city council's Budget, Government, and Intergovernment Relations Committee to investigate safety and efficiency at the airport. Lyles said she would discuss the matter with Fox's office and make a determination based on his legal advice. 'These are things that I think about in a way that, how do we create jobs for people that pay better?' Lyles said. 'How do we do that? That's by getting behind people in a way that we can provide these opportunities for them.' Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Lyles's office did not respond to requests for comment. In a press release, the union said the council has the power to pass their proposal, and that arguing preemption by state law is a 'well-known tactic used by corporations and politicians to shut down common-sense measures that benefit workers and the public.' 'Dozens of cities across the country have passed similar legislation to raise airport standards — despite claims by some states that such local laws are preempted by state law,' said SEIU Southern Regional Director Chris Baumann. 'It is disappointing that Mayor Lyles lacks the political will to do the same. Thousands of airport workers and their families won't forget this failure come election time.'
Axios
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Axios
Charlotte aviation museum named for famed Captain Sully opens new gallery
Sullenberger Aviation Museum's new gallery opens inside a 1930s hangar on Saturday, May 31. Why it matters: This latest section of the museum to open will showcase a range of commercial and military planes. Catch up quick: Sullenberger Aviation Museum reopened last June with a new name and a new home. The museum's name honors Captain C.B. "Sully" Sullenberger, the pilot who safely landed the Charlotte-bound U.S. Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River. You may know the 2009 flight as "Miracle on the Hudson." The aircraft from Flight 1549 can be seen in the museum's adjacent main gallery. The latest: The Navy/Marine Corps Gallery is housed inside the W.P.A. Douglas hangar, which was the original home of the museum. Now the hangar will tell Charlotte Douglas International Airport's story and its influence on the city, museum president Stephen Saucier says. What to expect: The hangar was built in 1936 as part of the Works Progress Administration, making it an artifact in and of itself, Saucier says. The gallery includes seven aircraft, with everything from commercial aircraft like a Piedmont Airlines DC-3 to military aircraft like the F-84 Thunderjet. One plane has been converted into a two-person flight simulator. By the numbers: $34 million was raised to build the current iteration of the museum, including $5 million from Charlotte Douglas International Airport's Cannon Fund. The airport renovated the hangar shell, Saucier says. It cost roughly $1.5 million for the museum to bring the gallery to life, per Saucier. If you go: Saturday's grand opening starts at 9am for museum members and 10am for nonmembers. There will be food trucks. Sullenberger Aviation Museum is at 4108 Minuteman Way near CLT. Tickets are $24 for those over age 18, $20 for seniors (65+), $18 for ages 5-17, free for children younger than 5 years old, $20 for military members (active or veterans), $20 for aviation professionals and $20 for educators. What's next: The museum will launch summer camps for 4th-8th grade students this year with a focus on STEM education and aviation. Take a look around the "Aviation City" exhibit.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
CLT gets through Memorial Day weekend with few delays
The Memorial Day weekend is expected to set records for travel with AAA saying about 45 million people will travel 100 miles or more. Charlotte Douglas International Airport seemed to be weathering the influx well. Only five delays and no cancellations were reported as of Monday morning. The weather largely held without any major storms, which also minimized delays over the weekend. Newark Liberty Airport, by comparison, saw delays averaging over two-and-a-half hours Monday morning. That's blamed on an ongoing staffing shortage of air traffic controllers. That's even after the Federal Aviation Administration slashed the number of flights following weeks of disruptions. Last year, there were more than 89,000 airline complaints. According to a new report from the Public Interest Network, some major and low-cost airlines fared better than others when looking at statistics from 2024. The report found that Southwest and Delta had the best records for flight delays and cancellations, while Frontier, Spirit and United had the worst. Frontier had the worst ratio of complaints to passengers. (VIDEO: Real ID deadline hits for airports, travelers. Can you still fly without one?)
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
9 Investigates: Charlotte Douglas' new runway won't feature Runway Status Lights
Charlotte Douglas International Airport is the sixth busiest airport in the world. Millions of passengers take off and land each year in Charlotte. Pilot Hickory Ham, the Charlotte vice chair for the Allied Pilots Association, says all that traffic is a good thing. ALSO READ: AA flight aborts landing in Charlotte due to plane on runway 'Any kind of opportunity to get growth and more flights here is good for us,' he said. 'It is good for American Airlines and good for the city of Charlotte.' With that growth, he and air traffic controller Anthony Schifano, the president of the Charlotte National Air Traffic Controllers Association, says Charlotte's airport needs to invest in safety. 'Any time that you have an opportunity to improve safety, in our opinion, you should be doing so,' he said. One of the safety measures currently in place at Charlotte Douglas is called Runway Status Lights. They are on most of the airport's runways. Schifano says they are simple, but effective. 'Runway Status Lights are a visual cue to pilots when there's something else that's on the runway,' he said. Activated red lights signal a plane is coming. 'When the airport status lights are activated, they are telling the person sitting on the runway it is unsafe to enter the runway,' Schifano said. 'The lights go off whenever it is safe. At approximately half-mile final they illuminate showing it is not safe to enter and as the aircraft passes the runway status lights you can see it is clear to enter the runway.' It may seem simple. We are all taught red means stop. But Ham says these lights can prevent catastrophes. 'On a clear, blue day, maybe this seems redundant but when you are in bad weather and it is super foggy there are times air traffic control can't even see out of the tower,' he said. 'It is just another way for safety, and it is peace of mind to know it is unsafe to enter the runway.' Charlotte airport officials are currently building a new runway, which will be 10,000 feet long by 150 feet wide. It's a more than $1 billion dollar project. But as it stands now, the runway will not be outfitted with those safety lights. An April 2024 letter from the airport's chief infrastructure officer puts the blame on financial reasons. 'Our obligation to be financially sustainable does not position us to support an unrequired program,' Jack Christie said in the letter. Channel 9 followed up with the airport, and a spokesperson said the FAA is no longer supporting this technology. An FAA spokesperson said that is not the case and pointed out Memphis is partnering with Fedex to put the lights in place. A spokesperson for FAA says they want to expand access to the lights when more funding is available. Runway Status Light systems are in place at 20 airports in the US. Christie's letter says end-around taxiways will mitigate the risk of runway incursions. Those are taxiways that encircle the runway allowing planes not to cross. But Schifano says that's not a solution. 'That doesn't mean that every aircraft can use those end-around taxiways,' he said. While the airport has no plans for putting these lights in place on the new runway for now Schifano and Ham hope they will find the funding and green light them in the future. 'We have to have the safety systems in place to make sure that, especially considering how close the runways are together, that we are able to do our jobs and do our jobs safely,' Schifano said. VIDEO: Transportation secretary speaks about runway safety at Charlotte airport
Fox News
15-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Major airline holding flights to accommodate flyers with connections
Many Americans are planning to take to the skies to get to their destinations this summer. Ahead of the season, American Airlines announced that for the period between May 16 and Sept. 2, over 715,000 flights have been booked — with July 6 predicted to be the most-traveled day. American Airlines is looking to take some of the anxiety away from some of those flights by introducing new technology for customers with connections. "If the airline determines it can delay the flight without any impact on the airline's schedule, we will propose a short hold to get those connecting customers onboard," the airline announced in a press release. The technology will first be rolled out at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport hub in Texas to "identif[y] departing flights with connecting customers who might miss their flight." It is unclear how long planes can be held and if there will be any impact on fellow flyers. The technology "helps automate and enhance existing processes to hold certain connecting flights so the airline can help even more customers make their connections and get to their final destinations," the press release also notes. Following the first rollout, American Airlines plans to expand the test to Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, followed by other hubs over the summer. Heather Garboden, chief customer officer at American Airlines, said in the press release, "Expectations are high when customers are traveling for their hard-earned summer vacations." A massive 45.1 million Americans are set to travel at least 50 miles from their home during the long weekend, AAA announced. Of the millions of Americans traveling, AAA predicts 3.61 million will be flying to their destinations. That's a 2% increase from last year. "Whether it's our redesigned app, improvements to our boarding process or other new technology across the operation, we are excited for customers to have a new and improved experience traveling with us this summer," Garboden added. Fox News Digital reached out to American Airlines for additional comment.
