‘It’s not safe’: Flight attendant asks for increased security after car break-in at CLT airport
“We don’t know who these people are coming into the lot. It’s not secure, it’s not safe,” said Caryn Ivey.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Caryn Ivey never expected when she left her car in the Charlotte Douglas International Airport employee lot over Labor Day weekend, that she would return to a smashed window.
“It’s scary because it’s like is this just the beginning?” Ivey said. “We don’t know who these people are coming into the lot. It’s not secure, it’s not safe.”
According to CLT, 10 vehicles were broken into over the weekend inside the employee lots of Old Dowd Road, and an additional six Jeep Rubicons had their hoods removed in the public passenger lots.
Allied Pilots Association rep Shane Vaughn says these break-ins aren’t exactly a new problem, but 10 in one weekend is extreme.
“This isn’t the first time that it’s happened, although this is the first time at this scale that it has happened in the crew parking lot,” Vaughn said.
Ivey also believes that parking in a lot clearly marked for airline employees makes them easy targets due to their long travel while on the job.
“People know we’re in and out of town, they know our cars are parked there for a long time,” Ivey said. “You can get in and out of this parking lot without any hesitation.”
Vaughn says there’s a meeting scheduled for Friday, Sept. 8 between Charlotte Douglas, the APA, and the APFA union that represents flight attendants to address these concerns and find solutions to the issues.
The airport gave the following statement to WBTV Thursday night:
“The safety and security of passengers and employees is our number one priority at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. As per our policy, we do not discuss details of airport security but can confirm that over the Labor Day Holiday we had 10 vehicles damaged in the employee lots and 6 vehicles damaged in the public parking lots, both owned and operated by the Airport/City of Charlotte. As this is an active investigation, we are unable to comment any further regarding specifics. Our customers and employees can be assured that CLT is working closely with CMPD on the matter. Please contact CMPD for further information.”
CMPD released a post on social media aiming to “provide reassurance that the parking lots are safe for all employees & customers.”
The department also stated that the overall number of incidents in the employee lot this year is 34, down from 40 at this time last year.
But the hope from the employees who park in these lots every week is that those numbers continue to decline.
“It’s one thing to replace physical, material items,” Ivey said. “But it’s another thing when someone’s safety’s at harm. Those things we can’t get back.”
Ivey says her total damages were just under $300, but many of her co-workers experienced worse. She says she paid for those expenses out-of-pocket, and that the airport told her to keep the receipts for possible reimbursement in the future.
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