- An odd situation played out at the Syracuse airport this summer after Hertz employees abandoned their post well before the last flights arrived for the day.
- With no service, some customers just drove off with whatever cars had keys in them.
- At least one customer was reportedly asked to exchange the vehicle they took for the right one.
Imagine getting off a three hour flight only to find the rental car desk completely abandoned. What would you do? Call corporate or desperately search for another rental car company?
While those are obvious answers, some Hertz customers at New York’s Syracuse airport reportedly decided to take matters into their own hands. They simply looked for cars with keys in them and drove away.
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That’s borderline stealing, but CBS News reports at least 20 customers found an empty Hertz counter at the airport on July 20. A number of them called airport officials for help and they cued up security camera footage showing employees leaving at 7:13 pm. That’s well before the mandated time of 1:28 am and attempts to contact local Hertz officials were unsuccessful.
Strangely, a Hertz employee returned at 8:25 pm but left again at 8:41 pm. That was the last time an employee was seen at the counter until 6:57 am the following day. Making matters worse, that particular location doesn’t have a self-service option.
However, that didn’t stop customers from taking the DIY approach. One person who contacted the airport reportedly said, “Various customers with pre-booked reservations looked through cars in the Hertz section of the garage and just took random cars that had keys in them.” However, she was unable to locate a vehicle with keys and was looking for assistance.
The bizarre scenario sounds like Kia Boyz Airport Edition and heads may have rolled. While that remains unclear, an area vice president reportedly e-mailed airport officials to apologize for the situation and say “We have taken the feedback and actioned immediately.”
As for customers who randomly took cars? It appears they were asked to return them and pick up the right one. That’s what happened to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, who told CBS he took a car he thought was for him. However, Johnston later exchanged it after finding out he grabbed the wrong vehicle.
While Syracuse pales in comparison to some larger airports, it’s not exactly small as it handled 269,976 passengers in August. The airport also lists six rental car companies including Alamo/National, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, and Hertz. Given the variety of choices, it’s surprising customers didn’t just get a car from a competitor.
