New York Airport Chaos: Travelers Grab Cars in Frantic Debacle

Imagine this: you land in a new city, ready to grab your rental car and hit the road—only to find the rental counter completely deserted. Well, that’s exactly what happened to a group of passengers at the airport in Syracuse, NY.  Denver Mayor Mike Johnston was among some of the customers caught in the chaos of missing rental car staff.

On the evening of July 20th, over 20 travelers arrived at the Hertz counter, only to find no one home. The counter had been abandoned at 7:13 pm, briefly manned again from 8:25 pm to 8:41 pm, and then completely ghosted until the next morning. The Syracuse Regional Airport Authority said the counter was supposed to stay open until 1:28 am, but apparently, “supposed to” didn’t quite line up with reality. Adding to the madness, there was no automated system to help renters grab their cars. Oops.

So, what’s a traveler to do when faced with an unmanned counter and no instructions? Well, take a car, of course! Mayor Johnston, who had a reservation, figured the car with the keys inside was his. He hopped in, drove off, and later swapped it for the correct one when he realized his mix-up. Meanwhile, other stranded renters followed suit, casually picking up any car they could find with keys left inside, turning the rental lot into a sort of “free-for-all” car buffet.

Eventually, the situation spiraled, with some customers unable to find a car that didn’t have a “Do Not Take” sign on it. One traveler even called the airport, asking for help finding a car with keys still in it.

Hertz eventually caught wind of the anarchy, apologized, and promised to take action immediately. With the busiest travel season just ahead, this is a reminder that even in the world of car rentals, things can go from zero to full-on mayhem in a matter of hours.

This post was originally published on here