I’ve been patient, but if the city-owned airport is into full-spin mode I’m going for the throat.
Charlotte Douglas public affairs manager Haley Gentry is either a liar or an idiot — possibly both. Here’s what Gentry told WBTV on Friday:
…Gentry put out a statement that said: “Charlotte Douglas Airport Officials have not been in contact with investigators in Massachusetts during the Tisdale investigation. We now expect that the information released today will trigger a local investigation involving Charlotte Douglas, the TSA and the FAA.”
Gentry declined an interview request by WBTV and said the airport wouldn’t comment more until perhaps Monday. That leaves serious questions unanswered.
Except that was not true, as Gentry’s own press release from Monday confirmed. The FAA told the airport way back on Dec. 1st that there would be an investigation and at least since Dec. 3rd the airport has known that bigfoot operator US Airways was hip deep in Massachusetts-spawned probes into the incident. The “in contact” bit is a dodge. The airport and US Airways have neatly tried to bounce the matter around as if out-of-state authorities did not have keen questions about how Tisdale might’ve gotten on board a US Airways flight departing Charlotte Douglas.
That is crap — and two weeks of bobbing and weaving have helped no one. Now down to basic facts:
- Did Tisdale, as a member of North Meck’s Air Force jROTC unit, ever tour the airport facilities, or those of the Air Guard unit which operates from the airport?
Answer that and we’ll be on our way to solving this mystery.
Update: SOP FUBAR in full effect for the Uptown crowd:
City Manager Curt Walton, who is Orr’s boss, said he hadn’t spoken with Orr about security at the city-owned airport.
