Study: Airline catering carts vulnerable

Twenty-five percent of airline employees believe equipment that is used for food service on airlines are vulnerable to being accessed by unauthorized personnel, according to a study reported on Wednesday by USA Today. 

The poll, conducted by the Unite Here International Union, comes are lawmakers are scheduled to conduct a hearing on Wednesday about the vulnerability of commercial flights to members of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) who hold Western passports. 

Unite Here Food Service Division Vice President Jim Dupont told the paper the poll results revealed that food service trucks and kitchens are becoming another area of vulnerability in the nation’s aviation system. 

{mosads}“It’s a big deal,” Dupont said, according to the report. 

“Our members are very concerned,” he continued. 

The union said it surveyed 400 airline workers who work in 13 kitchens at U.S. airports to form the basis of its finding. 

Airline catering companies told the paper that the poll findings greatly underestimated the security of their equipment. 

“For a number of reasons, the respondents may not have full visibility of all of the security measures already in place or the ongoing efforts to evaluate and enhance security,” LSG Sky Chefs told the newspaper in a statement. 

“Safety and security are among our company’s highest priorities, which we share with the airlines we serve, the TSA and other agencies that play a role in this vital effort,” the statement continued. 

The findings of the poll were submitted to the Transportation Security Administration, according to the report.