The city of Phoenix said Monday that an airline catering company has made “measurable improvements” in the AC performance in their trucks, but there are still some trucks that do not have adequately functioning AC.
In a letter to LSG Sky Chefs, Aviation Director Chad Makovsky said testing on July 16 by certified technicians found that “LSG Sky Chefs continues to operate some trucks that do not maintain adequate functioning air conditioning” as required by the city’s heat ordinance.
The city defines functioning in the letter as a maximum of 75º vent temperatures or the ambient outdoor air temperature minus 40º.
See previous ABC15 investigative reporting on the working temperatures for airline catering company workers in the player above.
“Any vehicles not meeting these criteria will be refused access to the airfield,” he wrote.
The Aviation Department plans to do periodic testing. The letter warned that if testing reveals Sky Chefs vehicles exceed the city’s criteria, the company will be subject to all remedies available to the city, including potential termination of its contract.
A majority of the airlines at Sky Harbor contract with Sky Chefs for airline catering.
The city’s investigation comes after Sky Chefs workers complained earlier this month of dangerous working conditions. Multiple workers reached out, saying the AC in many trucks simply didn’t work properly.
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Makovsky told ABC15 the city launched an inspection on July 2, the same afternoon after hearing the workers’ complaints.
The Phoenix City Council passed a city heat ordinance more than a year ago. The ordinance aims to protect airport workers from the extreme Arizona heat. As part of the ordinance, vehicles with enclosed cabs must have functioning AC no later than May 1, 2025.
A representative from Sky Chefs was not immediately available to respond to the city’s letter Monday.
The company has previously pushed back on the workers’ claims. They have said all their trucks have AC units that are regularly tested to ensure compliance. In a previous statement, Sky Chefs told ABC15 that the company places safety “at the forefront of everything we do.”
“We continue to work with our leadership and local teams to enhance our heat mitigation procedures to ensure the safety of our Phoenix team,” the statement said.
Email ABC15 Investigator Anne Ryman at anne.ryman@abc15.com, call her at 602-685-6345, or connect on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Facebook.
