Bobby and Lance Snyder have spent a combined eight decades working the ramp at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, and they still show up for the four-minute deadline. Bobby got hired by Piedmont Airlines in 1986 and moved to the ramp in 1987. Lance came aboard nine months later, and both eventually became crew chiefs, leading the crews that prepare aircraft for every arrival and departure. The job is all about timing. Doors have to shut four to five minutes before pushback, and the Snyder crews make it happen flight after flight.
The brothers grew up near Tri-Cities Airport, where they’d watch planes and help clean them as kids. That early fascination turned into a calling. Bobby remembers when the ramp was full of people his age or older. Now the workforce is younger, and he calls the chance to mentor that next generation a blessing. In February 2026, the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority recognized their dedication with the Unsung Heroes Award.
For Suncoast travelers, those minutes matter. If you’ve got a connection in Charlotte on the way to see family up north, their work is a big reason the trip starts on schedule. They’ve also got a few practical tips: pull the loose straps off your checked bags and keep your luggage tag on a different handle from the airline barcode, so the scanners don’t miss it. Every bit helps the crew.
Have you ever had a job where the whole crew felt like family? Tell us about it in the comments.
