Airport staff 'get bonuses for catching easyJet passengers with oversized bags'
Airport staff are pocketing bonuses for catching out easyJet passengers with oversized bags, according to a leaked email. A revealing email was sent to employees of Swissport, which runs passenger airport gates across Belfast, Birmingham, Glasgow, Jersey, Liverpool, and Newcastle.
It revealed staff would take home £1.20 (£1 after tax) for every "gate bag" found too large to bring onboard. The controversial scheme aims to "reward agents doing the right thing", according to an internal message signed by Dean Martin, a Swisspoer station manager at Glasgow Airport.
The leaked email, which was seen by The Sunday Times, is 'the easyJet gate bag revenue incentive' which would result in 'payments made directly to employees'. The email was sent in November 2023, and the policy reportedly remains active.
Staff were assured that if they didn't meet targets, 'internal tracking will be used to identify opportunities for further support and training for individual agents, but will not be used negatively.'
The email, signed off by Dean Martin, ended with 'Thank you for your ongoing contribution to the success of easyJet.' The email was sent in November 2023, and the policy is still active.
EasyJet, which made £9 billion in revenue, allows passengers to take one small bag on a flight. However, larger bags are extra, with fees ranging from £5.99 to £33. At the airport gate, if an unpaid oversized bag is found, passengers face a £48 charge - with £1.20 going directly to airport employees.
Ground staff are employed by third-party handling companies, which differ across airports. EasyJet is not responsible for how the bonuses are issued.
An easyJet spokeswoman said: "easyJet is focused on ensuring our ground handling partners apply our policies correctly and consistently in fairness to all our customers.
"Our bag policies and options are well understood and we remind customers of this when booking, before they travel and on their boarding pass which means a very small proportion of customers who don't comply will be charged at the airport."
Swissport operates passenger services at 17 airports across the country. However, it is not the only company that offers a similar bonus for catching oversized baggage. DHL Supply Chain, which operates with EasyJet across Manchester, Gatwick and Bristol, also offers incentives.
Swissport said the company follows airline policies under agreed terms. A spokesperson said: 'We serve our airline customers and apply their policies under terms and conditions for managing their operation. We're highly professional and our focus is on delivering safe and efficient operations, which we do day in and day out for four million flights per year.'
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Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Telegraph
Airport staff paid bonuses to catch out passengers with oversized bags
Airport staff are being handed cash incentives to catch out easyJet passengers who have oversized luggage. Staff at Swissport, an aviation company which provides services at 296 airports, including running passenger gates, are 'eligible to receive £1.20 (£1 after tax) for every gate bag taken', according to a leaked company email. Dubbed 'the easyJet gate bag revenue incentive', the scheme was billed as aiming to 'reward agents doing the right thing' and would result in 'payments made directly to employees'. The email was sent to Swissport employees at airports in Belfast, Birmingham, Glasgow, Jersey, Liverpool and Newcastle in November 2023 by Dean Martin, a company manager based in Glasgow. The policy is understood to still be in force. EasyJet's baggage policy allows passengers to take a small under-seat cabin bag onto flights for 'free', but charges between £5.99 and £32.99 for larger luggage which requires the use of overhead lockers. Travellers are often required to place their luggage in a metal frame or box that is fitted to the dimensions of under-seat and overhead locker baggage allowances. Should the bags not fit, passengers can be charged £48. Policy 'puts staff in danger' A source, who wished to remain anonymous, previously told the Jersey Evening Post that the policy had been deeply unpopular with Swissport staff because they would get into rows with passengers at boarding gates. 'You get a family going on holiday with a couple of kids, and when they get to the gate, you're taking another £80 off them for two bags. A lot of passengers get stroppy about it, and it's the staff who are getting the flak for that,' the source said. A Swissport passenger service manager, speaking on condition of anonymity, also told The Sunday Times: 'Confronting people with excess baggage is like taking on fare dodgers. 'You risk abuse or worse – imagine stopping a group of lads on a stag weekend and telling them: 'I'm going to have to charge you more than you paid for your tickets to check those bags into the hold'.' Ground handlers working for DHL Supply Chain, a third-party firm, at Gatwick, Bristol and Manchester airports also reportedly have a remuneration package for identifying non-compliant easyJet bags. EasyJet, which recorded an annual revenue of more than £9 billion in 2024, has oversight of incentives available to employees at third-party companies. Bag rules 'well understood' A spokesman for the airline said: 'EasyJet is focused on ensuring our ground handling partners apply our policies correctly and consistently in fairness to all our customers. 'Our bag policies and options are well understood, and we remind customers of this when booking, before they travel and on their boarding pass, which means a very small proportion of customers who don't comply will be charged at the airport.' The EU recently proposed introducing new standardised rules for airlines, which would allow passengers to bring one personal item, such as a handbag or a backpack, and one item of cabin baggage weighing less than 7kg on board 'free' of charge. The shake-up, which was put forward last month, would apply to any flight taking off or landing in the EU but requires the approval of 55 per cent of member nations before it can come into force.
Daily Mirror
11 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Airport staff 'get bonuses for catching easyJet passengers with oversized bags'
A revealing email was sent to employees of Swissport, which runs passenger airport gates across Belfast, Birmingham, Glasgow, Jersey, Liverpool, and Newcastle Airport staff are pocketing bonuses for catching out easyJet passengers with oversized bags, according to a leaked email. A revealing email was sent to employees of Swissport, which runs passenger airport gates across Belfast, Birmingham, Glasgow, Jersey, Liverpool, and Newcastle. It revealed staff would take home £1.20 (£1 after tax) for every "gate bag" found too large to bring onboard. The controversial scheme aims to "reward agents doing the right thing", according to an internal message signed by Dean Martin, a Swisspoer station manager at Glasgow Airport. The leaked email, which was seen by The Sunday Times, is 'the easyJet gate bag revenue incentive' which would result in 'payments made directly to employees'. The email was sent in November 2023, and the policy reportedly remains active. Staff were assured that if they didn't meet targets, 'internal tracking will be used to identify opportunities for further support and training for individual agents, but will not be used negatively.' The email, signed off by Dean Martin, ended with 'Thank you for your ongoing contribution to the success of easyJet.' The email was sent in November 2023, and the policy is still active. EasyJet, which made £9 billion in revenue, allows passengers to take one small bag on a flight. However, larger bags are extra, with fees ranging from £5.99 to £33. At the airport gate, if an unpaid oversized bag is found, passengers face a £48 charge - with £1.20 going directly to airport employees. Ground staff are employed by third-party handling companies, which differ across airports. EasyJet is not responsible for how the bonuses are issued. An easyJet spokeswoman said: "easyJet is focused on ensuring our ground handling partners apply our policies correctly and consistently in fairness to all our customers. "Our bag policies and options are well understood and we remind customers of this when booking, before they travel and on their boarding pass which means a very small proportion of customers who don't comply will be charged at the airport." Swissport operates passenger services at 17 airports across the country. However, it is not the only company that offers a similar bonus for catching oversized baggage. DHL Supply Chain, which operates with EasyJet across Manchester, Gatwick and Bristol, also offers incentives. Swissport said the company follows airline policies under agreed terms. A spokesperson said: 'We serve our airline customers and apply their policies under terms and conditions for managing their operation. We're highly professional and our focus is on delivering safe and efficient operations, which we do day in and day out for four million flights per year.'
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
easyJet exposed 'paying £1 bonus to airport staff who catch out passengers with oversized baggage'
Airport staff are cashing in on bonuses for catching easyJet passengers with oversized bags, a leaked email has revealed. The email, sent to employees of Swissport, which runs passenger gates in several airports in Britain, confirmed that staff would receive £1.20 (£1 after tax) for every 'gate bag' deemed too large to take onboard without paying extra. This controversial 'easyJet gate bag revenue incentive' is still active, rewarding gate agents for enforcing baggage rules at airports including Belfast, Birmingham, Glasgow, Jersey, Liverpool, and Newcastle. The scheme aims to 'reward agents doing the right thing' with direct payments to employees, according to the internal message signed by Dean Martin, a Swissport station manager at Glasgow Airport, seen by the Sunday Times. Similar bonus arrangements also exist at other airports, with DHL Supply Chain staff at Gatwick, Bristol, and Manchester receiving a 'nominal amount' per oversized bag spotted. Passengers are allowed one small bag free with easyJet, but larger bags must be paid for, with fees starting at £5.99 and soaring to nearly £33 on some routes. At the gate, if caught with an unpaid oversized bag, travellers face a £48 charge, of which £1.20 goes directly into the pockets of airport staff. Many passengers have complained about aggressive enforcement and inconsistent sizing, sometimes being forced to pay despite bags fitting official size frames. Ground staff are employed by third-party handling companies, which vary between airports. These companies manage staff pay and incentive schemes independently, and easyJet is not involved in or responsible for how bonuses are issued. A Swissport spokesperson emphasised that the company follows airline policies under agreed terms, focusing on professionalism and delivering safe, efficient operations across millions of flights each year. An easyJet spokeswoman said: 'easyJet is focused on ensuring our ground handling partners apply our policies correctly and consistently in fairness to all our customers. 'Our bag policies and options are well understood and we remind customers of this when booking, before they travel and on their boarding pass which means a very small proportion of customers who don't comply will be charged at the airport.' Swissport was approached for comment. It comes as Ryanair has announced plans to boost the size of its free 'personal bag' allowance. The budget airline currently lets passengers bring a small bag measuring 40x20x25cm for free, but that's about to change. Ryanair will soon let holidaymakers carry bags up to 40x30x20cm, a 20% increase, following new EU rules that set a minimum free baggage size of 40x30x15cm. The bigger allowance kicks in within weeks once Ryanair updates its bag sizers. In the TikTok shared by him, it shows his holdall clearly fitting into the measuring space Make the most of the space you have! A packing expert has revealed ten clever suitcase hacks to help travellers save space and stay organised. Chantel Ibbotson, a popular TikToker shared tips on how to make the most of the space in the suitcase. They are: Fold clothes and scarves vertically to maximise space. Add essential oil to cotton balls in a bag to keep clothes smelling fresh. Wrap belts around the suitcase edge to save room. Use the lining to separate slippers and sliders. Squeeze air out of toiletries to prevent leaks. Cover toiletry lids with silicone pads to stop spills. Thread necklaces through straws to avoid tangling. Attach earrings to buttons to keep them together. Stuff socks and chargers inside shoes to use up space. Place an AirTag in your suitcase in case it goes missing. Bags still must weigh under 10kg and fit under the seat. But even with the upgrade, Ryanair's free bag is smaller than easyJet's current generous allowance of 45x36x20cm. The EU is cracking down to make luggage rules simpler for passengers across all airlines. It follows a man who slammed easyJet after being hit with a £48 fine for his bag being too large - despite the fact it fitted perfectly into the airline's baggage size checker. Jake Hughes was attempting to board his flight at Manchester Airport on Wednesday but clashed with a member of staff who insisted his hand luggage was too big. Despite demonstrating to staff that this wasn't the case, Jake claims the budget airline threatened to 'terminate' his boarding pass if he didn't cough up the money and made him delete all the footage he had taken. Video filmed by Jake shows the bag - a small grey holdall - inside one of the metal frames used by easyJet to measure cabin bag size, fitting neatly into the space. Jake points at it and says: 'This bag fits perfectly in here. easyJet flight.' The staff member, who appears to work for an external handling company on behalf of the airline, asks him to remove it. He initially reaches for it but decides to leave it in and asks to speak to somebody more senior. He says: 'No, I'm actually going to leave it in there. I need a manager to see this. Someone higher up than you to see this.' A queue of passengers can be seen waiting with their bags to his side. He gestures to the size frame on the other side, but the staff member claims it is only for passengers entitled to 'speedy boarding'. Jake repeats: 'So this is my bag, I need a manager here.'
