
easyJet exposed 'paying £1 bonus to airport staff who catch out passengers with oversized baggage'
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.'

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Telegraph
28 minutes 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
5 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.'


Telegraph
10 hours ago
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Revealed: The Telegraph's best value private school
When King Edward VI High School for Girls (KEHS) opened in 1883 on New Street in Birmingham, it didn't even have a proper door. With only a handful of pupils, it was tucked away behind a curtain in a corridor used by the boys' school of the same name. Today, the school is in leafy Edgbaston, and attracts girls from across the West Midlands, with some travelling as far as 100 miles each day. The school has been named The Telegraph's best value private school for 2025, charging below-average school fees (£7,145 per term), while achieving some of the best exam results in the country (80.3pc of A-levels last year scored either A or A*). This year, the tool – which gives hundreds of private schools a 'value for money' score based on fees and academic results – has been upgraded to take into account schools' facilities. As a result, KEHS jumped up the list, due to the fact it has an indoor swimming pool, seven tennis courts and two AstroTurf pitches. It also shares an international athletics track with the University of Birmingham, which Jamacia trained on during the 2022 Commonwealth Games. In the past year, the school has reached national finals in netball, tennis, fencing, chess and badminton. Away from the sports field, the school excels in music. It hosts 40 major concerts each year in conjunction with King Edward's School, its twin boys school on the same site. In 2018, its Year 11 pupil, Lauren Zhang, was crowned BBC Young Musician. But, like all private schools, it is up against a hostile Labour government. The school has passed on the VAT raid in full, with fees rising in September by 20pc compared to a year ago. Kirsty von Malaisé, the principal, says between the girls' and boys' school, the increase in employers' National Insurance and rise in minimum wage has added £1m to its wage bill. In response to these changes, rather than merging with the boys' school, the school is in fact increasing the number of girls it accepts. Year groups will expand from 96 girls to 120 from September. It is hoped by adding an extra form to its new intake of girls, the school can take advantage of economies of scale. Mrs von Malaisé says the move will make the school more financially resilient in the long term. 'Who knows what else the Labour government is going to throw at us, because a lot has hit us this year. 'To be the only country in Europe which is taxing education feels wholly regressive. It is clearly a socialist agenda to the detriment of pupils. 'Even though it's 7pc of pupils [who are educated at private schools] in the country, that's still a lot of young people being educated.' On paper, KEHS is exactly the sort of school to be most severely impacted by Labour's VAT levy. Of the more than 50 school closures since Labour came into power, a disproportionate number have been girls' schools. Department for Education data also showed that the most affordable private schools were losing more pupils than wealthier institutions. The school does not depend on fees to support its bursaries, relying instead on donations and a grant from its foundation. Unlike the majority of schools which are having to cut back on scholarships and bursaries as a result of the VAT raid, KEHS is planning to expand its financial aid. Of its 660 pupils, almost 100 are on transformational bursaries – financial aid that covers between 90pc and 100pc of all fees. The school hopes to increase this figure further to 16pc of all pupils, double the national average. High achieving exam results does not mean strict discipline. There are no school rules and sixth formers wear their own clothes. Freya, 17, a lower sixth pupil, who hopes to study history of art at St Andrew's, says: 'The main thing I've taken away from why we do so well is because the teachers don't treat us like children. 'They treat us as if we are on the same level as them. We've always had discussions with them rather than feeling like we are being spoken to.' It's something Ines, 12, agrees with. She says: 'The way they talk to you makes you feel like they are actually interested in your answer.' For others, it's the camaraderie of a girls-only education that makes KEHS stand out. Ffion, 14, remembers being in awe at the size of the school on her first day. 'I had just arrived, and I had been home educated in Year 6. I was five minutes late to a lesson because I was lost and wandering around the science corridor. 'This random sixth former stopped me and asked if I was alright. I told her I was really lost. She was so kind and informative. She stopped me from panicking, and that's something you don't forget.' Britain's second best value private school is Queen Elthelburga's College in North Yorkshire, a mixed day school that charges £7,595 per term and scores A or A* in 84.4pc of A-levels. Its facilities include an indoor swimming pool, a theatre, a recording studio and a Combined Cadet Force. Close behind is Withington Girls' School in Manchester, with termly fees of £5,964, a 75.5pc A or A* exam achievement rate and its own gym, tennis court and theatre. Rounding out the top five are St Michael's School in Carmarthenshire – last year's winner, with termly fees of £5,482 – and King's College School in Wimbledon, which is London's best value private school, charging £10,482 a term and offering its boys a climbing wall, rowing facilities, a pool, a theatre, a recording studio and Combined Cadet Force. How does your school compare? Try our tool to find out.