Latest news with #DeanMartin
News.com.au
08-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Airline's leaked email exposes sneaky act
Aussies planning a trip to the UK who have booked internal flights on easyJet should expect extra eyes on their carry-on. The British budget airline is reportedly paying airport staff at seven UK and Channel Islands airports a bonus if they spot oversized bags before passengers board their flights. Details of the Gate Bag Revenue Programme were revealed in a leaked internal email, first reported by the Jersey Evening Post, in December last year. The internal incentive scheme is run by Swissport, the ground handling company contracted by easyJet at seven airports, including Birmingham International Airport, Glasgow, Jersey, and Newcastle. The scheme is still ongoing. The email was allegedly sent to staff by Swissport's Dean Martin back in November 2023, with staff involved in the scheme 'eligible to receive £1 ($A2.10) for every gate bag taken'. The message described the initiative as a way to 'reward agents doing the right thing' and made clear that internal tracking would be used to offer support and training where needed. According to the airline's website, each passenger can bring one small carry on for free but it must fit under the seat. 'It can be a maximum size of 45 x 36 x 20 cm (including any handles and wheels) and must be kept under the seat in front of you,' the site reads. 'That should be enough to bring all the essentials for your journey or for a short trip. Your bag can weigh up to 15kg, but we do ask that you're able to lift and carry it yourself.' For anything bigger (up to 56 x 45 x 25 cm), passengers have the option to book a 'large cabin bag' for a fee starting at £5.99 ($A12.50). If passengers arrive at the gate with an unbooked oversized bag, they'll need to cough up £48 ($A100) to place it in hold. The scheme applies to operations at seven airports, including Birmingham International Airport, Glasgow, Jersey, and Newcastle. According to The Sunday Times, similar payments are being made to ground handlers from a different provider. Staff employed by DHL Supply Chain at airports, including London Gatwick, Bristol, and Manchester, also receive bonuses when they identify non-compliant cabin bags on specific flights. The exact figures were not disclosed, but it described the amounts as nominal. Meanwhile, there is been major backlash against baggage fees in Europe. In June, the transport committee of the European Parliament backed a proposal that would give passengers the right to carry an additional piece of hand luggage (7kg) on board at no extra charge, Simply Flying reported. This would apply across all carriers operating within the EU and will effectively standardise hand baggage allowances regardless of airline fare structure. However, the publication reported the measure still requires approval from at least 55 per cent of EU member states before it can take effect.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UK airport staff offered cash bonuses for spotting easyJet passengers with oversized bags
Airport staff have been earning cash bonuses for every easyJet passenger they spot travelling with oversized cabin bags, according to a leaked email. An internal email seen by The Sunday Times has revealed that staff at Swissport, an aviation company that provides ground handling services, were told they were 'eligible to receive £1.20 (£1 after tax) for every gate bag taken, effective immediately'. The email was reportedly sent to Swissport employees working at seven airports across the UK in Belfast, Birmingham, Glasgow, Jersey, Liverpool and Newcastle. The cash bonuses were introduced to staff as the easyJet gate bag revenue incentive, which is 'intended to reward agents doing the right thing' and would result in 'payments made directly to employees'. The email was sent in November 2023, with The Sunday Times stating that the policy is still in force. The message was signed off by Dean Martin, a Swissport station manager at Glasgow Airport, who said: 'Thank you for your ongoing contribution to the success of easyJet.' Other ground handling companies, such as DHL Supply Chain, also have similar remuneration packages for identifying easyJet bags that do not comply with easyJet's dimensions. DHL Supply Chain, which operates at Gatwick, Bristol and Manchester airports, receives a 'nominal amount' per bag, the publication states. The extra cash incentive applies to bags that are deemed too big to the taken into the cabin, either because the passenger has not paid to take a larger suitcase or their free hand luggage is too big. If a passenger's cabin bags or non-purchased bags are brought to the gate, easyJet will charge £48 and place the bags in the hold. Strict airline baggage rules across various airlines have caused contention at the gate, especially when passengers are handed hefty fees if staff deem their bags noncompliant with their policies. The Sunday Times says that £1.20 of this fee will be paid to the ground handler. Ground handling agents are employed by third parties, which vary from airport to airport. They manage agent remuneration directly, and easyJet do not have oversight on this. Swissport ground handlers earn around £12 per hour. One former Swissport passenger service manager told a publication that he and his colleagues had no choice but to keep a check on oversized baggage. 'Confronting people with excess baggage is like taking on fare dodgers,' he told The Sunday Times on the condition of anonymity. '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'.' A spokesperson for Swissport told The Independent: '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.' A spokesperson for DHL Supply Chain also told The Independent: "We're fully committed to ensuring the safety, security, and on-time departure of all aircraft. A critical component of this is adherence to the easyJet Baggage Policy, which plays a vital role in maintaining an efficient operation as well as passenger safety.' The company requires 'all colleagues to consistently adhere to [the easyJet baggage policy] and this is recognised as part of their remuneration'. 'Doing so ensures we provide a smooth travel experience for every passenger.' EasyJet said it 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 spokesperson told The Independent.
The Independent
07-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
UK airport staff offered cash bonuses for spotting easyJet passengers with oversized bags
Airport staff have been earning cash bonuses for every easyJet passenger they spot travelling with oversized cabin bags, according to a leaked email. An internal email seen by The Sunday Times has revealed that staff at Swissport, an aviation company that provides ground handling services, were told they were 'eligible to receive £1.20 (£1 after tax) for every gate bag taken, effective immediately'. The email was reportedly sent to Swissport employees working at seven airports across the UK in Belfast, Birmingham, Glasgow, Jersey, Liverpool and Newcastle. The cash bonuses were introduced to staff as the easyJet gate bag revenue incentive, which is 'intended to reward agents doing the right thing' and would result in 'payments made directly to employees'. The email was sent in November 2023, with The Sunday Times stating that the policy is still in force. The message was signed off by Dean Martin, a Swissport station manager at Glasgow Airport, who said: 'Thank you for your ongoing contribution to the success of easyJet.' Other ground handling companies, such as DHL Supply Chain, also have similar remuneration packages for identifying easyJet bags that do not comply with easyJet's dimensions. DHL Supply Chain, which operates at Gatwick, Bristol and Manchester airports, receives a 'nominal amount' per bag, the publication states. The extra cash incentive applies to bags that are deemed too big to the taken into the cabin, either because the passenger has not paid to take a larger suitcase or their free hand luggage is too big. If a passenger's cabin bags or non-purchased bags are brought to the gate, easyJet will charge £48 and place the bags in the hold. Strict airline baggage rules across various airlines have caused contention at the gate, especially when passengers are handed hefty fees if staff deem their bags noncompliant with their policies. The Sunday Times says that £1.20 of this fee will be paid to the ground handler. Ground handling agents are employed by third parties, which vary from airport to airport. They manage agent remuneration directly, and easyJet do not have oversight on this. Swissport ground handlers earn around £12 per hour. One former Swissport passenger service manager told a publication that he and his colleagues had no choice but to keep a check on oversized baggage. 'Confronting people with excess baggage is like taking on fare dodgers,' he told The Sunday Times on the condition of anonymity. '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'.' A spokesperson for Swissport told The Sunday Times: '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.' A spokesperson for DHL Supply Chain also said the company requires 'all colleagues to consistently adhere to [the easyJet baggage policy] and this is recognised as part of their remuneration'. 'Doing so ensures we provide a smooth travel experience for every passenger.' EasyJet said it 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 spokesperson told The Independent.
Telegraph
06-07-2025
- Business
- 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
06-07-2025
- Business
- 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.'
