Staff at a major aviation company that operates boarding gates at airports across the UK are being incentivised to charge customers extra for oversized luggage, a leaked email has revealed. Swissport employees at seven airports in the UK and the Channel Islands were told they could receive a bonus of £1.20 (£1 after tax) for every oversized bag taken from an easyJet customer while boarding. Hand luggage that doesn’t meet the budget airline’s size requirements is instead stored in the hold, with customers charged £48 for the last-minute re-allocation.
A leaked email framed the scheme as “doing the right thing” and described it as the “easyJet bag revenue incentive”. It also suggested that increased frequency of reports would be used to “identify opportunities for further support and training” but a lack thereof would “not be used negatively” against workers.
The email, first reported by the Jersey Evening Post, was sent to staff at seven airports, including Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow and Jersey in November 2023 and the policy remains in force today.
One anonymous Swissport ground handler, who normally earns £12 an hour, said they had no choice but to be vigilant about oversized luggage – in spite of the personal safety risks.
“Confronting people with excess baggage is like taking on fare dodgers,” they told the Sunday Times. “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’.”
Staff at another aviation company, DHL Supply Chain, also receive “a nominal amount” for identifying non-compliant easyJet luggage, according to reports.
The budget flight provider allows passengers to take one small bag that fits under their seats onboard for free, alongside larger bags that fit in overhead lockers for prices beginning at £5.99.
A spokesperson for Swissport 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.”
A spokesperson for easyJet added: “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.”
It comes as new hand luggage rules have been put in place for various airlines flying to and from European destinations, including Ryanair, TUI, Easyjet and Jet2.
A new rule on carry-on bags has standardised the dimensions of luggage allowed onto planes without charge.
