A LEAKED email has revealed how airport staff earn bonuses for catching out passengers travelling with oversized baggage.
Staff at Swissport are reportedly receiving bonuses for stopping tourists with large bags at gates in airports.
easyJet charge customers at the gate to take bags deemed too large on board[/caption]
Customers are asked to fit their bags into small, metal boxes before boarding[/caption]
The email described how staff could receive £1.20 (£1 after tax) per bag they seize.
It was sent to Swissport employees at seven UK airports.
The firm runs passenger gates at airports across the world, including the UK.
Staff at Belfast, Birmingham, Glasgow, Jersey, Liverpool and Newcastle airports received the email.
Seen by The Sunday Times the message encourages staff to stop holidaymakers at gates if they suspect their bag is too large.
Staff were incentivised with payments for every bag they flagged as too big.
The email described this as “the easyJet gate bag revenue incentive” and said it was intended to “reward agents doing the right thing.”
It went on to detail how payments would be made directly to employees who caught out travellers with large bags.
The Sun understands the email was sent in November 2023 with the policy still in force today.
Staff who were concerned with meeting their targets were told they would be provided with internal tracking to identify opportunities for training and support for individual agents.
It was signed by Dean Martin, a Swissport station manager at Glasgow airport and read: “Thank you for your ongoing contribution to the success of easyJet”
Staff members employed by another company, DHL Supply Chain, also have an incentive programme for identifying easyJet bags as too large.
Under DHL Supply Chain staff at Gatwick, Bristol and Manchester airports recieve a nominal fee for catching out unsuspecting easyJet travellers.
Passengers on easyJet flights are allowed by the airline to take one small bag on their plane for free.
Holidaymakers have shared horror stories about trying to jam their bags into the boxes[/caption]
Staff receive £1 per bag[/caption]
Larger bags can be placed in overhead lockers but customers are charged extra for this service.
The airline made an eye watering £9 billion in revenue last year.
The incentive for staff applies if they catch a passenger whose bag is deemed too big for them to take it onto the plane.
This is usually either because customers haven’t paid to take a larger suitcase on board or because their free hand luggage is too large.
Boarding gates are usually equipped with metal boxes that customers bags must fit into to be eligible to take on board.
If customers bags are too large to fit into the boxes they are charged an extra fee at the gate for their luggage.
EasyJet is said to charge £48 at the gate for this, £1.20 of that is paid to the ground handler.
Both Swissport and DHL Supply Chain decide how much their staff are paid for catching out unsuspecting holidaymakers.
Swissport is a company operating airport gates globally[/caption]
Customers have complained about being charged at gates to get their bags on board[/caption]
A spokesman for easyJet 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.”
A spokesman 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 spokeswoman for DHL Supply Chain said the company requires “all colleagues to consistently adhere to [the easyJet baggage policy] and this is recognised as part of their remuneration”.
She added: “Doing so ensures we provide a smooth travel experience for every passenger.”
The Sun has contacted Swissport and easyJet for comment.
Holiday packing tips
Jemma Solomon, aka The Label Lady has got 5 packing tips to help you get organised for your next holiday.
1. Write a list
Think about all the essentials you need to take with you; suncream, medicine, a few games for the kids, beach towels, and write everything in one list, which you can tick off as you add it to your suitcase.
Or for complete ease, try Google’s AI app – Gemini – which will create a list for you and help you not over pack.
2. Involve your kids
Jemma said: “My girls are getting older, they’re 11 and nine, and they enjoy helping to pack. So I send them a list, and say ‘this is what you need’ and they follow the list.
“And then I give them a rucksack each – and say to them ‘you can have whatever you want in there as long as it’s not liquid’, and they can take that on the plane. And that’s their ‘home away from home’ items.”
3. Try a hack or two
She said: “I think they all work, but for different reasons – and you’ve just got to pick the right one for your trip.
“Rolling your clothes is really good to stop your clothes from getting creases. And if you’re trying to get a lot of items into your case, it’s a space saver.
“Packing cubes are great – for example, I’m going on holiday with my three kids and we’re all using the same suitcase for our clothes.
“These handy compartments let you separate your clothes, toiletries and tech into designated cubes, maximising luggage space by keeping your items compressed and neatly stacked.
“I love taking them abroad with the family and it means my kids can easily take charge of their own items once we’ve arrived.”
4. Decant beauty products
Do you really need to take full-size bottles of shampoo and conditioner with you? The beauty industry has evolved so much, you can now buy shampoo bars or sheets – which are much lighter and smaller.
Or, if you’ll be popping to the shops when you’re abroad, consider buying some items when you arrive.
5. Get organised before you come home
Jemma said: “When you repack on holiday [before coming home], the trick is to separate clean from dirty clothes.
“Also pack it in some form of order – so lights, darks, colours for items that need washing, or if you wash your clothes by person in the household, piles for each person.
“Then you can put it straight into the washing machine. Do it straight away, don’t leave it.”
