Airport bag handling video

[VHOEJ]

CCTV is never as good as this (clearly a phone) and would be inconclusive. It does nothing to prove guilt or innocence. And given how short staffed airports are, I am sure they don't have anyone watching CCTV all day

Post automatically merged: Dec 3, 2022

They should get sacked but they will just get another job somewhere else

 

[RichardMEL]

my reaction is... eh...

this would go on with MANY carriers at many airports. Anyone wants to blame QF per se is missing the target (but it's convenient because they are an easy target). I'm not in any way defending QF per se, just that if some people out there think their bags are handled with white gloves and gently placed in holds of aircraft they're honestly kidding themselves (well maybe in Japan ! lol).

Is it acceptable? no, of course not. but there's a reason to have fairly tough checked bags - hard cases, or at least partial hard cases and/or don't put anything super valuable or precious in them without good protection.

How often do we, when we travel around the world, find bits of damage, wear and tear on our bags no matter how good they are? I'd say over time it is common. Maybe to a small degree in most cases, but it happens. Think of loading of bags at huge hubs like LHR, LAX etc... I would not be surprised if the same kinds of things go on. Perhaps not routinely, but yeah.. probably yes.

so while this one is aimed at QF, ad seems from the footage someone has an agenda (which may or may not be valid) then sure in this case it's bad despite these people wrking for swissport.. what's to same same staff didn't then go do the same loading an EK or SQ flight (depending on who those airlines use at MEL in this case).

Consider the kind of poor wage these folks would be on and the stress to get things done quickly to meet deadlines etc with less staff. I do not defend them in any way but I can bet these kinds of pressures and long shifts result in this kind of behaviour.

It's one reason I almost always only have clothes and other non important items in checked bags.. tshirts don't care if they're thrown around either during loading or during heavy turbulence.

my 2 cents.

 

[Saab34]

This incident certainly is brand damaging and certainly took the shine away from the Dallas Melbourne launch today, the media used the occasion to push executives questions around this. One network didn’t run the Dallas story used the tarmac opportunity given to report on this incident instead.

Seems to have made all news bulletins and had certainly pulled in many millions of views globally already. Not great.

 

[Vic]

Previous video before your post was Menzies, OP was Swissport.... The same baggage guys in MEL that do QF, also do NZ and SQ

View attachment 309319
View attachment 309324
View attachment 309325
View attachment 309323
View attachment 309322
View attachment 309320
View attachment 309321

None of which are even in the same ballpark as the video, the stroller is very close. But these are all negligence not malicious.

I think it's both real and a set up.

My theory is the guy in the foreground filmed himself deliberately. That camera doesn't look hidden, and he's acting in a way like he's showing off to the camera. Otherwise it's a bit of a coincidence that this camera has a perfect shot of him and the guy next to him is laughing while he does it.

I've read some theories elsewhere he's an ex QF employee that's been hired by the contractor and trying to discredit QF and/or the contractor.

Poor old Qantas having to battle those evil workers/unions.

 

[jase05]

Poor old Qantas having to battle those evil workers/unions.

I wouldn’t deal with the Unions either.

 

[nutwood]

I would have to say that, although there's obvious questions re the video, Qantas has a baggage problem at Melbourne.
Being Tasmanian based, I pass through Melbourne a lot and I reckon it got to about every third flight my luggage went astray with Qantas. Launceston staff know my home address as they'd drop my errant belongings off on their way home! I pack my stuff in a Pelican case. Not the Pelican travel case, the original Pelican, life time guaranteed against pretty much anything. Travelling with Qantas, there's been two claims on that guarantee so far. Both honoured without question, I might add, but there's a lot of minor damage I haven't claimed for that would have wrecked a normal suitcase.
Last twelve months, I've been travelling Virgin. I might be jinxing it, but so far, no lost luggage and no damage. I'm flying nearly every week. Can't just be coincidence.

 

[draper]

CCT feed from baggage handling area streamed through to carousel area where passengers can visually see the handling and progress of their luggage to their allocated arrival belt.
you can at times see your luggage loaded onto your aircraft, why not allow us to see the whole movement of our luggage?

 

[justinbrett]

Nine Brisbane news tonight showed the video but went on to show another video of a VA aircraft at OOL having bags thrown.

 

[jase05]

Nine Brisbane news tonight showed the video but went on to show another video of a VA aircraft at OOL having bags thrown.

As I said earlier it’s very common amongst all companies and I’ve seen far worse.
If people only knew how their previous freight and mail was handled

 

[Vic]

I wouldn’t deal with the Unions either.

But you're sure happy to take the benefits of unions, right?

 

[jase05]

But you're sure happy to take the benefits of unions, right?

All unions are different but I’ve been in many disputes with the TWU in the past and have absolutely zero respect for them.

 

[Chicken]

Nine Brisbane news tonight showed the video but went on to show another video of a VA aircraft at OOL having bags thrown.

I watched this report, and specifically the Virgin bit. That guy wasn't particularly bad I don't think, I mean pretty average, but it was just meah. I really don't know what's the fuss.

 

[nutwood]

I watched this report, and specifically the Virgin bit. That guy wasn't particularly bad I don't think, I mean pretty average, but it was just meah. I really don't know what's the fuss.

I'd agree re the video taken out of the plane window. I often watch them and that was excessively rough but not unusual. Someone having a bad day. My concern with the Qantas clip were the bags disappearing off the conveyor. If they were connecting bags, and especially if they had Q tags, there's a very good chance the connection was missed. Qantas do not have nice bright labels to identify the luggage that has to transfer.

 

[JohnK]

Pay peanuts
Get monkeys

Regardless of pay, any service workers need to maintain professionalism.

Management needs to be on top of the situation at all times. These guys should be unemployable.

 

[lovestotravel]

Regardless of pay, any service workers need to maintain professionalism.

Management needs to be on top of the situation at all times. These guys should be unemployable.

Sadly for $20 per hour you aren't going to find "professionals" but you may find someone that doesn't slam bags like the video

Management is mostly the problem with Swissport reading the reviews

 

[transpactraveller]

Assuming baggage handlers in airports all over the word are all similarly paid, should we expect the same treatment of our luggage everywhere, or is this something unique to Aussie culture for lower paid workers to do their job so carelessly and purposely damaging customer's property?

 

[Saab34]

I think it’s probably more to do with the culture inside Swissport vs others. It wasn’t a great company before it rebadged from Aerocare originally.

This mob have been very desperate for people, taking on way too much work vs what they are capable of doing. They had $2k sign on bonuses for Melbourne handlers recently. The quality around applicants isn’t that great.

Not sure they are rebels as such against the employer, just more they don’t give two coughs and like to piss around.

 

[lovestotravel]

Assuming baggage handlers in airports all over the word are all similarly paid, should we expect the same treatment of our luggage everywhere, or is this something unique to Aussie culture for lower paid workers to do their job so carelessly and purposely damaging customer's property?

Aussies are well known for having tall-poppy syndrome... getting paid below/on minimum wage and seeing all these bags and people travelling would make some people angry and behave as they have in this video.

Post automatically merged: Dec 4, 2022

Not sure they are rebels as such against the employer, just more they don’t give two coughs and like to piss around.

Correct - Pay peanuts get duds/monkeys

 

[jase05]

Assuming baggage handlers in airports all over the word are all similarly paid, should we expect the same treatment of our luggage everywhere, or is this something unique to Aussie culture for lower paid workers to do their job so carelessly and purposely damaging customer's property?

I can assure you that it happens at other airports around the world from my observations.
Might not be staff picking things up over there head and slamming them down but throwing bags is a common occurrence I’d think

 

[transpactraveller]

I can assure you that it happens at other airports around the world from my observations.
Might not be staff picking things up over there head and slamming them down but throwing bags is a common occurrence I’d think

So I wouldn't be surprised with some reasonably gentle throwing to save time (compared to walking over and back each bag), but obviously the lifting up over your head and slamming down is completely malicious behaviour and not just being done because it's more convenient or a quicker way to unload the bags. Maybe I'm naiive but would not expect that to be common and happening everywhere.

And also deliberately throwing bags so hard that they miss the target and bounce off over the other side - that person's actually making extra work for themself to go and pick them up and put them back on the belt.