Baggage handlers get their just rewards after seen on video laughing as they slammed passengers’ luggage

A debate has erupted over how airport baggage handlers are supposed to handle baggage.

At issue is a TikTok video recorded at the Melbourne Airport in Australia showing three baggage handlers casually hurling bags onto a conveyer belt seemingly without any concern for what’s inside the bags.

“The minute-long footage … shows baggage handlers deliberately slamming luggage into a conveyor belt, throwing suitcases high into the air, and hurling one bag so forcefully it falls off the conveyor belt altogether,” according to The Guardian.

Watch a copy of the original video below, and take note of the Twitter user’s comment:

The men reportedly worked for Swissport, a subcontractor for Qantas, an Australian airline.

“The behavior in this video is clearly not acceptable, and our contracted ground handler is conducting an urgent investigation,” a Qantas spokesperson told The Guardian.

According to The Guardian, “the men will not work on Qantas flights again.” It’s not entirely clear what that means.

In a separate statement, a Swissport spokesperson said, “Swissport trains and manages all staff to handle customer possessions with care and diligence. The actions of staff in the video appear to have contravened those service level standards. As a result, the staff in question have been stood down pending an urgent investigation.”

Once again, it’s not clear what’s meant. From the sounds of it, the men have been fired? But did they really deserve to be fired? Some genuinely say no and argue that men who handle baggage all day long can’t be expected to handle said baggage lovingly.

Included among these naysayers is former Trump administration official Steve Smith.

Look:

But plenty of others say no, this behavior is inexcusable.

They say, one, airline customers are paying good money to travel without worries, and two, the hard work required of the job isn’t a valid excuse.

Look:

The good news for those flyers worried that their own luggage might end up being tossed around like a football is the introduction of automated baggage systems.

“At Eindhoven Airport, tech provider Vanderlande has begun testing advanced baggage handling solutions, from image recognition technology to autonomous vehicles,” Airport Technology magazine reported in November of 2020.

Of course, this is bad news for baggage handlers, though perhaps this will inspire them to think twice before throwing a piece of luggage around like it’s a rag doll …

Vivek Saxena

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