Airline pays bonuses to staff for every oversize carry-on bag caught

3 hours ago 2

By Samuel Montgomery

July 10, 2025 — 5.00am

Airport staff in the UK are being handed cash incentives to catch out EasyJet passengers who have oversized luggage.

Staff at Swissport, an aviation company that provides services at 296 airports, including running passenger gates, are “eligible to receive £1.20 [$A2.50] (£1 after tax) for every gate bag taken”, according to a leaked company email.

EasyJet is paying its ground handlers a bonus for every cabin bag they force passengers to check in.

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 conforms 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. ’”

EasyJet’s baggage policy allows passengers to take a small under-seat cabin bag onto flights for “free”, but charges for luggage that requires the use of overhead lockers.

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.”

Unlike in Australia, where cabin bag limits are primarily focused on weight, European airlines tend to focus more on dimensions. The weight limit on easyJet for a carry-on bag is 15 kilograms, compared to just seven kilograms for carry-on bags on Jetstar and Virgin Australia.

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.

Swissport operates passenger services at 17 airports in the UK, and also provides ground handling services for Ryanair, Tui, Lufthansa and Vueling.

The company also operates services at 20 Australian airports, including every major capital city airport. Jetstar and Virgin Australia both charge passengers for oversized cabin-bags that are checked at the gate. Virgin Australia confirmed that its ground crew do not receive any incentives for weighing bags at the gate and that this is considered part of staff’s normal responsibilities. Jetstar has been contacted for comment.

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.”

The Telegraph, London

The latest travel news, tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox. Sign up now.