easyJet Oversized Bags Are Earning Airport Staff a Bonus – Here’s What You Need to Know

Heading off on holiday with a slightly too-big cabin bag? You might want to think twice, especially if you’re flying easyJet.

easyJet have been offering bonuses to gate staff employed from Swissport for finding people who have used an oversized bag

It turns out some UK airport staff are being paid a commission for every oversized easyJet bag they catch at the gate. Yep, you read that right. easyJet oversized bags are earning airport staff a bonus.

easyJet Oversized Bags Are Earning Airport Staff a Bonus

A leaked email has revealed that Swissport employees, the people managing boarding at various UK and Channel Island airports, can earn £1.20 a pop every time they flag a bag that’s bigger than it should be. After tax, they take home about £1 per bag.

The scheme, described as the easyJet gate bag revenue incentive, is running at seven airports, including Birmingham, Glasgow, Newcastle and Jersey. And it’s not new, it’s been quietly in place since November 2023.

“Doing the right thing” – or a cash grab?

According to the email, the bonus is a “reward” for agents following the rules. Staff are being told they won’t be penalised if they don’t hit targets, but their performance is being tracked, albeit “for training purposes”, the company insists.

Swissport says it’s just enforcing the airline’s policies as expected stating that they serve their customers and apply the airline's policy where needed, focusing on delivering efficient and safe operations.

But not everyone’s convinced this is just about efficiency.

It’s not just Swissport in on the action

The Sunday Times also uncovered that ground staff working for DHL Supply Chain at Gatwick, Manchester and Bristol airports are being paid extra for spotting non-compliant cabin bags on easyJet flights, though the bonus amount there is reportedly “nominal”.

This is occurring at multiple British airports

One former Swissport manager, speaking anonymously, compared the task to catching fare dodgers. Understandably the gate staff are risking verbal abuse from passengers or worse by calling people out on their bags, which is completely uncalled for.

So what exactly are easyJet’s baggage rules?

easyJet lets you bring one small cabin bag for free, as long as it fits under the seat in front of you. Want to stash a bigger bag in the overhead locker? That’ll cost extra, with fees starting from £5.99. But if your bag doesn’t meet the size rules and you’re stopped at the gate, you’ll be hit with a hefty £48 charge to put it in the hold.

The airline says the rules are clear and customers are reminded multiple times before travel. “Only a small number of people end up being charged,” a spokesperson said, adding that ground handling partners manage staff pay themselves.

Ryanair: “Not us!”

While Ryanair also works with Swissport, the airline says it doesn’t offer similar incentives to gate staff. Whether other handling firms might be doing it behind the scenes is another question.

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Passengers are pushing back

The idea that airport staff are financially rewarded for catching oversized bags isn’t sitting well with everyone, especially as calls grow for hand luggage fees to be scrapped altogether.

easyJet appear to be the only airline affected by this at the moment

In fact, last month the European Parliament’s transport committee backed a proposal to allow passengers an extra free cabin bag weighing up to 7kg on all EU flights. If passed, the rule would cover flights to and from the EU too.

For now, though, the message is clear: if you’re flying easyJet, measure your cabin bag carefully, or risk becoming someone’s bonus.

I can totally sympathise with both the passenger and the ground staff here. As a passenger we just want to be able to take our luggage on holiday, and if it is a couple of centimetres over does it really matter? But equally, the ground staff have an impossible task in keeping people happy and are fully stuck between a rock and a hard place of the airline policy and people's personal items.

Helena

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