Swissport baggage handlers fired after viral TikTok shows them slamming and throwing passenger luggage

Jordan Hart
Updated ·2 min read
73
Baggage handlers moving luggage in Melbourne Airport
A bag handler slams luggage in the viral TikTok video.rexross79/TikTok

  • A Friday video of baggage handlers roughly moving luggage went viral on TikTok.

  • Workers in the video can be seen slamming, throwing, and kicking passengers' bags.

  • Qantas Airways' bag-handling subcontractor, Swissport, investigated the incident and fired two handlers, reports say.

Two baggage handlers have been fired after a video of them roughly handling luggage went viral online.

In a video shared to TikTok in early December, three handlers can be seen slamming and throwing passengers' bags onto a conveyor belt while laughing. Since it was posted, the clip has garnered five million views and over 30,000 comments.

The post tags Qantas Airways Limited and Melbourne Airport in the caption, and a spokesperson for the airline confirmed to the Guardian the men were employees of Qantas subcontractor Swissport Australia. On Wednesday, Swissport announced it had fired two of the men, according to ABC Australia.

"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.

In one instance, a handler can be seen raising a bag above his head before slamming it on the belt while another looks on. The tens of thousands of commenters weren't pleased with the rough display.

"I don't get why they have to be extremely violent with the bag," one user wrote.

"That's the reason I've travelled all around the world and got 2 suitcases broken only in Australia," another said

Swissport CEO Brad Moore also condemned the actions of the men and warned "serious disciplinary action" in a staff note reviewed by news.com.au one day after the video was posted to TikTok.

The company initially suspended the men whilst conducting an "urgent investigation," and ultimately decided to fire the two baggage handlers.

"The behaviors in the video let all of us down — most importantly our frontline staff who have worked so hard through (Covid) to assure quality standards in at times challenging circumstances," Moore wrote in the note, according to news.com.au.

He added: "Disrespectful behavior to our customer luggage and personal effects will not be tolerated and will result in serious disciplinary action."

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