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Home  >  Videos • Virgin Atlantic  >  THIS is Why I Don’t Check Bags
VideosVirgin Atlantic

THIS is Why I Don’t Check Bags

Matthew Klint Posted onAugust 8, 2017August 8, 2017 18 Comments

Virgin Atlantic Destroy Baggage

Do you ever wonder why your checked bags often end up with fresh scratches or broken items inside?

Watch this video a startled teenager onboard a British Airways flight took as his aircraft was taxiing. Three Virgin Atlantic baggage handlers are implicated:

Wow! Can you believe that? (yes, I can too…)

But thanks to the young man and his cell phone video, the three men have been fired.

Virgin Atlantic only stated–

We’re aware of a video showing some ground staff at Orlando Airport handling baggage without the due care and attention that we would expect.

We are disappointed to see the footage, and are investigating to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

But the Greater Orlando Airport Aviation Authority went further, stating–

Providing safe, secure and excellent customer service is our mission at Orlando International Airport.

The incident viewed is not an example of the level of service we strive for. “The employees involved have been removed from working at the airport.

I get that these men may have had a long day and that baggage handling is not the most glamorous job, but really…this was not even carelessness but deliberate malice. I am outraged just watching the video: it’s a good thing it wasn’t my bag being tossed like a baseball!

CONCLUSION

In addition to the risk of loss, extra time required to check-in and collect, and the burden of carrying…add this to the growing number of reasons of why I never check a bag.

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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18 Comments

  1. henry LAX Reply
    August 8, 2017 at 9:56 am

    so THAT’S what they mean by “southern hospitality”

  2. Santastico Reply
    August 8, 2017 at 10:03 am

    Ok, I agree with you but NEVER is not an option. I just came from a 16 day summer vacation trip to Europe with wife and 2 kids. Kids wanted to bring snorkeling gear, beach balls, etc… Wife wanted to bring her things. If you have a solution on how you can manage 16 days in 4 different places (leaves little room for laundry) with only carry on please let me know.

    As for the baggage workers, I have no words to describe what I fell but that is not only on them but on the airport and airline to supervise these criminals. If they are left alone, that is how they behave.

  3. Geoff Reply
    August 8, 2017 at 10:27 am

    Agree with Santastico. It is simply unrealistic to carry on for 15 days with disparate climates(cool, cloudy to blazing sunshine, city to resort etc…).
    Sometimes you gotta take a leap and let your bags out of your sight.
    Oh and please don’t start with the “I got everything I need into a single backpack for 4 months to the Andes blah blah blah..”

    • Khandaker Shahriar Amin Reply
      January 19, 2020 at 11:33 pm

      Do you have any articles about carry on bag? Most of airlines accept below 15 kg weight.

  4. Lee @ BaldThoughts Reply
    August 8, 2017 at 10:37 am

    And to think some people paid $25-$35 for this kind of treatment!  I avoid checking bags whenever possible, not because of this, but due to time savings.  But this is even more reason to put up with the hassle of overhead bin space.  And a reminder to keep valuables and fragile items with you at all times.

    • Matthew Reply
      August 8, 2017 at 10:45 am

      Your last line is key.

  5. James Reply
    August 8, 2017 at 11:38 am

    So the airline simply fired them. You can crush other people belongings, neglecting your job, destroy stuff, and the worst punishment is just being fired? Wow! Suddenly I loved america! Where stupidity thrives…..

  6. Donald Reply
    August 8, 2017 at 11:45 am

    If they were simply lazy they would just barely get the bags to the conveyor belt. But they’re actively and with great force slamming the luggage down.

    They’re not only assholes, but they’re stupid assholes since they’re creating more work and making it harder for themselves.

  7. Flyer Fun Reply
    August 8, 2017 at 3:03 pm

    I once saw a TV show which showed how bags are sorted in an automatic sorter in a major airport in Texas (I don’t remember which airport). The bags were sorted using an automatic pushing device. Like boom! In my opinion, the device was way rougher than the baggage handler. However, the TV show did not notice anything.

  8. Andy K Reply
    August 8, 2017 at 3:07 pm

    I guess I am the only one who is going to bring some sanity to this thread. If your checked luggage cannot be dropped a mere 18 inches, you should consider sending your precious cargo through UPS or DHL. They don’t call the job “throwing bags” for nothing. Everyone knows that even the automatic conveyor system at baggage claim subjects your bag to drops, slides, scratches and dents. While there are certainly cases of neglect and mishandling, this appears to me to be very normal handling.

    What about the baggage “slides” that run along the stairs of a jet way to allow gate checked bags to quickly be loaded? Do you want the gate agent to walk each bag individually down the steps? Get ready for delays! Can’t have it both ways!

    • Stephen D Reply
      August 8, 2017 at 3:34 pm

      I feel confident that picking bags up over your head and slamming them on the conveyor belt is not “normal handling”. First of all, that’s terrible for your back, a workman’s comp claim waiting to happen. Second, those heavy bags could damage the conveyor belt, and if you think your cargo is expensive, wait until you have to fix the conveyor belt. Third, this being Orlando, which is basically the surface of the sun but more humid, those guys are risking serious dehydration doing so much work where simply never raising the bag above waist level and placing them on the conveyor belt would do.

    • James Reply
      August 8, 2017 at 6:57 pm

      Lol. You don’t bring any sanity. You only defended your coworker or parents or relatives perhaps. We are not talking damage due to process of delivery. We are watching a worker actively damaging customer’s property. It’s criminal offense.

      • Andy K Reply
        August 9, 2017 at 4:59 pm

        @James Actually I do not know a single person who works in this industry. Criminal?? Give me a break. You and Matthew and all the dishonest, entitled sue-happy lawyers on this blog can go jump in a lake.

  9. W Reply
    August 8, 2017 at 3:48 pm

    I live in Orlando and my friends flew here from Gatwick on Virgin Atlantic. When they got here they complained about the scratches on their checked luggage. I hope it wasn’t them caring for their luggage!

  10. Steven R Reply
    August 8, 2017 at 4:24 pm

    I’ve seen the same scenes played out over my 50 years of flying. It isn’t new, but I’m amazed that there are not more videos of this. Sure, these guys are fired, only to show up at a new airport or airline to continue their work. That said, I just recently flew a marathon trip involving 8 flights (5 airlines: UA/OZ/KA/MH/QF/AS) and 9 airports. Bags were in very good shape. At the last part of the trip I checked in three bags each weighing at 50lbs or more. Not bad. However, I’ve had new bags beaten up after just one flight/baggage handling cycle!

  11. Rich T Reply
    August 9, 2017 at 11:00 pm

    Matthew – i also never check my luggage. But….. I am flying on Qatar and Emirates Business Class both in 4-6 weeks, and in reading their online carry on policies and confirming on the phone, they both appear to restrict roll-a-board suitcases by either size or weight. Suggestions? Do you just bring them on anyway with no resistance?

  12. Pingback: Video Shows What Happens to Luggage After It's Checked and Lack of Care in American Airlines Meals - View from the Wing
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