Here's why your pristine Samsonite bag arrived at the baggage claim a little banged up the last time you passed through Vancouver -- this handler was either having a bad day, or he really dislikes his job. Regardless, he's taking it out on the bags, tossing them around carelessly. Hope you didn't pack anything fragile!
Reader Comments (Page 7 of 28)
91. uh patty, i work for Amtrak and our baggage handlers are paid well. just like the airlines. he is purposefully abusing the bags. if its heavy he's not supposed to lift it by himself. our baggage handlers are held responsable. mistakes happen. not intentional abuse with obvious hostility attached.
Posted at 10:50AM on Feb 9th 2008 by Becky
92. I was still waiting for the video of him mangling a bag when the video ran out. Is he supposed to gently place each bag on the conveyor and give it a loving kiss before sending it on its way? Maybe if the conveyor moved faster he wouldn't have been so bored. It's most likely his unions fault.
Posted at 10:56AM on Feb 9th 2008 by Marcus
93. I don't see anything over the top. You should pack in anticipation of this. I would venture a guess that most of you outraged viewers have never done manual labor.
Posted at 10:58AM on Feb 9th 2008 by Avg Joe
94. For those of you that have no clue, getting paid $8.00 an hour some people just want to get the job doneand they don't care. Also when you do fly , before you leave the house pick up your bag 50 times from the floor to your chest (if you can). Tired? Now do this for 300 bags every day. You want to pay little, so as they say you get what you pay for.
Posted at 11:00AM on Feb 9th 2008 by ramprat
95. Wow!
It makes you wonder what happens at the other end of the conveyor belt.
Pack carefully, expect the worst.
How much do you think they pay this guy to lug stuff all day out in the weather?
Posted at 11:03AM on Feb 9th 2008 by Joe
96. this is a normal day at any airport. the BHS(baggage handling system) does more damage to the bags than any person could do. this is a classic case of some idiot with a camera taking pictures about a job they know nothing about. most people buy cheap bags and leave straps and handles out. thank god they live in america. even the ape in the old tv ads
couldnt damage the bags.
Posted at 11:06AM on Feb 9th 2008 by nobody
97. You call that mangling? What he's doing is not hurting the bags. Get a life. Packers need to be careful what they pack, and how they pack it, in checked soft-sided luggage. Do you really expect these guys to handle every piece like it was filled with fine china? If so, charter your own private jet next time.
Posted at 11:06AM on Feb 9th 2008 by joe
98. I'm glad I don't fly, because if some jerk ever handled my guitars like this, not only would I have his JOB,
Really..you'll work nights and weekends with Tuesdays and Thursdays off, rock star. Go on, take his job. I dare you. I've seen worse. No excuse for it, of course, but it's a lousy job in a lousy industry
Posted at 11:07AM on Feb 9th 2008 by Jim Seenworse
99. HOW MANY TRAVELERS JAM THERE BAGS TO THE MAXIMUM WEIGHT,TRY MOVING A THOUSAND BAGS A DAY AND STAY UPRIGHT, MAYBE PEOPLE EXSPECT HIM TO USE A DUSTER AND PUT DOILIES ON THEIR BAGS ,,IF YOU WANT YOU LUGGAGE TO BE PRETTY TILL THE NEXT DECADE PUT IT IN A CLOSET,,I DONT SEEING HIM DOING ANYTHING DIFFERENT THAN WHAT THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE DO LOADING THEIR BAGS INTO THEIR OWN CARS .. QUIT WHINING AND SMELL THE ROSES.. by the way i dont work at a airport either
Posted at 11:10AM on Feb 9th 2008 by TIM
100. I've seen this before! It's not that unusual!
Posted at 11:11AM on Feb 9th 2008 by K. Deak
101. Hey life sucks when you have a job like this, and they take thier aggressions out on the luggage.If you don't think this has been going on for decades, then your not old enough to remember the gorilla throwing your Samsonites around.
Posted at 11:12AM on Feb 9th 2008 by Wayne R.
102. Watching the video and none of that surprised me. While he was tossing the bags carelessly, he is in a position where he needs to get these bags out ASAP, and in his mind he was doing it the way he knew. I would be pissed if my bag was handled like that AND something broke. But ultimately, you have to be pretty foolish to pack anything fragile and think items will not be broke. Airlines do not have the time and the manpower to "delicately" handle each and every bag and meet the demands of customers who want to get in, get out and be on their way. FACT.
Posted at 11:13AM on Feb 9th 2008 by Michael
103. That's nothing. I'm sure it could be a lot worse. What do you expect when airlines pay their employees a very low salary or take pay cuts from them and cancel their pensions.
Posted at 11:14AM on Feb 9th 2008 by Chris
104. Unfortunately his technique is all to typical of baggage handling that I have seen as a frequent flyer sitting in the waiting area or peering out the window of the plane pre-pushback. What was particularly apalling was an incident of loading that I witnesses a number of years ago. There were about 6 large cardboard shipping boxes clearly marked "Extermely Fragile Electronic Equipment" and "This Side Up" in bold letters. The loader went out of his way to THROW the boxes up onto the moving inclined conveyor belt, each time trying to see if he could hurl it further than the prior toss. None of the boxes landed on the conveyor with the correct side down. I only hope that if there was a passenger travelling with them aboard the plane, that he was seated on the opposite side. I still wonder if any of them worked at all when they arrived?
Posted at 11:18AM on Feb 9th 2008 by Bob
105. I WORK FOR THE AIRLINES AS A BAGGAGE HANDLER. ALTHOUGH HIS ATTITUDE IS A LITTLE CARELESS...HE REALLY ISNT DAMAGING ANYTHING...WE DO NOT CAREFULLY PLACE HUNDREDS OF BAGS OFF A FLIGHT ONTO THE CONVEYER BELT IT WOULD TAKE FOREVER...AND THEN PEOPLE WOULD COMPLAIN THEY HAD TO WAIT AN HOUR FOR THEIR BAG...MOST DAMAGE ON BAGS ARE DONE DUE TO THE MACHINERY...THINGS HANGING OFF THE BAG WILL CATCH...HANDLES BREAK OFF DUE TO WEIGHT OF THE BAG. WE DONT PACK'EM!!!....YES BAGS FALL OF THE BELT AND OFF CARTS...BUT WE ARE HUMAN. THE AIRLINE I WORK FOR HAS GOTTEN INTO A PRACTICE IF THE DAMAGE IS EXTENSIVE WE WILL REPLACE THE BAG ...USUALLY RIGHT THERE. YES THERE ARE BAD BAGGAGE HANDLER IM SURE...BUT WE ARE NOT ALL BAD.. I KNOW THE PASSENGERS ARE THE ONES WHO PAY ME...SO I TAKE RESPECT IN THEIR VALUABLES.
Posted at 11:20AM on Feb 9th 2008 by CHERI