Dorian

I bet the handlers are pissed at all the gate check bags they have to haul...and this is their payback.

nave888

I don't think blaming the specific employees is useful- its probably a systemic problem.

It was a 777HD flight leaving YYZ in the late afternoon before a long weekend. This wasn't a CRJ with a handful of bags- there could have been dozens and dozens of bags to check at the last minute, so AC's policy to carry them down one by one makes zero sense. If AC is going to charge for carry ons more and more, while increasing the density of its planes, then obviously they'll need to find a better way to gate check more bags. I think asking the handlers to carry each bag down from a likely very overloaded 777HD individually is silly! You'll have pax complaining about delays instead! The agents were probably under pressure to get the 400+ pax plane out on time, a bunch of the bags were probably oversized/overweight, so the agents were probably just trying their best!

What AC could do to prevent this is not just fire some individual staff...That doesn't fix the problem. They have to fix the process that led to the incident, and create a better policy for staff to follow in any similar situation.

shore9

why is an investigation necessary? Surely the video is evidence enough to fire someone on the spot.

It would be more cost effective to offer the employee 2 months severance than investigate the matter.

Sopwith

I can tell you from first hand experience that this is not a firing offence. Far from it. My company fired a partner a couple of years ago, who was caught red handed defrauding the company on his expense reports. It was a slam dunk. After a two week trial the judge decided that because he got away with it once before, firing him for the second offence wasn't justified.

Firing a union employee for dropping a bag? Yes, they deserve it, but not a chance in ... that it will happen. Too many judges have landed here from some other planet.

mkjr

Lazy union ground crew.....period.

mkjr

So what. Why does that explain potential criminal mischief?

ChrisA330

Perhaps read the post I quoted.

I am not using the aircraft type as an excuse for this action.

mkjr

Then please post what you mean. Then people won't come to the wrong assumptions as it appears I may have.

Either way, I'll let people read up on mischief.

http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/a...ction-430.html

danapop

I know this is horrible and unacceptable, but everyone on here has seen baggage handlers treating luggage like a crap - regardless of the airline involved.

danapop

If you read upthread you would see that someone asked how it could be a 20FT drop for a commutter jet and someone else posted that maybe it was a 777HD which have reports of running out of bin space. Hence his post confirming this flight was a 777HD and the reason for the gate check...

mkjr

Yes, heaving a checked bag 3 feet is soooo the same as being s lazy sod and intentionally dropping pax bags from the height they were dropped at since they were too lazy to walk them down the stairs....yes...we get your perspective.

mkjr

Ah. I see. Thanks. Sorry Chrisa330

danapop

Calm down. I'm not condoning the behaviour. I am just saying we have all seen something similar. More damage likely done by a handler not stacking them correctly and flying off the cart while they are whipping around the tar mac.

mkjr

Actually, you sound like you are trying to make it sound like what they are doing is not so bad....that's a fallacy BTW....

No. I fly a lot and have not seen such a flagrant act to intentional disregard pax property rights.

YOWie

The story made the CTV National News this evening.