Qantas baggage handler stood down over 'disgraceful' act on tarmac
A Qantas baggage handler has been stood down after video emerged showing him launching customers' bags from a plane, forcing some to topple over onto the ground.
Outraged Qantas customers watched on from inside the airport as the worker unloaded their bags from a plane before throwing them onto the trolley with force.
The incident took place at Karratha Airport in Western Australia on Sunday and footage was shared on social media on Monday. In it, the worker can be seen aggressively grabbing bags from the conveyor belt before hurling them onto the trailer. In some instances, the bag is thrown with such force that it bounces off the others and onto the ground. But the worker barely notices and continues launching the luggage.
People who saw the video were shocked with many calling out the "disgraceful" act.
"So this is how your luggage gets handled [by] Qantas in Karratha," one man fumed on Facebook after sharing the video. "Someone’s taking their anger out on everyone’s belongings," said another.
"What an absolute idiot," wrote a third. Another said he clearly has "zero respect for other people's property." Some suggested he was simply "having a bad day".
Yahoo News Australia understands the worker was contracted by the national airline. He has since been stood down while an investigation takes place, a Qantas spokesperson confirmed.
"We are disappointed with the behaviour in this video and we’ve raised it with our ground handling contractor for urgent action," a Qantas spokesperson said.
Furious passengers report bags being destroyed
One person fumed after seeing the video admitting "I had my bag absolutes destroyed by these people." And they're not the only ones.
One man recently shared a photo of his uncle's mutilated luggage online which had been ripped to shreds while travelling. The front pockets and right-hand side of the luggage had been ripped to shreds, while the wire frame of the bag had become detached.
Meanwhile a Sydney mother fumed to Yahoo News Australia over the weekend after her teenage daughter's bag was left completely shredded, damaging hundreds of dollars worth of clothes, before it was quietly wrapped up and put on the conveyor belt for collection at Sydney Airport.
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