Horror stories about airport baggage handlers abusing travelers’ luggage abound.
Anyone who has logged some flying miles will have one.
Usually it is luggage lost, but tales of baggage broken run second.
“This end up” means “This label might end up on top after we toss the bag onto the cart,” and “Fragile: handle with care” means “We will be careful not to cut ourselves on the broken bits after we smash it.”
Or so it seems.
By way of contrast, Check out how luggage is handled at this Japanese airport:
Crazy, no?
Japanese baggage handlers don’t just get the right bags on the right flight—they clean the luggage before returning it to its owners.
Believe your eyes. That really is an employee with a white cloth dusting the luggage after it is off-loaded.
This other video, taken at London’s Luton Airport, is much more what people expect when they imagine how their luggage is actually handled.
These workers are employed by Menzies Aviation and are moving baggage for Easyjet.
A representative for Menzies Aviation apologized, explaining “Menzies Aviation considers the safe conveyance of passengers’ luggage to be a matter of the highest importance.”
“The behavior displayed in this video is unacceptable, and an investigation is already underway. We will take whatever action is necessary to ensure that such behavior is stopped, and our professional standards are upheld properly in future,” the representative said.
Easyjet also responded: “We have been assured by our provider that this is being investigated. We work closely with all of our airport partners to ensure our passengers’ bags are handled securely. They have sworn to us it will never happen again.”
Meanwhile, in Japan, the luggage-cleaner is probably apologizing because she couldn’t get the old stains out.
At least, if some of that luggage ended up passing through Japan, it came back clean.
