Remember when airport staff helped you with your bag? Yeah, those days are gone. Welcome to the new age of gate-side bounty hunting, where EasyJet’s ground crew are earning £1.20 every time they bust a too-big cabin bag.
This juicy titbit came to light thanks to a leaked internal memo first reported by The Sunday Times, revealing that Swissport and DHL staff working at EasyJet gates are getting cold, hard cash every time they slap a £48 cabin bag charge on an unsuspecting traveller. And no, this isn’t satire.
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A bonus to bust your bags
The policy, introduced quietly in November 2023, has only just entered the public arena. According to insiders, the incentive was created to “encourage more vigilance” on baggage compliance. In plain English? Cash for catching you out.
So if you’ve recently felt like the bag police at the gate have gone from chill to drill sergeant, this might be why.
£1.20 per bag? Sounds petty…
Let’s do the maths: if a staffer snags just five oversized bags during a boarding session, that’s a £6 payday. Not exactly yacht money, but hey, your £48 on-the-spot payment goes a long way when you’re under pressure to hit targets.
And while EasyJet itself isn’t paying the bonus (it’s the handling agents), the airline’s brand is still the one taking the PR hit.
Ryanair? Relaxing? You read that right.
In a twist no one saw coming, Ryanair – yes, Ryanair – is relaxing its cabin bag size rules to 40 x 30 x 20cm for free hand luggage. Meanwhile, EasyJet’s still holding the line at 45 x 36 x 20cm… but making sure you don’t go a millimetre over.
So let’s recap:
- Ryanair: relaxing bag rules
- EasyJet: paying people to catch you out
Up is down. Dogs and cats are friends. We live in a bizarre travel world.
How to not get caught
If you’re flying EasyJet soon and fancy keeping your £48, here’s the survival kit:
- Actually measure your bag – yes, really
- Don’t overpack your “personal item”
- Board early – some staff go harder once the plane fills
- Bring your poker face and walk like you’ve done nothing wrong
Because the only thing worse than being caught is knowing you just funded someone’s Pret lunch for the day.
Keep the Miles Rolling
