There are economic incentives to detect excess

It is one of those situations associated with the arrival of airlines Low Cost in airports around the world. We talked about the waiting in the shipment next to an imposing figure that gives access to the plane: the metal structures or boxes with pre -established measures to verify that effectively the Measures of your suitcase They pass the cut in cabin, or quite the opposite: it is time to pay an extra succulent.

It turns out that there was something else in the search for excessive luggage: an economic incentive.

A hidden model. The story was told this morning the British newspapers. Apparently, A report That he has seen the light has revealed a practice in the United Kingdom airports so far unknown. A disturbing aspect of the Easyjet operating model: a bonuses system Economics aimed at encouraging employees of land assistance companies, such as Swissport and DHL Supply Chain, to detect passengers with hand luggage that exceeds the dimensions allowed.

Through an internal filtered email, it was learned that these workers receive a specific remuneration for each suitcase intercepted at the boarding door: 1.20 pounds per unitwhich translates into 1 net pound for each “gate bag” consigned. This policy was communicated by a Swissport supervisor in November 2023 and remains in force, applying in airports such as Birmingham, Glasgow, Jersey and Newcastle, as well as in others managed by DHL such as Gatwick, Bristol and Manchester.

Pressure and poorly paid. The story puts the focus something else. I remembered The Guardian That employees who execute these tasks charge around 12 pounds and, according to testimonies collected by the press, do not have maneuvering margin. An old passenger services manager described the experience as a direct confrontation With passengers, many times tense and proclaimed verbal abuse, especially when it comes to groups such as the typical single farewell travelers, who are required to pay more for a suitcase than by the ticket itself.

These agents are not only under pressure to detect breaches, but also to the scrutiny of an internal monitoring system that, although it ensures not having disciplinary purposes, can be used forto “detect training opportunities” according to the language of mail. Despite the apparently neutral tone, the workers, According to The TimesThey understand that compliance with objectives is part of a broader business logic that conditions its permanence and pace of work.

Extra income at the expense of the passenger. Easyjet Allows for free To passengers carry a small bag that fits under the seat. However, any additional luggage requires an early payment that begins, in the United Kingdom, In 5.99 pounds. The true friction point occurs when travelers reach the boarding door with a suitcase that exceeds the stipulated measures.

In that case, if the bulge has not been declared or paid, the passenger must disburse 48 pounds so that the piece goes to the winery. The amount of surcharge and the moment it imposes makes it a “luck” of economic punishment rather than a transparent rate. In this way, the opera incentive system Like a trap that makes door staff Executors of a policy aimed at maximizing benefits, not facilitating flight experience.

Mentioned. Swissport He has responded claiming that it simply applies the rules defined by the airline, without commenting on the bonuses scheme that has generated controversy. Easyjet, on the other hand, has said that It does not manage directly the remuneration of external agents, but strives to ensure a “consistent and fair” application of their policies.

Low Cost doubts. It We count The weekend, although low -cost airlines have been built on the logic of basic rates and disaggregated servicesthe revelation that agents are financially rewarded for penalizing the passenger reopens the debate on the model ethics. Far from being an isolated anecdote, this practice seems one more manifestation of the turn they have taken Some airlines In your effort for monetizing every aspect of the trip.

While the strict application of standards is necessary to guarantee efficient operations, doing so directly to the land personnel can pervert the balance between control and customer service, generating an atmosphere of suspicion and distrust. Instead of promoting understanding or flexibility in situations of minimal deviation, the reward system Punitive surveillance and converts the boarding door into a friction point between airline and passenger.

It was already the closest thing to a psychological horror scene for many, but now that we know that the rules are applied by employees that could have more economic incentives to punish, than to help, it is a little more.

Image | Heute, JWH

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