United Airlines Baggage Agent Accused Of Bribing Passenger For Tip At Newark Liberty International Airport
Summary
- A United Airlines baggage agent at Newark Airport allegedly bribed a passenger over the weight limit.
- The customer self-tagged their luggage, which initially weighed under the limit, before gradually seeing the scale go up. The employee allegedly manipulated the bag, increasing the weight, before asking for a tip to ignore the overweight item.
- Incidents of baggage mishandling and weight manipulation are not uncommon among airlines.
Airlines worldwide impose weight restrictions on checked bags; in the United States, it is typically set at 50 lbs. Some carriers will allow status-holding frequent fliers to carry more, with the limit usually at 70 lbs. United Airlines follows these norms, offering the typical limit to their economy class and premium economy fliers and allowing their status-holding frequent fliers and passengers in Domestic First, Business, and Polaris an extra 20lbs. Last week, at Newark Airport’s Terminal C, one of the airline’s hubs, a company baggage agent was accused of bribing a passenger over the weight limit.
Simple Flying contacted United for comment on the matter, but a representative could not be immediately reached.
How the incident happened
View From The Wing first reported that a passenger had self-tagged their luggage and went to the airline’s kiosks to have it weighed. The passenger alleged that the scale initially read 47lb, only for the number to go up until it gradually reached 50.5 kg. The traveler reports being caught off guard by this, as their baggage was well within the allowable weight on the outbound portion of their trip.
The passengers posted on social media, Reddit, and said,
I thought it was weird because when I left for the trip my bag weighed 42lb and I didn’t buy anything in NY.
The employee says, “ah, don’t worry. I don’t see anything” and gives me a high five. In my naivety I thought, wow that’s so kind. Then he says, “but you can leave my tip right there” pointing to an inconspicuous spot on the counter. I asked if he was for real, he said yes so I left him $5.
According to that article, baggage agents bribing passengers to ignore overweight bags is common. Still, it is alleged that the ground personnel made the bag heavier in this incident. This is further supported, once again, by the passenger’s account on Reddit.
Incidents involving other airlines
Photo: Carlos Yudica | Shutterstock
United is one of many airlines that have suffered an incident regarding the ground staff’s baggage handling. Other incidents, while not involving a bribe, often amount to damage caused by the physical handling of bags. Last year, for example, passengers heading from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Guadalajara Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport (GDL) videoed baggage handlers being rough with their luggage as it was loaded onto their Mexican-bound flight.
Related
Video Shows American Airlines Baggage Handlers Mishandling Passenger Bags
The incident followed almost 500 cancelations due to bad weather in North Texas.
Bottom Line.
Although falling victim to a scam or having luggage lost or damaged are some of the biggest fears of passengers, most flights happen with no incidents to report. In 2023 alone, Newark Liberty Airport’s terminal A handled around 15 million bags, sending them to destinations across United Network and other airlines incident-free.
Have you had problems with your checked bags recently? Let us know in the comments.
