Wizz Air is the latest budget airline to acknowledge that airport staff working on its behalf receive cash for spotting passengers whose bags don’t comply with its rules
Wizz Air has admitted that boarding staff working on its services receive incentives “to ensure employees enforce luggage rules correctly”.
The budget airline is the latest to acknowledge that airport staff working on its behalf receive cash for spotting passengers whose bags don’t comply with its rules. Last week, Ryanair admitted it pays staff about €1.50 (£1.30) for intercepting customers bringing oversized bags onto an aircraft. At the beginning of July, an easyJet message to Swissport staff revealed they receive £1 after tax for “every gate bag taken”.
Through a translator, a former employee of a firm contracted by Wizz Air told The Mirror that they received around €50 a month for every 100 passengers made to pay a fee for having oversized bags.
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The ground-handling agent claimed that €40 of the fee per bag would go to Wizz Air, and €10 to their employer—Romanian Airport Services (RAS). The Mirror has contacted RAS for comment but has not yet received a response.
When asked about the workers’ claims, a spokesperson for Wizz Air told The Mirror: “Wizz Air employees do not receive commission for identifying and charging customers for oversized cabin baggage.”
However, because the airline outsources baggage handling to several third-party providers, the spokesperson added: “These handlers are entitled to charge extra handling fees for customers who arrive with oversized cabin baggage. These fees are clearly displayed at the airport and explained to any passengers who are charged.
“We are aware that some providers have their own incentive systems to ensure employees enforce luggage rules correctly. These are at the discretion of third-party ground handlers.”
One such ground-handling firm is Menzies Aviation, which services Wizz at destinations including London, Budapest, Prague, Cluj, Timișoara, Iași, and Sibiu. The Mirror asked Menzies Aviation if it had a similar policy in place, but its spokesperson declined to comment.
According to Wizz Air: “Oversized baggage fees are not designed to make money from our customers, but to ensure compliance with the rules. These rules are ultimately in place to reduce time spent fitting luggage into overhead compartments, which speeds up the boarding process and helps our flights depart on time.
“Our cabin-bag rules are available on our website and mobile app, and are clearly communicated to customers from booking to boarding. Only a tiny percentage of customers are affected by the charges, and we thank the vast majority who follow these rules.”
The topic of extra fees for hand luggage is contentious at the moment. A recent EU ruling means that airlines such as Ryanair, easyJet, and Wizz Air—which currently charge significant sums for a second bag—will likely be unable to demand big fees for an additional cabin bag in the future.
Even though the UK is no longer a member of the European Union, the rules would still impact British passengers as they cover EU-based airlines.
“We highly object, along with the other airlines. It essentially erodes consumer choice,” Yvonne Moynihan, the new managing director of Wizz Air UK, told the Mirror. The budget airline boss echoed the words of Ourania Georgoutsakou, managing director of Airlines For Europe, likening the new regime to “going to the cinema and being forced to have Coke and popcorn with your ticket.”
She also admitted that she had been charged by staff working on Wizz flights for having a too-big bag.