baggage handling

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Baggage Handler Killed in Freak Accident at NOLA Airport

Jermani Thompson was unloading baggage from a flight that had landed

(Newser) - A 26-year-old employee at the New Orleans airport was killed in a freak accident on Tuesday night. Jermani Thompson was working on the tarmac where planes are parked and was in the process of offloading luggage from a Frontier flight that had landed when her hair became caught in the...

Cops: JFK Baggage Handler Swiped $300K, Called in Sick

Missing cruise ship cash has not been recovered

(Newser) - A Delta Air Lines baggage handler at New York City's JFK Airport who allegedly swiped around $300,000 from a cash shipment Tuesday became a suspect after he called in sick, law enforcement sources say. Quincy Thorpe, 40, was arrested at his Brooklyn home Thursday morning, ABC7 reports. Sources...

Airline Worker Takes Nap, Then 'Slips Through the Cracks'

Intoxicated baggage handler fell asleep in American Airlines cargo hold

(Newser) - United Airlines was plagued with canine passenger problems earlier this year. This time it's American that's making headlines, and it involves a human—an apparently drunk one. USA Today reports on a baggage handler said to be in his mid-20s who had an interesting flight on board a...

Worker Trapped in Plane's Cargo Hold for 300-Mile Flight

The FAA and airline are investigating how it happened

(Newser) - Federal authorities and airline officials are investigating the odd flight of a baggage handler who wound up in the cargo hold of a plane for more than 300 miles, the AP reports. The FAA said it would determine whether the man's cargo-loading company followed proper procedures to make sure...

Mother Sues After Baby Dies on Airport Conveyer Belt

She'd just placed her 5-month-old in a car seat on the belt when it began to move

(Newser) - Almost exactly a year after losing her 5-month-old baby in a freak airport conveyer belt accident, mother Nathania Terry is suing the luggage handling system supplier for wrongful death, negligence, design defects, and failure to warn. According to her complaint, which she filed in federal court last week, Terry placed...

Baggage Handlers Stole Pricey Items: Police

LA cops serve 25 warrants against 'colluding' workers

(Newser) - Police have arrested six baggage handlers and detained eight others to crack an alleged theft operation at LA International Airport—likely the biggest in its history, the LA Times reports. Police say travelers lost "thousands upon thousands of dollars" as handlers stole jewelry, electronics, and other items from luggage...

Baggage Handler Busted in LAX Dry Ice Bombings

Cops suspect worker was angered by labor dispute

(Newser) - A baggage handler has been arrested following a police investigation into two dry ice explosions at Los Angeles International Airport. Dicarlo Bennett, a 28-year-old employee of ground handling company Servisair, was booked for possession of a destructive device near an aircraft and he is being held on $1 million bail....

Dog-Saving Airport Worker Offered Job Back

Abused dog case sparked outcry

(Newser) - After an outcry from animal lovers nationwide, the Reno airport worker fired for refusing to put an abused dog on a plane has been offered her job back—with back pay. The president of Airport Terminal Services praised the courage of Lynn Jones for standing up for the dog, promised...

Worker Fired for Refusing to Load Abused Dog on Plane

Baggage handler reported dog's condition to airport cops

(Newser) - A baggage handler at Reno airport says she was fired on the spot after she refused to put an obviously abused dog on a plane. Lynn Jones says the dog, which belonged to a hunter from Texas, was emaciated and covered in sores, but her boss said its paperwork was...

Spirit Air Rolls Out Carry-on Fees

Airline says it went off without a hitch, will save time

(Newser) - Spirit Airlines rolled out its new fees on carry-on baggage today, lauding the move as a way to save time in loading and unloading planes. "The check-in process is going well so far," said a spokeswoman. Since airlines started charging for checked luggage, more passengers have brought carry-on...

Jet Engine Munches Baggage Box at LAX

(Newser) - A hungry jumbo jet at LAX inhaled a large metal baggage container into one of its engines as it left the gate today, reports the Los Angeles Times. Officials blame a baggage cart left too close to the Japan Airlines Boeing 747. The plane was taken out of service after...

Nap Traps JetBlue Worker in Cargo Hold

Sleepy stowaway survives NY-Boston flight below decks

(Newser) - A JetBlue employee ended up flying from New York to Boston in a plane's cargo hold after dozing off while stacking luggage, the Boston Globe reports. The panicked baggage handler called the airline when he woke and realized he was airborne. The worker was uninjured, and was returned to New...

Carry On! Fewer Checked Bags Cut Lost Luggage

Airlines lost 1.3M fewer bags last year as new fees convinced passengers to carry on

(Newser) - Through their relentless fees, airlines have managed to put the task of transporting often-lost luggage in much safer hands. Last year—as passengers carried aboard the baggage they previously checked for free—airlines lost 1.3 million fewer bags than in 2007, the Chicago Tribune reports. The 33% improvement was...

Let the Carry-On Wars Begin
 Let the Carry-On Wars Begin 

Let the Carry-On Wars Begin

Checked-bag fees will lead to a crush in the overhead bins

(Newser) - With United, American, and US Airways all instituting charges for both first and second checked bags, a carry-on crunch is coming, the Wall Street Journal reminds us. Expect the baggage police to start heading off patrons flouting the cabin limit at security screenings. Airlines hope to to fight overcrowding in...

Chaos Continues at Heathrow
 Chaos Continues at Heathrow 

Chaos Continues at Heathrow

Hundreds of volunteer staffers work to sort out baggage crisis

(Newser) - Hundreds of volunteer British Airways staffers spent their day off yesterday helping to return some of the 15,000 pieces of luggage lost when the state-of-the-art baggage system failed at the airline's new terminal at London's Heathrow airport last week. Scores of tech specialists have also been deployed to fix...

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