Air travel can be a stressful experience, and the last thing any passenger wants is to be greeted with a crude note on their luggage.

Unfortunately, that's precisely what happened to one Qantas passenger, leading to a baggage handler being banned from ever working on Qantas aircraft again.

The incident occurred when a passenger collected his 31-kilogram Kathmandu bag at Karratha Airport in Western Australia.

To his shock, he found the word 'c**t' scribbled in green marker on the 'heavy' tag wrapped around the bag's handle, complete with an exclamation mark.

A Qantas passenger found a crude note on his bag. Credit: Facebook

'Clearly, the Qantas baggage handler at Perth Airport wasn’t happy lifting my bag,' the man shared on social media.

'He left me a nice note to read on arrival.'

The incident quickly gained traction online, with many expressing their outrage and urging the passenger to report the incident to Qantas.

'What a disrespectful so and so...not cool at all,' one person commented.

Others, however, took a more cynical view, suggesting the passenger was lucky to have received his luggage.

'At least you got your bag. Just flew Perth to Broome, and they left everyone’s bags in Perth,' a person revealed.

Upon being alerted to the incident, Qantas quickly condemned the act and took drastic measures to ensure it never happens again.

'This is clearly unacceptable behaviour,' a Qantas spokesperson said.

'Menzies, our ground handling provider at Perth Airport, has assured us that the baggage handler involved will never work on Qantas Group aircraft again.'

The airline has 'sincerely apologised' to the customer for the incident.

This incident comes amid Qantas being under fire for allegations of 'poor service' and forced 'downgrades'.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) even accused the airline of selling 'ghost flights' and launched legal action against them in August 2023.

Adding to the airline's woes, Qantas pilots based in Western Australia are set to strike for 24 hours on Thursday, February 8, amid a long-running pay dispute.

This could potentially disrupt mines with FIFO workers and regional flights.

Key Takeaways

• A Qantas baggage handler wrote an offensive word on a customer's bag at Perth Airport, which led to their permanent removal from working on Qantas Group aircraft.
• The passenger discovered the crude note on their heavy bag after a flight and shared it online, prompting widespread reactions.
• Qantas has faced scrutiny and criticism for 'poor service' and other serious allegations in the past year.
• Western Australia-based Qantas pilots are planning a strike, potentially affecting flights and illustrating ongoing pay disputes with the airline.

Have you ever experienced anything similar during your travels? Let us know in the comments below!

 

[Dougy55]

Whistory not having received any nasty notes,I've had my luggage misdirected and arriving in Sydney instead of Auckland. It took around a week for it to arrive at my eventual destination. Qantas apologised but didn't reimburse me for the extra clothing that I had to purchase.

 

[Ezzy]

The larger orange label is an excellent indicator that this luggage is heavy & UNDER THE DUTY OF CARE POLICY YOU ARE EMPLOYED UNDER, YOU NEED ASSISTANCE HANDLING THIS ITEM!

There definitely is no need for a message of any type to be written on the tag on the bag if the worker is working to the above conditions. Even the UNION would back the employer here.

 

[Robbo3006]

Qantas, what can I say. Gone to crap