Free Republic

Lost luggage and battered bags could soon be a thing of the past, as Japan Airlines starts testing robotic baggage handlers. Starting in May, human workers at Tokyo's busy Haneda airport will have a helping hand from an army of humanoid robots as part of a two–year trial. The Chinese–made bots will be trained to tackle ground handling tasks like loading cargo containers of luggage on and off flights. Japan Airlines (JAL) hopes that the new robotic workers will help ease staffing issues as Japan juggles a surge in tourism and a slumping workforce. The airport will trial two robots:...

Australian baggage handlers have been issued a stern warning by the CEO of a top national ground services provider after shocking footage of mishandling emerged online. Qantas and Swissport Australia have launched an “urgent investigation” after employees were filmed slamming luggage onto a conveyor belt. The footage, understood to have been filmed at Melbourne airport, shows three baggage handlers – who have been stood down pending investigation – throwing, kicking, and slamming passengers’ luggage onto a conveyor belt. Some bags are thrown so hard that they fall off the other side of the belt. ... One man is shown laughing...

... The Delta Honor Guard is a group of employees and baggage handlers at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia. What they do for Fallen Soldiers is extremely touching ...

-excerpt- "...bribed baggage handlers at John F. Kennedy International Airport concealed cocaine on commercial jets inside sensitive wing assembly compartments."