Writes our submitter in Phoenix: “Apparently, the baggage handlers at Southwest did not appreciate my ‘love note’ baggage tag and felt the need to respond — in permanent marker.”
Adds our submitter: “In my defense, I would like to point out that my bag was 46 lb., which is still under the airline’s weight limit, and I, at 5’2″, had no trouble lifting it.”
related: If the TSA was in charge of the office fridge
138 responses so far ↓
#1
Frankie
I’m starting to think you don’t love me as much as I love you. You need to figure out where we’re going in this relationship or else you’ll be the next one in the bag. How much do you weigh again?
Jun 6, 2013 at 9:19 pm rating: 90
#2
Iwill FindU
Clearly they want you to travel with empty bags. Just for show. Although you would have lots of space for whatever you bought on your trip.
Jun 6, 2013 at 9:20 pm rating: 90
#3
susnsmsh
Maybe you should put a new tag on there that reads, “I love baggage handlers so much I keep you working. Handle THAT.”
Maybe that’s too aggressive.
Jun 6, 2013 at 9:28 pm rating: 90
#4
melizer
Southwest SUCKS
Jun 6, 2013 at 9:45 pm rating: 90
#5
Adina
The baggage handlers hated me when I was going to trade shows. I would take 2 bags 50# each of our samples . I’m 5′ and I hated picking up those bags. Somehow I managed to get 4 days of my personal clothes in my backpack and purse.
Jun 6, 2013 at 9:51 pm rating: 90
#6
SeeYouInTea
Wow. What an asshole. I would report this because there’s no telling what else they do behind the scenes.
My brother used to work for the TSA and he has horrible stories about some of the baggage handlers doing things to people’s luggage. Especially theft.
Jun 6, 2013 at 10:06 pm rating: 90
#7
A baggage handler
I guess you don’t consider we put on over a hundred of those bags “You had no trouble lifting” a flight.
Jun 6, 2013 at 10:14 pm rating: 90
#8
Ermengarde
First instinct is “homophobic crank of a baggage handler”.
Jun 6, 2013 at 10:33 pm rating: 90
#9
Deb
That wouldn’t be the first time someone’s baggage was too much for the other person to handle.
Jun 6, 2013 at 10:34 pm rating: 90
#10
shwo!
That’s no bag. That’s my wife!
Jun 6, 2013 at 11:15 pm rating: 90
#11
insideoutsider
I suppose it’s nothing new, but people do bring way too much crap with them these days. And it’s not just on airplanes – it’s on trains, on buses, on boats, and in their own cars. Seriously, you don’t need to bring ten separate pairs of footwear with you.
Jun 6, 2013 at 11:23 pm rating: 90
#12
Mishee™
Wik
Jun 6, 2013 at 11:47 pm rating: 90
#13
kate
Just to point out that you, at 5’2″, had lifted ONE bag that whole trip whereas 8 hours of near 50lb anythings is actually a hard thing to do. Those bag fees sure fuck with baggage handlers since people are either now too cheap or broke to just spread the load out.
Jun 7, 2013 at 12:43 am rating: 90
#14
D
Honey, I hate to be the one to break it to you. But, he’s just not that into you.
Jun 7, 2013 at 7:04 am rating: 90
#15
jj
I am so glad I never use the airlines.
Too bad about this handler, needs to seek
employment elsewhere, obviously.
Jun 7, 2013 at 8:38 am rating: 90
#16
Ely North
Did she pick up her bag at the baggage claim to find that it smelled like urine and feces? No? Then what’s there to complain about? A rude note on a tag? Things could be a lot worse.
Jun 7, 2013 at 10:44 am rating: 90
#17
Laura
“Waaaah. I have a job and get paid and must complain about it … when I’m not rifling through and stealing things from the luggage I’m handling.”
Jun 7, 2013 at 10:59 am rating: 90
#18
Tard
Nothing sadder than a loser whining that their job is “Just Too HARD!” Waaaaaaa!!!
Jun 7, 2013 at 11:07 am rating: 90
#19
Ann
I guess the baggage handler couldn’t help but respond. Ironic tag is ironic, and all that. Also, it’s probably a little condescending–like, “I’m putting on this tag to kiss arse because I honestly suspect you’re going to wreck my stuff if I don’t!”
Jun 7, 2013 at 11:45 am rating: 90
#20
DeejaeWillow
That sort of behavior is what loses you a job.
Jun 7, 2013 at 12:05 pm rating: 90
#21
pooham
At least she checked her bag rather bringing a bunch of carrion on board.
Jun 7, 2013 at 12:08 pm rating: 90
#22
Nikki
Baggage handlers, PLEASE.
Back in my day of baggage handling, the free allowance was two bags at 70 lbs each. Free. And we certainly didn’t have the time to write on people’s bag tags, nor the inclination. Change your perspective or change your job. I took the perspective of how awesome it was to get paid to work out while other people were paying to work out.
If you’re too delicate for the job, go work at the ticket counter. Wait, you’re probably too delicate for that, too. Life’s tough. Suck it up.
Jun 7, 2013 at 2:14 pm rating: 90
#23
AS
Hey Mr. baggage handler! Here’s my bag, stuffed to the uppermost allowable limit! It needs a belt to hold it together! Love ya! *blows kisses*
One could almost think the original tag is a tad mocking? Maybe even, dare I say it, passive aggressive?
Jun 7, 2013 at 5:24 pm rating: 90
#24
Jo
Don’t they have any kind of ramp or rollers to help pull the bags up?
Jun 8, 2013 at 7:22 am rating: 90
#25
Gary
Team bag handler here: I think he was just showing a sense of humor (or humour if it was an international flight). It would have been a touch better if he had added a ‘then’ to the front of the message as in: “then quit making your bag so heavy” followed by a smilie.
Jun 9, 2013 at 8:37 am rating: 90
#26
Dingbat
The whole baggage thing on airplanes is crazy these days.
When the airlines started charging a fee for checking even one bag, they were in effect discouraging it. If I were a baggage handler, I would be upset with my employer. They’re discouraging people from checking bags, and if people don’t check bags, I might not have a job. (I realize airlines also move some freight)
When the airline charges for one bag, with an even HIGHER fee for a bag over 50 lbs, they are encouraging you to check a bag of 49 lbs. Hey, if I have to pay for over 50, I will pack 49 if I need to. Mind you, not if I don’t need to, but I paid for it. If I could check two smaller bags for free, I would do it because it’s more convenient. But it’s not my fault the airline structured its fees this way. And if I work with the fee structure to minimize my expense, that’s just basic economics. The airlines had to know it would work this way.
TL;DR: baggage handlers, blame the airline, not the people who use your services and keep you employed.
Jun 9, 2013 at 10:04 am rating: 90
#27
Juniper
Sorry – I’m kind of with the baggage handlers here. That tag is the luggage equivalent of those stupid ‘baby on board’ stickers. It’s just a blatant attempt to garner different from the norm treatment for no real reason. I bet they tossed that sucker around like a ping pong.
Jun 10, 2013 at 7:22 am rating: 90
#28
redheadwglasses
I don’t know why so many people are saying that flight attendants are unionized. THEY ARE.
It’s simple to google, folks. Try it before making easily disproven statements of fact.
Jun 10, 2013 at 12:33 pm rating: 90
#29
Phoenix
Kate- people think you are against the OP and pro-handler because you keep insisting it was a vacuous statement that a bag can’t be that heavy if a small woman can lift it.
Whether a small lady can lift something is actually a relevant test of it something is heavy…especially as compared to someone who’s job is to lift heavy things all day. The point of that statement is that her bag was not extraordinarily heavy, and was well within what should be normal for the baggage handlers working conditions.
You read a whole lot of assumption and gave out a whole lot of hate based on someone using a useful frame of reference to make a point, instead of using an actual weight in kg. So chill the hell out and stop complaining that people are misreading you. You were being judgmental for no reason, and people called you on it. Maybe you should think through your own though process before you post, and people won’t misunderstand your obnoxious attempt at a point.
Jun 10, 2013 at 6:30 pm rating: 90
#30
kate
@Phoenix – “keep insisting”… well… since so many people actually attributed things to me that weren’t there after one comment I really didn’t keep insisting anything when all those comments popped up. “Keep insisting” implies multiple mentions of which there was one before the pile on and not even using the word vacuous yet.
Nowhere have I said that it’s ok to deface someone else’s stuff. And nothing about any reply to me, including yours, has made her statement less stupid about that bag being not that heavy. That’s like someone punching you in the arm and then going oh come on it couldn’t hurt THAT MUCH because it didn’t hurt them. That kind of statement is vacuous.
I also find it totes hilarious that I read a whole lot of assumption into anything after being told that I invisibly wrote that it’s ok to write on other people’s stuff. After rebutting one thing. That said nothing about defacing personal property. Or disputing whose property that was. OR like literally any other accusation brought up in the however many comments below mine. Double hilarity, I made no assumptions, I made a sarcastic remark about magic invisible writing and then explained my own statements further while rebutting the verbatim statements of others. SO not sure where “hate” comes in either my first comment or the reply or even this one, but if you think it’s hateful I can’t stop you from making baseless inferences. I’m not really fired up about this either so… yeah! This was like pointing out the sky is blue and having it upset someone.
Also what do kilograms have to do with anything? Something about a point? What was your point in mentioning kilos? Is it better as 20 kilos? Is there a new thing in physics where metric makes things lighter? Whether a small lady can lift something is not a relevant test for anything because you’re assuming weakness is based on height and weight rather than, you know, muscle strength and endurance.
Jun 10, 2013 at 8:26 pm rating: 90
#31
ano
aaw OP I’m sorry those baggage handlers wrote on your tag. I’d be so pissed/upset if someone vandalised my tags. Even if it did make a handler see red, they had NO RIGHT to vandalise your tag in return. NONE at all.
Especially since you were under the weight limit (and you have to pay extra if you go over anyway >:( )
Team OP because those Baggage Handlers were assholes
Jun 11, 2013 at 9:25 am rating: 90
#32
A baggage handler
I’m a baggage handler. I don’t get benefits. There is no union. I work for a contractor that was hired strictly to replace unionized baggage handlers. I don’t even want my family to know what I do, because they’ll think I’m an idiot or washed up drug addict.
I’ve seen these little tags that are supposed to be cute or something. You don’t love baggage handlers. You see baggage handlers, and your sphincter instinctively shuts and your blood pressure skyrockets. We are social status poison to you. We’re dirty, sweaty from working 8 hours of 11 hour shifts without a lunch break in the rain, snow, or sleet near deafening jet engines and risking injury in too many ways to count. And then when we go up to the concourse to get a coffee from the Starbucks (tugging our forelocks at the generosity of the traveling class in allowing us to line up in their queues), we’re still met with disgusted stares. We’re all stealing your stuff. We’re rich and unionized, we don’t gently, lovingly secure your precious bags with affection and we also cause your delays. We probably cause those delays comparing either our massive paychecks or the rich plunder we’ve stolen from your bags. It sure isn’t because we’ll often have to load 8000 pounds of cargo and 120 bags in under 30 minutes while having to perform extra services related to the safety of your flight.
The I love baggage handlers tag is the passive aggressive bullshit in this case. You just think they’re stupid enough to believe that crap, it’s insulting. If you could find whoever wrote that stuff on your tag and get them fired, you’d do it in a heartbeat and probably cackle as their children are kicked out of preschool. Go to hell.
Jun 11, 2013 at 3:17 pm rating: 90
#33
Ziaheart
Get some dry-erase markers. Write on top of the writing, wipe down. It’ll take the permanent marker off.
-signed, a teacher who often has to remove things written in permanent marker on her white board by her students’ children, previous teachers, guest speakers, office administrators, etc.
Jun 12, 2013 at 12:18 am rating: 90
#34
spike
I’m on Team Baggage Handlers. “I Love NY”, “I Love My Chihuahua”, “I Love My Whatever…”, but “I Love My Baggage Handler”? Stupid and obnoxious, and that goes for the flyer, as well.
Jun 16, 2013 at 4:35 am rating: 90
#35
SouthwestDEN
I’m a baggage handler for Southwest Airlines. All I can say is 99% of people who I work with both love their job and are very hard workers. Yes sure, lifting 150+ bags per flight, 7 flights per shift is a lot and it is hard work don’t get me wrong. But in general most handlers just get the job done as quickly as they can. As for baggage handlers “stealing” luggage….I have never seen anyone from my airline at least steal or go through passengers luggage. It’s unfortunate about the lack of benefits for some handlers. Southwest IS unionized and I love it! My entire family flys for free, dollar for dollar 401K company match, health care, and fantastic pay! We have guys on the ramp who have already earned $60K+ in first 5 months of this year (this includes overtime). I could not be more thankful for this company and my job….a lot of people have a misperception about handlers thinking they are either bums or drop outs. That is not the case, a lot of rampers for Southwest earn more than pilots for other airlines. Last year alone the top earner on the ramp here in Denver made $214K for the year. This isn’t just a job, it’s a career!
Jun 18, 2013 at 8:44 pm rating: 90
#36
SouthwestDEN
Absolutely. Also don’t get me wrong there is that 1% who is either lazy or obnoxious. The union really helps out those lazy workers as they know how little they can away with before the company can even TRY to terminate them.
But in general the union is a god saint to blue collar workers like us and almost all of my co-workers appreciate the job we have and the amazing benefits that come with it
Jun 18, 2013 at 9:29 pm rating: 90
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