Sydney Airport’s unusual $250k move to get your bags to the carousel quicker

This busy airport is spending $250,000 a month to incentivise workers to fix a common passenger complaint.

Sydney Airport is rewarding baggage handling companies with $250,000 a month to get your bags to the carousel quicker.

A trial of the incentive in terminal one started in October and will run until the end of December.

As baggage handling companies are contracted by airlines and not Sydney Airport, management hopes the initiative can influence performance.

“Nothing will make us happier than writing a cheque to baggage handlers for $250,000 at the end of every month because, if we do, it means our customers have had a great experience,” Sydney Airport’s chief operating officer Adrian Witherow said.

“Whether it’s speeding up the lines at security or cutting down wait times at the baggage carousel, we want to make every minute count for our passengers, so they can spend more time enjoying the journey.”

Baggage handling companies that reach performance targets in getting the last bag off the aircraft and into the baggage system are rewarded with a share in $250,000 each month. Picture: Gaye Gerard

The $250,000 is a monthly pool and is shared among the companies which achieve performance targets in getting the last bag off the aircraft and into the baggage system.

The baggage handling companies will choose how to distribute the money and news.com.au understands that once the trial is complete, it will be reviewed and may continue or be trialled in the domestic terminals.

Sydney Airport’s long-term goal is to have passengers wait no longer than 10 minutes at a baggage carousel, which will bring down the time passengers spend transferring between international and domestic terminals for connecting flights to 60 minutes.

Sydney Airport’s long-term goal is to have passengers wait no longer than 10 minutes at the baggage carousel. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard

Sydney Airport’s new chief executive Scott Charlton told The Australian “even though it’s not our responsibility” it was in the airport’s interests to get passengers’ bags out quicker.

“It’s in our interest to have a better customer experience because more airlines will want to have transfers here at the airport, so while it’s great for the customers it’s also great for the airport,” he said.

Sydney Airport is expecting to have its biggest holiday period in four years with 2.6 million passengers anticipated between December 14 and January 3.

It is anticipating 500,000 more passengers than the 2022 Christmas holiday period — a 95 per cent recovery compared to the same period in 2019.

Just last week an investigation was launched into a baggage handler’s behaviour at Sydney Airport after touring band Chimers shared a video of their instruments being thrown without care onto the conveyor belt into a Qantas plane.

Qantas said it raised the incident with its ground-handling contractor, Swissport.

“The baggage handler has been removed from working on Qantas flights while Swissport investigates,” the airline said.

A Swissport spokeswoman said: “Disrespectful behaviour to our customer luggage and personal effects will not be tolerated.”

In September, the embattled national carrier lost its bid to overturn a Federal Court ruling that it illegally sacked almost 1700 baggage handlers, cleaners and ground staff, and outsourced their jobs during the pandemic.