Not Again: American Airlines Ramp Agent Caught On Camera Throwing Luggage In Charlotte

American Airlines is responding to another incident involving a ground worker mishandling checked luggage while offloading a plane. The staffer was caught in a now-viral video forcibly throwing bags on the tarmac at what is believed to be Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT).

It comes as ramp agents at other airports have been seen mistreating passenger’s bags. Just last year, workers were seen tossing bags off a conveyor belt at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).

Caught on camera

Quay Gipson posted a 15-second video onto X on Saturday, showing a baggage handler violently throwing two bags. The first bag was thrown across, such as a bowling ball, hitting other stationary bags. The second bag was tossed as well, but fell over due to the force before it came into contact with the other luggage.

It is unclear which flight Gipson was on or which flight the bags were being offloaded from when the video was filmed. A customer service representative from American replied to the passenger, saying it would “like to follow up with the appropriate airport leaders.” The carrier asked for Gipson’s itinerary information to track down the ground staffer, but another user on X commented that the incident occurred at Terminal E at CLT.

“Trying to get fired”

The terminal primarily handles American Eagle flights, which is the carrier’s regional brand. Envoy Air, Piedmont Airlines, and PSA Airlines are American’s three wholly-owned regional subsidiaries, and Gipson was likely traveling with one of the three carriers. The adjacent aircraft in the video, N690AE, is an Embraer ERJ-145LR operated by Piedmont, according to Planespotters.net.

“@piedmontair your ramp agents suck lol,” one user on X said.

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The aircraft was airborne for less than 30 minutes.

Another person explained that the worker in the video may be terminated.

“Good lord.. what an idiot,” they said. “Things are so bad at @AmericanAir this guy is probably trying to get fired.”

The incident is not the first time American has been involved in baggage mishandling claims. Earlier this year, another video went viral showing a ramp agent appearing to reprimand another agent for throwing bags.

Last year, one passenger filmed workers tossing luggage to the ground at DFW, explaining that it was a deliberate “and malicious destruction of personal property.” Qantas staffers were fired in 2022 after video caught them throwing, kicking, and slamming checked baggage onto a loading belt, according to the New York Post. Some bags were thrown so hard that they had bounced off the belt.

#1 airline

American’s latest incident, unfortunately, only solidifies its poor record for mishandled luggage.

According to Travel Agent Central, the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier was ranked last year as the number one airline to likely lose and damage checked baggage. SkyWest Airlines, which operates subcontracted American Eagle flights, ranked second, while JetBlue Airways rounded out the top five.

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