The shocking reason airline staff mercilessly crack down on your bags

A report has publicly revealed for the first time how much airline workers are being paid for the crackdown on carry-on luggage.

Budget airlines Frontier and Spirit paid gate agents a massive $26 million commission between 2022 and 2023 “to catch passengers who allegedly did not adhere to airline baggage policies, often forcing those passengers to pay baggage fees or miss their flights.”

Cross-border workers can earn as much as $10 for every bag a passenger has to check at the gate, according to the Senate subcommittee report released last month.

Spirit employees, meanwhile, can earn $5 for charging an oversized carry-on at the gate.

Carry-on bags are not included in the base fares of Frontier or Spirit, the latter of which filed for bankruptcy protection last month amid a long string of quarterly losses.

Instead, customers can bring a smaller ‘personal item’ on board for free, but will be charged locally at the gate if it is deemed too large.

Staff could “abuse” the bonus program to earn more, the report said, by incorrectly categorizing an item as too large to collect compensation for.

It comes after several videos went viral on social media showing irate customers being charged for personal items on Frontier that appear to fit into the bag check at the gate.

Border passengers must pay $99 at the gate if their personal items are considered oversized and therefore constitute carry-on luggage in the eyes of the airline.

Spirit customers, meanwhile, pay $65.

The report also describes how airlines offer incentives to staff to sell premium seats to customers.

For domestic flights, Frontier employees earned $10 for each oversized carry-on bag purchased at the gate or online within an hour of the flight’s departure.

According to the congressional report, employees also earned $3 for carry-on bags purchased at the counter, and $3 for selling seats with extra legroom.

The airline’s commissions were smaller for international flights: $1 for baggage charged at the gate or online and $0.50 for baggage purchased at the ticket counter. Business insider reported.

Spirit staff made $5 for charging an oversized carry-on bag at the gate, or for selling the so-called “Big Front Seat” to a customer.

They could also receive $4 in commissions for flagging checked bags as overweight, and $2 for selling exit row seats.

Some executives at both airlines also earned a commission if their airport met a specific monthly revenue target by charging these fees, the report found.

However, employees are not eligible for the commission if it results in a decrease in guest experience ratings or an increase in complaints.

Both Frontier and Spirit saw baggage complaints increase after the incentive programs were introduced, according to Department of Transportation data analyzed by the subcommittee.

“The Department of Transportation should investigate potential abuses in the use of incentive-based additional fee collection, prohibit unfair and deceptive practices, and impose civil penalties where appropriate,” the report said.

Spirit staff made $5 for charging an oversized carry-on bag at the gate, or for selling the so-called ‘Big Front Seat’ to a customer

According to the congressional report, cross-border workers also earned $3 for carry-on bags they bought at the checkout counter, and $3 for selling seats with extra legroom.

Some executives at Frontier and Spirit also earned a commission if their airport met a specific monthly revenue goal by charging additional fees

Both airlines denied that the programs were being abused, and Frontier’s vice president of pricing and revenue management told the subcommittee that the airline did not want customers to “take more services than they paid for.”

In response to the viral videos, he raised “the possibility that the item might contain a lithium battery” as a reason why an item might be rejected despite otherwise appearing to fit the size check.

He then “refused to provide a straight answer,” the report said.

Both airlines emphasized in statements the goal of treating guests “fairly” and “equally.”

Spokespeople for both airlines said the budget business model unbundles fares and increases people’s access to affordable flights.

“We respectfully disagree with numerous statements and conclusions in the report,” Spirit told DailyMail.com.

“With that in mind, we believe it is time to come together and discuss meaningful initiatives that level the playing field between larger and smaller airlines so that all travelers can benefit.”