LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 15: A Spirit Airlines plane lands at Harry Reid International Airport on October 15, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
A Spirit Airlines gate agent was recorded ‘maliciously’ throwing out items from a passenger’s luggage into the trash, and now the company is apologizing for the embarrassing act.
The employee, who works under a vendor contract, was caught on camera at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and appears to look through the bag before pocketing several items and trashing the rest, according to CBS News.
The passenger, Keyonne Brooks, obtained the video from Spirit and said the worker purposefully and “maliciously” tossed the passenger’s stuff in the garbage.
“She was dumping it out, maliciously,” said Brooks.
Brookes added that he in the gate agent in question had gotten into a bit of a disagreement at the fate prior to his departure. He did request a manager, but had to board his plane before one could get there.
He also accidentally left his carryon bag at the ticket counter on Feb. 19, as he was returning home to Los Angeles after attending a funeral.
Brooks eventually filed a lost-and-found claim, but the bag never turned up, the outlet reports. He then tried put in a public records request to the airport for CCTV footage at the gate.
“I had a gut feeling that something went wrong,” said Brooks.
And the surveillance video proved his instincts right. Brooks said that you can see one employee walk up to his bag where he had left it on the ledge of the gate desk.
The unnamed worker then takes it behind the counter. She waited several minutes until all the passengers on his flight had boarded, before bringing the bag over to a nearby seat where she begins to rifle through it and “stuffing some things in her pocket.
Brooks said he didn’t know if she took his “jewelry or his crystals.”
“I did notice that she was stuffing some things in her pocket. I don’t know if that was my jewelry or my crystals,” said Brooks.
He added that he was also carrying life-saving medication in the bag, according to the outlet.
The employee can then be seen walking towards a trash can as several other coworkers join her. She opens up a pill bottle before pouring all of them out right into the trash.
Meanwhile, her coworker seems to be laughing as she takes cellphone video of the scene.
The gate agent in question eventually tosses the entire bag and its contents into the garbage and walk away as if she did nothing wrong.
“My heart just sunk because for instance there was a family heirloom in there. If they don’t find the garbage bag with my contents, then I’ll never get that back,” said Brooks.
Brooks has since reached out to the airlines and provided them with the CCTV video. Spirit ultimately refunded him the cost of the flight, however he doesn’t believe this is the employee’s first time mistreating people’s luggage.
“If it happened to me and I got the video footage, how many other people has this happened to?” said Brooks.
Spirit also confirmed that the contract workers were suspended as authorities conduct an investigation. The vendor added it would expedite compensation for all of the items in Brook’s luggage, KCAL News reports
Complicating the reimbursement matters is the fact that the vendor has asked him for receipts, of which he doesn’t not have for the jewelry and family heirlooms.
In a statement sent by Spirit Airlines to KCAL News, the company said it “is committed to treating all guests with respect.”
“We are aware of this matter, and our vendor suspended four of their employees at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) pending an investigation into the matter. Spirit Airlines is committed to treating all Guests with respect and delivering high-quality service, and we will take appropriate action as necessary following the completion of the vendor’s investigation.
The statement continued: “Spirit has already issued a refund for the flight on February 23, and the vendor is expediting the compensation for the items.”
