In the wake of its massive baggage-handling issues at Denver International Airport, United Airlines is reinstating 40 previously furloughed ramp employees.
“These recalled full-time workers will help us meet operational needs for spring and summer,” said airline spokesman Charles Hobart.
The 40 recalled workers are among 159 United employees placed on furlough as part of budgetary cutbacks, most of them in 2008, Hobart said.
The announcement comes as United’s baggage operations at DIA are under intense scrutiny amid passenger reports of lost luggage, delayed flights and hours-long waits for checked luggage to appear at baggage claim — problems that may finally be subsiding.
United’s luggage handling woes surfaced after the , effective Dec. 4.
At that time, new vendor Simplicity Ground Services assumed below-wing baggage service for the daily regional flights at DIA.
However, according to an internal e-mail to SkyWest employees dated Oct. 15, United ramp workers assumed many of SkyWest’s bag transfer responsibilities Oct. 19.
This change added about 260 to 300 flights per day to United workers’ duties with no additional hands on deck, said Denver-based United ramp employees who asked not to be identified because of fears of disciplinary action, including termination.
United would not confirm the exact number of additional flights, but has corroborated reports of increased workload on its employees.
This issue was central to bringing back the furloughed employees, said Richard Delaney, president of the , the union representing United ramp workers.
“The full-time recalls in Denver are due to the work that was insourced, instead of being performed by SkyWest,” he said. “It is part of the ongoing discussions between the IAM and United regarding (DIA) and other locations.”
. The jobs include baggage-handing ramp workers and inside customer-service agents, among others, depending on the airport.
This is the latest in a series of maneuvers by the airline to control costs by cutting labor expenses. United outsourced nearly 500 jobs to outside vendors in 2013 and more than .
The airline also reported third-quarter 2014 net income of $1.1 billion — an increase of 99 percent over third quarter 2013, and its highest-ever quarterly profit.
After United’s baggage-handling issues began affecting DIA’s reputation, and make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.
“The mayor has been in constant contact with (United CEO Jeff) Smisek and the airline leadership,” said Hancock spokeswoman Amber Miller. “At the end of the day, it’s the same customers we are serving.”
Hobart said the baggage situation at DIA has improved considerably.
“Wait times are well within standard and within what customers expect,” he said.
Monday’s passenger traffic at DIA was light — 137,000 passengers compared to an average day of 145,000 — and baggage operations in the United baggage claim area appeared to be running more smoothly.
Gone were the piles of unclaimed bags, replaced by a neat row of about 20 suitcases awaiting their owners, and bags were emerging on carousels soon after passengers arrived in the claim area.
United passenger Eric Jones flew into Denver with an eight-person party. They checked three bags and carried six other suitcases onto the plane. He was blissfully unaware that previously there were any issues.
“I hadn’t heard anything at all, but we had no real problems,” he said. “We have all our bags.”
Laura Keeney: 303-954-1337, lkeeney@denverpost.com or twitter.com/LauraKeeney
