A careless air baggage worker has gone viral for mishandling thousands of dollars' worth of musical instruments.
Videos by Wide Open Country
The airline worker was filmed heaving guitars onto the tarmac with reckless abandon. The shocking incident, which has amassed over 4 million views on TikTok, begins with three guitars already unloaded.
Then, the airline baggage worker is shown forcefully tossing a batch of guitars onto the tarmac in succession.
Nick Ruiz, 21, had been waiting for his flight when he witnessed the airport staff member hurling instruments out of the carrier.
Ruiz, a Connecticut native, shared the clip on TikTok, saying: "The whole situation felt wrong."
"My instinct was to start filming," Ruiz said, via the New York Post, who said he hoped the owner's guitars were "ok" after going airborne.
The shocking mishandling of cargo sparked widespread outrage, with social media users sympathizing with the guitarist whose gear was damaged.
"As a musician, this hurts my heart. Dreams and love are in those cases," a TikTok user commented.
"People work hard for those things and it's unfair to have them thrown around like that," another weighed in.
Social media users sounded off on the airline worker's actions, saying that it appeared intentionally heinous.
One person said, "He's definitely doing that on purpose. It takes more energy to launch something than to let it drop."
Another said it "should be a fireable offence".
"Looks more intentional than careless," said another enraged commenter.
Tarmac Tirade Could Lead to Massive Payout for Passenger
Professional-grade guitars generally cost upwards of $1000, with vintage models being valued at tens of thousands.
With that said, the airline worker's tarmac tantrum could be a costly mistake for him and the respective airline.
With viral footage proving malpractice, the guitarist who owns the gear could take legal action against the airline involved.
For musicians seeking to spare their beloved instruments from similar destruction, travelers are advised to pack instruments in hard-shelled cases labeled "fragile."
Flyers are also allowed to purchase an adjoining seat for instruments, known as "cargo in the cabin" or "seat baggage" for cargo that exceeds the carry-on size limits.
I've always found covers to be problematic. For the most part, no one covers a song unless the original version was something special. But that's also what makes the cover so tricky; if you can't improve on the original, don't bother doing it. The Alein Ant Farm and Saliva both manage to offer something fresh even while following the original very closely. Both songs sound new and unique. But Evanescence? Her version sounds a little labored; her voice just isn't right for this song and the whole thing fails miserably. But even worse is Fallout Boy's version of Beat It. Seriously, this sounds like karaoke night at a sleazy dive on the outskirts of town.