Employee suspended for donning camel costume in airport

Qantas baggage handler suspended for donning passenger's camel costume
at 4:00 on April 8, 2005, EST.

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Qantas Airways Ltd. on Friday suspended a baggage handler who was caught on video opening a passenger's bag which contained a camel costume, donning the head and wandering around the airport tarmac.

The costume's owner, David Cox, said he was waiting inside the terminal at Sydney Airport earlier this week when he glanced outside and saw the baggage handler wearing his camel head. "I obviously was flabbergasted, my jaw dropped to the ground," Cox told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio on Friday.

He said he was shocked to realize that his luggage had been tampered with, and reported the incident to the airline.

Qantas Chief Executive Geoff Dixon said a security camera had recorded the baggage handler, whose name was not immediately available, opening the bag and trying on the camel head.

He said the baggage handler had been suspended and could be fired pending further investigation.

"We are acutely aware of heightened community concerns around security of baggage," Dixon said in a statement. "What has happened is completely unacceptable and is unacceptable to the vast majority of decent, hardworking Qantas employees."