TORONTO - Air Canada is promising tough measures to address a public relations black eye the airline suffered this weekend.

The airline says it's prepared to fire a baggage handler apparently caught on video dropping luggage from a boarding gate six metres off the ground.

The video was taken by a passenger on a plane parked at the gate and was posted on YouTube on Thursday.

It became the subject of much public criticism on social media, which spread like wildfire once news media outlets started reporting on it this weekend.

The video shows a baggage worker dropping the bags into a luggage bin.

Air Canada spokeswoman Angela Mah calls the incident "totally unacceptable."

She says it took place at Toronto's Pearson Airport last week.

Mah says the airline is trying to identify the baggage handler and the person "will be terminated pending the outcome of the airline's investigation.

Mah says company procedures call for gate-checked luggage to be carried to planes by hand.