Sky Caps

[Ted and Holly]

Do any of you check your luggage at the curb and let the skycaps check the bags?

I don't think I'll do this after what I witnessed today. We went to the Manchester NH airport to check things out and get an idea for the set up. We saw the skycap for the airline we were flying.... he had a cart FULL of bags next to the "desk" He was talking to another skycap for another airline a few desks down. Then, he LEFT the luggage, and went over to the other guy and they were counting tips.

No thanks, not for me, I'll check the bags myself!

Holly P

[GAIL HAYDEN]

I do it all the time. No worries for me. I watch them take the bags right in. I expect that they still watch the bags even if they chat with one another. They know what they are doing, I would not worry. Not exactly a breech of security either. If they left the bags and went inside, then maybe I would worry.

[DebbieB]

I've used the skycaps at PIT and MCO (USAir), they have a moving conveyer belt that they load the luggage onto, so it's not sitting there. I always watch and make sure they load it before I leave. Never had a problem. I have a co-worker who doesn't trust the skycaps, so she checked her luggage on a recent trip to Hartford inside at the counter. It was lost!

[Chuck S]

I use sky caps all the time, but I never have anything irreplaceable in my luggage. I always have one change of clothes in my carry-on.

[Beverly Lynn]

the belt loaders that the skycaps use are tied in with the carriers! it goes to the same place as if you had checked it in with the tkt cntr! (I had to climb down one of those a few times to unstick a bag and I discovered this!)

[Ted and Holly]

MHT is a smaller airport. There were no conveyor belts. They were just out at the curb with carts..... Maybe that's why the situation is different. I'm still not sure I'm going to trust a young punk at a curb....

Nobody here has had a problem with baggage checked at the curb??
If so, that's almost reassuring enough to change my mind....

Holly P

[GoldenOldie]

Originally posted by TedP
MHT is a smaller airport. There were no conveyor belts. They were just out at the curb with carts..... Maybe that's why the situation is different. I'm still not sure I'm going to trust a young punk at a curb....


Young punk? It sounds like there may be more to this that has you upset than what you wrote..

[Tiffany]

No problems here using the Sky Caps. We fly out of Logan in Boston and they have the moving belts that they put the bags on.

[cindala]

Many people, including myself, use Skycaps as an option, not to wait on a longer line inside the airport terminal. We have used them at Newark, LaGuardia, and Orlando, with no problems at all. In most cases, it saves time and aggravation using them.

However, it is customary to tip the Skycaps appropriately, and some people would rather avoid this added expense, and wait on line. Most travelors in our area are aware that the Skycaps make a very nice income (from tips). My DH always tips the Skycap when he hands him the tickets. They have always been very helpful, friendly and polite, and most of the time, our luggage are among the first ones out at luggage pick-up when we arrive.



:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[DJT]

We prefer to use the Sky Caps and have found them to be very helpful, reliable and polite. It's definitely worth the tip.

[Ted and Holly]

How much do you tip??

[DebbieB]

How much do you tip??

$1 per checked bag.

[GAIL HAYDEN]

The situation is the same at Bradley, at least with SWA and Delta. They put it on a cart and wheel it in, and, if memory serves, it is the same at Orlando and Tampa. I always watch them push it in.
I have had old skycaps and young ones, but, I have yet to see a punk one. And, I am not old enough to look upon someone younger than me ,who is working an honest job, as a punk. I wouldhave to know them longer than 5 mins. to make that call.

[Ted and Holly]

It is good to see so many people speaking highly of the skycaps. You may have changed my mind about the situation. We should have plenty of time at the airport so we'll see.

Gail Hayden- You're right, I may have been a little harsh calling him a "young punk" after only observing him for a few minutes. He was very young... probably high school on a summer job.... and just because he was socializing and counting his tip money with the other person doesn't make him a "punk"

I can only hope that the behavior I saw was not representative of his work ethic and that I just happened to be watching at the wrong time....

Holly P

[Beanie]

TedP...we fly out of MHT all the time and we always use the Skycaps...When we have used them, they have always been very professional with loading our bags and taking them in...I would give them another chance...maybe it was just an off day for him or something? I highly recommend them at MHT though! :) We always tip them $5.00 for our bag (we only have one big one, usually), but that is because DH is a "big" tipper! lol...He likes to make people happy! :)

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Nope, counting his tip money does not make him a punk, but, perhaps a happy person because he gets a lot of tips because he does a good job. :)
I hope you do change your mind, skycaps make traveling a wonderful experience. :)

[Toby'sFriend]

I can remember back in the days when I was horrified to think that people would pay an extra $6 or so to a sky cap rather than wait in a line for 20 minutes to do it themselves.

Now I happily hand our luggage over with a $10 bill and proceed directly to the gate to check-in......of course our income has quadrupled and the lines at O'Hare are usually approaching an hour....

I LOVE THOSE SKY CAPS!!!!

[NoodlesTheRabbit]

I posted this same question a long time ago, and was told rather bluntly that I could not use them for charter flights. We are going through a travel agency who charters a USAir 737 to fly directly to and from our small home airport. Just a thought if anyone else does this...

[pnelson]

If you check your bags with the skycap, do you also have to stand in line to check in when you get to the gate? I'm always a little confused by this. If you do use a skycap, can't you then go directly to the gate, wait until your row number is called and then proceed directly onto the plane without waiting in any other lines?

[cindala]

Ut oh!!!

My DH usually tips the Skycap $20 for 5 checked bags. No wonder they are always so helpful and our bags come out early!:D I guess this is on the generous side, but DH would rather the bags go to the right destination!



:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[GAIL HAYDEN]

pnelson,
Depends on if the sky cap can give you a boarding pass. If not, then yes, you need to get one at the gate. If he does issue a boarding pass (most can with an eticket) then you just go to the gate and wait for your rows to be called.
This of course does not apply to SWA, where regardless of where you check your luggage, you wait in line for a boarding number.
As to charters, I don't know.
I do know you can not do this on flights to Jamaica, you get to haul the luggage and wait in line.

[Beverly Lynn]

as for the charter that depends. some companies like apple tours do their own. they do not pay out to the skycaps. no contract...but those usually use southwest here fom pit so no the skycaps can't do that. apple tours has their own people to load the bags and such. now if its a pkg charter like royal travel and you are flying from pit then yes you may use the sky cap cause they just put the bags with usair chute. I hope this can be understood...I am trying to figure out how to explain it! LOL

[fostrmom2mny]

Expert help is here. PLEASE help!

I've only flown twice before. Each time I have waited forever in line to check my bags. I always wondered who the lucky people are that has someone waiting for them outside in the driveway (I take it that these helpful people are the sky people?)

The trip that I have coming up I already have my tickets. The seat assignment will be made sometime this month and they are hard copis. (What our TA called them) So will we bypass the check in line and go directly to the gate are and check in? Is that how this works? Or since we will already have seat assignments, do we just wait to be called on the plane?

Thank you for any help.
Gerri

[Chuck S]

It depends on the airline. If you have seat assignments and use the skycaps to check luggage you should (again, depending on the airline) get your boarding pass from the skycap and can proceed directly to the gate and wait for your row. If the skycap does not issue you a boarding pass, after your luggage is checked proceed to the gate and check-in there for your boarding pass.