Airport tipping?

[bartleby1]

Hi all! This will be our first trip flying and since I haven't flown in many, many years, I'm just wondering who I need to tip and approximately how much do I tip?

We are a family of 5, (kids are 1, 4, and 6). Father-in-law is taking us to Newark airport so no official tips there. I think we can check bags curbside? Do I tip here? How much?

I've read about gate checking the stroller. Do I tip for that?

Once we arrive in Orlando, we will be using magical express. I believe they transfer our luggage for us to the resort? Any tips involved with magical express? The driver maybe?

How about upon arriving at our hotel? Do our bags get delivered to our room? If so, how much tip for this? Or, do we pick our bags up somewhere at the resort?

Anything else I left out, lol! Usually we drive and never even use valet parking! So, the only tipping we usually have is for mousekeeping. This flying thing has me a little nervous.

Thanks for any help! Any other flying tips you guys have are welcome as well! I'm not too worried about occupying the kids. They've made the drive quite a few times and are fine with sitting still (well, except for my 18 month old, but we'll manage). It's more the getting through the airport and on the right plane that is worrying me, lol!

 

[scotty1969]

I always tip $1.0 per bag everytime they are handled (airport, hotel). If you can do the curbside check-in, then do it. It takes a lot of stress out of the whole airport thing. You'll get your boarding passes there, then it's on through security with the passes and photo id.

 

[Kahana-ri]

I tip a couple of bucks for skycapping. $2 per bag.
During Christmas on our way home, we tipped the Skycapper for Southwest $20. The lines was hours long. We had our son about 18-months old, four bags, stroller, car seat and carry-ons. The skycap guy was so cool. He took our luggage and followed us to check-in. He then took our ID's and when to the front of the line and got our boarding passes for us. We never moved from the spot. He saved us so much time and frustration. It was well worth the $20. Not to mention he was a really cool guy and it was Christmas time. Little did we know that we would have to wait still in the security line for another 1.5 hours. Traveling during the holidays always fun.

 

[swilshire]

Any other flying tips you guys have are welcome as well!

My best flying tip is BRING FOOD! I flew cross country to California a couple of months ago without so much as a pretzel offered. I had experienced that many times on short flights, but not on a long one. Luckily, I always bring snacks.

We are flying to Hawaii with the kids in a couple of weeks and plan to take our carryon size cooler full of food and drinks. Nothing worse than a hungry/cranky family member, and the big ones are crankier than the kids.

Sheila

 

[pearlieq]

The major carriers (American, United, etc.) were charging $2 per bag for curbside check-in the last time we were at O'Hare. I would call and check about your carrier/airport. This does NOT go to the worker who actually does the work. You would still need to tip this person who actually takes your bags another $1-2, so you're looking at a total of $3-4 per bag.

If you don't do curbside, you may still want to use a skycap to help haul your bags around. You would also tip $1-2 per bag there.

You do not need to tip for the gate check on your stroller.

You may want to tip your ME driver $1 or so per person, but that's really up to you. If the driver is friendly and offers you help or information, go for it. If he/she just ushers you on the bus and deposits you at your resort, you may choose to skip the tip.

Once you get to WDW, you'll want to tip the person who delivers your luggage to your room another $1-2 per bag.

The moral of the story: pack light!

Hope you have a great time!

 

[Makdyn]

We tipped a dollor a bag for everything, curb sided, bags deliever to the room after we arrived, ME driver when going back to the airport. and $10 to the guy who got our bags after we arrived at the airport to go home. He help me get our boarding passes and put the bags where they needed to go.

On the way to disney we had five checked bags, and on the way home we had seven checked bags. We like to shop.

 

[bartleby1]

Thanks for the suggestions and info! I don't want to stiff anyone on their tip so I want to be prepared ahead of time. Wow, bags can be expensive when flying, lol! By the time all the tipping is done, it might be cheaper to mail them!

My parents are driving down and meeting us there. I'm going to try to send the extra stuff with them and check as few bags as possible. The less to deal with, the better (just getting the three kids through the airport is enough!)

 

[PrincessMommyof2]

Okay, I've been hanging around for a few months now and have seen so many threads on tipping. Call me old fashioned, but does anyone else think that tipping has gotten a tad bit out of hand (kinda like the granduation from every class presents)? Tip the cab driver, tip the skycab, tip the ME driver, tip the cleaning staff every day...Maybe it's just me, but I usually only tip if the service is exceptional for those.

 

[Littlemotherhaywood]

We're not frequent travelers and on our route home at MCO one of the guys got us one of those bag carriers and pushed our bags to where we were to check-in for our flight. Now we never asked for any help. He just grabbed our bags while we were getting off the ME bus. Me not being so worldly I really had no idea what was going on. I usually have one bag and that's it. He grabbed the two big bags that we weren't holding. In the elevator he informed us not so nicely that he worked for tips. Well, unfortunately for him and his assumptions, all we had short of a fifty was a five and he was very angry when we gave that to him. Personally, I thought his attitude was arrogant and though his help was certainly appreciated, we didn't ask for it. We had three adults and two children, one of whom could carry her own bag.

 

[cosine4]

"but I usually only tip if the service is exceptional"

I couldn't agree more.

 

[Chicago526]

Okay, I've been hanging around for a few months now and have seen so many threads on tipping. Call me old fashioned, but does anyone else think that tipping has gotten a tad bit out of hand (kinda like the granduation from every class presents)? Tip the cab driver, tip the skycab, tip the ME driver, tip the cleaning staff every day...Maybe it's just me, but I usually only tip if the service is exceptional for those.

Has tipping gotten out of hand? Maybe. But valets, bell hops, and sky caps have always been tiped positions, their employer pays them minimum wage knowing that the customers will make up the differance in tips. You don't have to tip them huge amounts, but a dollar or two really is appreciated. Of course don't tip if the service is bad, but if the bell hop just lugged 5 overstuffed bags to your room in a timely and friendly manner, throwing a few dollars his way is the right thing to do.

 

[briannesmom]

I've read about gate checking the stroller. Do I tip for that?

Finally something you do not have to tip for When you gate check your stroller all they do is hang a tag from it. Most airlines do this when you are checking your bags. You walk it to the door of the plane, fold it down, and leave it there. When you get to your destination it will be waiting for you when you exit the plane. This is great with little ones!

Amy

 

[keishashadow]

A $1/bag is rather skimpy IMO. Especially for the oversize bags, think $2 is more appropriate.

Would you want to lug someone else's bags for a buck?

If you really don't want to tip, try rolling those bags along yourself; you might feel differently.
Why is it that 18 to 20% is expected @ restaurants, even for lackluster service but, people still balk @ a few bucks for valet/luggage?

 

[PrincessMommyof2]

A $1/bag is rather skimpy IMO. Especially for the oversize bags, think $2 is more appropriate.

Would you want to lug someone else's bags for a buck?

If you really don't want to tip, try rolling those bags along yourself; you might feel differently.
Why is it that 18 to 20% is expected @ restaurants, even for lackluster service but, people still balk @ a few bucks for valet/luggage?

Well, I lug my own bags and save myself money.

And 18-20% may be expected, but there is no way I would ever pay that for poor service! A tip is just that, a tip for good service. I understand that some people make a living on these jobs, but tips come from good service, not good expectations.

 

[safetymom]

I consider $1-2 cheap insurance that my bag makes it to the plane. It saves me from lugging it around.

 

[rparmfamily]

If I were to tip it would be $2.00 a bag as they are lugging your big ole bags for you. For a buck a bag I would think and have heard that your bags become the victim of the Ace Ventura type abuse because that's their pay back for you being cheap.

Rex

 

[mom2alix]

You may want to tip your ME driver $1 or so per person, but that's really up to you. If the driver is friendly and offers you help or information, go for it. If he/she just ushers you on the bus and deposits you at your resort, you may choose to skip the tip.

Once you get to WDW, you'll want to tip the person who delivers your luggage to your room another $1-2 per bag.

The moral of the story: pack light!

Hope you have a great time!

FWIW - we did tip our ME drivers as they were helpful and entertaining. We had extra stuff to go under the bus (car seat and stroller, etc. and they helped with that)

As far as tipping when they bring bags to your room, that is included with ME and, at least in our case we weren't even there when the bags arrived, so no tip there.
You will need to tip if you use bell services at check out as this is not included with ME (per the notice we received about our return bus).

We tipped for curbside check in (no extra fees at our airport). I didn't see curbside checkin in MCO and our skycap was lucky he got a tip as his service was fairly rude, but DH is a nice guy. We would have gotten just as much help renting a cart and doing it ourselves since he dumped us just outside the elevator and we still had to lug bags through 2 lines.
HTH!!

 

[Free4Life11]

Okay, I've been hanging around for a few months now and have seen so many threads on tipping. Call me old fashioned, but does anyone else think that tipping has gotten a tad bit out of hand (kinda like the granduation from every class presents)? Tip the cab driver, tip the skycab, tip the ME driver, tip the cleaning staff every day...Maybe it's just me, but I usually only tip if the service is exceptional for those.

I totally agree. I was on vacation this past week and got tired of tipping. Hell, I only make $6 an hour and nobody is tipping me! Plus I never have any idea how much to tip. I eventually ran out of money and had nothing to give to the maids or the shuttle driver. At first I felt bad but then I figured oh well. I don't make a lot of money and I assume they get paid and hourly wage.

OP, I would give them a dollar.