Airport Tipping Question (Curbside check in/SkyCap)

[safetymom]

The airports I have flown in/out the airlines all have their own check in desks. I haven't flown into BWI. Thanks for the info.

 

[DMRick]

You couldn't pay me to fly SW!
*
LOL..some hate em, some love em. We love em. The frequent $49 rate lets us fly often to Florida..and we quickly earn free tickets to go anywhere. We earned 3 (a total of 6) trips in the past year. The boarding (not knowine what seat you'll get) is annoying for some, but the plane's are clean, the stewards/esses are friendly and funny, and they have always been on time. They don't charge for changes to your ticket, and they are the only airline that flies direct to Orlando out of Albany airport. On the other hand, Aer Lingus, Delta, and Continental have been just OK, with Continental so bad, I doubt we'll ever use our credit with them. AA had also been good.

 

[BethR]

Nice to hear such good things about SW. The are going to start flying out of Pittsburgh in April. We are looking forward to trying them.

 

[luckey-lasvegas]

While I consider myself a great tipper I think I might have to carry my own bags in Vegas! LOL! There is NO WAY I'd ever pay $5 for each of my bags unless he was carrying them to my hotel room on his back. On our last trip to Utah we had 15 bags. That would have been $75 for the guy to move them 4 foot to the belt. I do tip a minimum of $5 but that is only when I have one bag. Why does it matter where the skycaps are located at in reference to the tip?

I said $2.00 - $5.00. If you had 15 bags then $30.00 - $40.00 would be a reasonable tip if you only have a couple of bags and they are freindly and provide you good service then you might want to give them $10. Vegas is a tipping town and has always been such. Yes they do make good money some feel more money than they deserve, IMHO Cobi Bryant makes to much money to put a ball through a hoop. To each his own but I can asure you if you are a frequent flyer you will be remembered.

 

[luckey-lasvegas]

Please consider also that in some states tipped income people a paid below the national minimum wage. Food servers in Colorado and I beleive Florida are paid less than $3.00 a hour. Many Europeans don't understand the tipping concept since a service charge is always added to their bill. I assure you that for every 1 person they get that tips $5.00 a bag they get 3 more that don't tip at all.
Luckey

 

[donsnext1]

When using skycap services at the airport.
If the Skycap tells you there will be a $2 per bag charge, don't tip him.
That is his tip.
I recently made that mistake at Philadelphia.

I normally give them $3 per bag and have never heard of a $2 charge before this
time. He got a total of $10 for 2 bags. Shame on me.
Live and learn

 

[Green Tea]

http://www.maweddingguide.com/planning/honeymoon/tipping.htm
I used the info on this site - which says to tip $2 for FOUR bags and .50 for additional.

Holy cow. I tip at least $5 a bag. Maybe with an additional $5 on top.

Don't some airlines charge to check curbside? Delta maybe??

 

[crisi]

Holy cow. I tip at least $5 a bag. Maybe with an additional $5 on top.

Don't some airlines charge to check curbside? Delta maybe??

Really old thread here. But Delta definitely does not charge anything ADDITIONAL for curb side check in.

 

[gretchenohar@hotmail]

Since this is an old thread, what is the going rate now?
TIA

 

[kaytieeldr]

When using skycap services at the airport.
If the Skycap tells you there will be a $2 per bag charge, don't tip him.
That is his tip.
I recently made that mistake at Philadelphia.

I normally give them $3 per bag and have never heard of a $2 charge before this
time. He got a total of $10 for 2 bags. Shame on me.
Live and learn

Not necessarily accurate. Any fee charged for curbside check-in is generally charged by, and goes to, the airline. JetBlue's curbside check-in has a sign posted indicating this.

 

[crisi]

Since this is an old thread, what is the going rate now?
TIA

Its a tip. At least $1 a bag and more likely $2. Personally, I think a lot of people on this thread overtip, but since I'm sure these guys get stiffed all the time, its nice someone does. The last skycab we had got a $50 tip - he discovered a problem with our tickets, brought over a ticket agent, and we ended up on a whole different flight than the one we thought we'd take - and a better flight.

 

[Lewisc]

Holy cow. I tip at least $5 a bag. Maybe with an additional $5 on top.

Don't some airlines charge to check curbside? Delta maybe??

I have no idea why an old thread was resurrected. The linked article suggests a tip of $2 per bag

 

[hsmamato2]

I have a question.... I have also never used the curbside checkin... do I understand correctly... If I stop, hand them my bags, what I'm essentially doing is avoiding the inside line altogether? SO If I fly SWA (usually) I can hand them my bags, they will print out a BP,and we're done and off to the security line??? Does this apply even leaving MCO? And I don't have to stand in that checkin line? (we always check a bag each) My DH always said, oh,let's just stand in the line....but.....

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

.....

I did curb side with United/Ted at Orlando on the way home last time. We walked inside, took one look at the line (wraped up and down the terminal!) and walked right back out to the sky cap. He had us check-ind with passes and claim checks in about 30 seconds. I think we tiped $1 per bag, plus another $2, I think it came out to $5 total for three bags (one was really heavy though!).

......

That must have been a long time ago - Ted folded at the end of 2008.

Your tipping amount is just right. $5.00 per bag (noted by another poster), is excessive. And was even 9 years ago, when this thread was started!

 

[Ranger111]

I have a question.... I have also never used the curbside checkin... do I understand correctly... If I stop, hand them my bags, what I'm essentially doing is avoiding the inside line altogether? SO If I fly SWA (usually) I can hand them my bags, they will print out a BP,and we're done and off to the security line??? Does this apply even leaving MCO? And I don't have to stand in that checkin line? (we always check a bag each) My DH always said, oh,let's just stand in the line....but.....

Read this....she does a good job of explaining it and noting airline policy.

http://maphappy.org/2013/04/rediscovering-the-joys-of-curbside-check-in/

Personally, I have never checked a bag since the mid-90's....

 

[disneymom3]

Holy cow. I tip at least $5 a bag. Maybe with an additional $5 on top.

Don't some airlines charge to check curbside? Delta maybe??

Flew Delta last week, no fee. The guy in front of me tipped $1, si I tipped $2. However, that was in Mpls. At LAX, I tipped $5 because the standard is higher there. I also learned awhile back that you are supposed to tip the people who push you in a wheelchair. Since they get me through security faster than fast, they deserve one!

 

[jwwi]

I tip 1-2/bag. However last trip traveling on SWA I checked two bags, one made it the other got lost. Finally got it at POP 7 hours after landing. I did not put it through ME, but they found it and sent it to POP priority. Whew