061222_american_airlines_vmed_11a_widec.jpgTwo weeks ago my family rushed to the airport for an early Saturday morning flight.  We were running a few minutes behind but we weren’t worried.  “There can’t be long lines at the luggage check-in on a Saturday morning,” I thought.

We walked into the terminal and saw at least 50 people in the American Airlines line.  We only had 45 minutes until our flight was scheduled to leave.  There was no way we were getting through that line in time. 

Plan B

I considered my options.  I wondered if I could sneak into the much shorter preferred check-in line. 

It didn’t seem promising since a guy was posted at the entrance to the line saying, “This is for preferred check-in only.”

Plan C

Our next thought was to ask if we could go to the front of the line since we were out of time.  It seems like the airlines used to do this, but I haven’t seen it done much lately.  Plus I hate asking for special treatment. 

Plan D

So we hatched a different plan.  I waited in line while my wife went back outside to see the line for skycap.  The skycap line was short, so we took our luggage outside and got through skycap in 3 minutes. 

We rushed through security (not easy with a 2 year old), rushed to our gate (literally the furthest gate), and found out our flight was delayed 5 hours. 

Nice.

Skycap

Years ago it seemed most airlines didn’t charge for skycap, but a $1/bag tip was expected.  Now it seems the $1/bag is more along the lines of a fee than a tip.  I usually tip on top of the $1. 

American Airlines charges $2 per bag for skycap.  It’s definitely a fee, not a tip.  The sign says so. 

We checked 3 bags plus a carseat.  I gave him $10.

This must be the first time I’ve used American Airlines skycap, because I don’t remember being charged $2/bag before. 

I don’t mind the fee at all.  In fact it was the best $10 I spent at the airport that day. 

And trust me, being there for 6 hours with a 2-year old and a pregnant wife, I spent a lot of money on a lot of things that day. 

American Airlines Bans Tipping Skycaps

Today I learned that American Airlines has been involved in a lawsuit with several skycaps.  I don’t know the details, but it seems the skycaps sued American Airlines for keeping the $2/bag fee instead of letting the skycaps keep it. 

The skycaps won the lawsuit a month ago.  It looks like American Airlines may appeal.

In the meantime, American Airlines has banned the tipping of skycaps.  I flew a few days before the ban, so I didn’t get the chance to see if the guy at skycap will refuse a tip if offered.

American Airlines Skycaps were Compensated like Waiters, But No Longer

In case you’re wondering, the skycap employees for American Airlines are mostly employed by a third-party vendor called G2 Services.  Like waiters and waitresses, most G2 Services employees earn below minimum wage.  Tips are supposed to make up the difference. 

However, G2 Services has announced they are raising the skycaps’ pay to $12/hour or more.  That’s a heck of a raise for the employees, even after accounting for the lost tip income.

The skycaps view American Airlines’s ban on tips as an illegal and retaliatory act for losing the lawsuit.  It seems the skycaps are likely to seek injunctive relief to prevent American Airlines from implementing the ban.

How Much to Tip Skycaps?

So how much should you tip the guy at skycap?  If it’s American Airlines, nothing.  Not until they straighten out the legal mess and lift the ban on tips.

In general, it seems right to throw an extra buck or two depending on how many bags.  For example, I checked 4 items.  The fee was $8.  I gave him $10.  That’s a 25% tip.  That’s more than waiters and barbers get tipped.  If he’s extra helpful, I would throw in a little more. 

For those of you that hate tipping, remember it’s just a couple bucks, you can afford it, and it makes the world a nicer place.