April 9, 2007

There was a time, in the not too distant past, when skycaps worked for the airlines.

They wore the airline uniforms.

They had health and pension plans.

They worked 20 plus years.

They retired.

Today, in the often-draconian world of airline economics, that’s no longer the case. Sometimes you’ll find the skycaps wearing their airline uniforms, but that’s misleading.

They don’t work for the airlines anymore. They have no health and pension plans from the airlines. In fact, they’ve been outsourced to independent contracting companies.

In most cases, they are paid minimum wages, and passenger tips are what helps pay their bills.

But lately, things have gotten very tough for the skycaps. A number of airlines have now instituted a $2 per bag charge for checking bags curbside with the skycaps.

But here’s what most passengers don’t know: that money does not go to the skycaps. It goes directly as a revenue source to the airlines.

And more often than not, passengers who think they’ve tipped their skycap $4 to check two bags, actually haven’t tipped them anything.

And how much money are we talking about? System-wide per airline, it’s millions in additional revenue per month (I’ve seen the figures).

As a result, the skycaps have taken a big hit in income, with very little recourse.

In one case, some United Airlines skycaps are now suing the airline, claiming lost wages. That litigation is pending.

In the meantime, I hope you’ll do the math and realize that in most cases, you’re not tipping the skycaps; so please remember that the next time you’re checking bags at the curb.

For more of Peter’s blogs, check out the “Travel Detective Files”.