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Tip for handicapped transport in airport?

sfwilshire

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I'm having trouble with an ankle and realized last week (when I could barely walk after going through a couple of airports) that I should just give up and ask for a wheelchair until I can schedule surgery. Can someone tell me the usual gratuity for the person pushing the wheelchair or driving the cart? I know it probably varies depending on size of airport and distance traveled, but I'm sure there is an acceptable range.

Thank you.

Sheila
 

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I think $5.00 is good, unless they really go out of their way and do more for you.
 

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My DW uses wheelchair service (you can't beat the convenience) and just carries a stash of $5 bills. It's always gratefully accepted. Those 'pushers' are already paid by the airlines (or maybe it's the airport) so they do pretty well, I suspect. It's worth it to us. They get the boarding passes, have a special line to check bags, another shorter line through security, then we (me too) get early boarding. If there's a connecting flight, there's usually a golf cart waiting to whisk us to the next gate if it isn't close. Then at destination they take us to baggage and on to pick up a rental car. So you can go through a stack of 5's, so have enough.

Jim
 

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I am not sure of wheel chair assistance at other airport. The last two times I request wheel chair for my husband at SFO ( international flight). The service is extremely slow and very bad . We arrived at check in counter ~3hrs before our departure flight and we kept waiting and waiting. Just because we have plenty of time before departure, wheel chair company made us wait until near the time of our flight before someone showed up to get us thru security. We end up does not have enough time to use the Cathay lounge . I even asked to borrow a wheel chair to wheel my husband myself, but they refuse to let us use their wheel chair.
It seems that if someone else get to the airport close to their departure time, priority will be given to those passengers ahead of us. very disappointed with wheel chair assistance in SFO airport
 

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I am not sure of wheel chair assistance at other airport. The last two times I request wheel chair for my husband at SFO ( international flight). The service is extremely slow and very bad . We arrived at check in counter ~3hrs before our departure flight and we kept waiting and waiting. Just because we have plenty of time before departure, wheel chair company made us wait until near the time of our flight before someone showed up to get us thru security. We end up does not have enough time to use the Cathay lounge . I even asked to borrow a wheel chair to wheel my husband myself, but they refuse to let us use their wheel chair.
It seems that if someone else get to the airport close to their departure time, priority will be given to those passengers ahead of us. very disappointed with wheel chair assistance in SFO airport
I'm sorry you had a bad experience. It's my understanding that it's not the airport that supplies the service, it's the airline.
 

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Normally, we've found the service good. From time to time, we've experienced delays. We've found that if there is a significant delay, if my husband insists he can, and will, push me, they either give in and let him or someone magically appears to do it. The curb-side check in people can direct you to the wheelchair parking area, and at that point, you can just wheel one out. If they stop you, negotiate who will be pushing: husband or attendant.
 

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@Luanne,

At Cathay checked in counter, I was told ( Cathay personnel) that the wheel chair assistance personnel at SFO airport are not part of Cathay airline employee. Is was contracted by another company and Cathay can not do anything beside making a formal request. I do not know how the name of company, but the service and attitude of the wheel chair assistance personnel at SFO is terrible.

I think there is not enough wheel chair personnel for all passengers who need help at SFO . Passenger just sit there waiting and waiting without knowing when will be their turn. Not sure if the handicap assistance service shortage only occurs for departure international flight .

For two times traveling with Cathay ( International flight at mid night), we have waited 1.5 hrs - 2 hrs for wheel chair assistance. There is at least 10 wheel chair available at the time I ask to borrow one to wheel my husband myself. I learned that the Cathay Lounge is very closed to the security clearance area, so the next trip if we flight with Cathay pacific again, my husband will try to walk (with the support of the can) to the Cathay lounge, then we will request a wheel chair assistance from there to the departure gate.

By the way, whoever using the wheel chair assistance at SFO, please make sure you have all your belonging after X-ray and security clearance. I feel that you can not depend on the wheel chair assistance personnel to help with all your your things (backpack, laptop, passport ect)

One time, at SFO airport, I was not in the same security clearance line with my husband . We were separated due to the security officer do not let me go together with my husband . I was cut off and stand in the next line . His wheel chair attendance personnel forgot to pick up laptop bag after that. By the time I got together with my husband again and on our way to departure gate. I realized his laptop is not with him . I ran back security X-ray area and find it leave on the chair , unattended. We are lucky not to loose the laptop that time.
 

sfwilshire

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I am not sure of wheel chair assistance at other airport. The last two times I request wheel chair for my husband at SFO ( international flight). The service is extremely slow and very bad . We arrived at check in counter ~3hrs before our departure flight and we kept waiting and waiting. Just because we have plenty of time before departure, wheel chair company made us wait until near the time of our flight before someone showed up to get us thru security. We end up does not have enough time to use the Cathay lounge . I even asked to borrow a wheel chair to wheel my husband myself, but they refuse to let us use their wheel chair.
It seems that if someone else get to the airport close to their departure time, priority will be given to those passengers ahead of us. very disappointed with wheel chair assistance in SFO airport

That's one reason I've hesitated. I change terminals in Charlotte a lot (twice last week) and I've seem and heard people complaining about how poor the transport service is there. I knew I could limp from C to E (and vice versa) quicker, but it resulted in a lot of pain later.

Thanks all for the helpful information.

Sheila
 

Passepartout

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I'm sorry for the delay in the service as reported by the one passenger as to getting to the airline's lounge, but there was no difficulty in making the flight on time. That's what they are contracted to do. By contrast, flying Southwest via a truly convoluted routing to make a cruise departing the next day and weather delays/cancellations, arriving in Milwaukee at 2:00 a.m. we had to claim our whole cartload of luggage to re-check at 5:00 a.m. A 'pusher' supervisor had stayed past her shift to meet our flight, and another met us promptly at 5:00 to have us at SW's counter when it opened. We made our cruise, and that would not have been possible without the sacrifice and time of these people. $5 tip seems like a bargain to me.

Jim
 

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I'm sorry for the delay in the service as reported by the one passenger as to getting to the airline's lounge, but there was no difficulty in making the flight on time. That's what they are contracted to do. By contrast, flying Southwest via a truly convoluted routing to make a cruise departing the next day and weather delays/cancellations, arriving in Milwaukee at 2:00 a.m. we had to claim our whole cartload of luggage to re-check at 5:00 a.m. A 'pusher' supervisor had stayed past her shift to meet our flight, and another met us promptly at 5:00 to have us at SW's counter when it opened. We made our cruise, and that would not have been possible without the sacrifice and time of these people. $5 tip seems like a bargain to me.

Jim
As I said in my first post, $5.00, unless they go out of their way. In this case I would have tipped more.
 

Passepartout

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As I said in my first post, $5.00, unless they go out of their way. In this case I would have tipped more.
I think actually, in this instance it was significantly more- at least for the very nice woman who stayed late to help us. We use $5 (that was the underlying premise of the thread) as a baseline. Sometimes it's just a couple of bucks if we're just going to an adjoining gate, or more if it's a long, fast run, or rest room stop, or an extra stop at a car rental counter, then out to find the rental car.

It isn't easy being disabled, but there are concessions that make travel possible, if we take advantage of them (and don't mind paying the helpers).
 

Luanne

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I think actually, in this instance it was significantly more- at least for the very nice woman who stayed late to help us. We use $5 (that was the underlying premise of the thread) as a baseline. Sometimes it's just a couple of bucks if we're just going to an adjoining gate, or more if it's a long, fast run, or rest room stop, or an extra stop at a car rental counter, then out to find the rental car.

It isn't easy being disabled, but there are concessions that make travel possible, if we take advantage of them (and don't mind paying the helpers).
I googled looking to see what the recommended amount was and I was seeing people post they tip $10 to $20. That sounded high, but maybe for the service they got it was reasonable.
 

am1

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Maybe this should be a paid service so questions do not come up. Once minimum wage rises to $15 an hour I can see the service getting worse.
 

Luanne

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Maybe this should be a paid service so questions do not come up. Once minimum wage rises to $15 an hour I can see the service getting worse.
They are already paid, just like many other services where tipping is normal.

Your second sentence makes no sense.
 

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Maybe this should be a paid service so questions do not come up. Once minimum wage rises to $15 an hour I can see the service getting worse.

It is a paid service. The people pushing wheel chairs make minimum wage but so do the people cleaning the aircraft cabins as well as some of those working at the check-in counters. I am not sure that you should really need to tip any of these people but it would be unlikely that any one of them would refuse your offer.

In terms of wheelchair service, the person actually pushing the chair has very little to probably nothing to do with overall availability of chairs, does not allocate resources in any way, does not determine staffing levels, nor does he really control how long you must wait for assistance. Your obvious contempt for those working at entrance level jobs demonstrates a lack of compassion and a incomplete understanding of how large organizations operate and how they often achieve their never ending need for bigger profits.
 

Talent312

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Once minimum wage rises to $15 an hour, I can see the service getting worse.

Casting aspersions at those who perform menial labor at minimum wage merely parrots sound bites from peep who have no understanding of or appreciation for the work ethic at all. Rather than engage in fallacious ad hominem reasoning, consider that over 100 years ago, Henry Ford paid his factory workers the equivalent of $14.50/hour. Ford said, he couldn’t afford not to: “The owner, the employees, and the buying public are all one and the same, and unless an industry can so manage itself as to keep wages high and prices low it, destroys itself..."

.
 
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I am not sure of wheel chair assistance at other airport. The last two times I request wheel chair for my husband at SFO ( international flight). The service is extremely slow and very bad . We arrived at check in counter ~3hrs before our departure flight and we kept waiting and waiting. Just because we have plenty of time before departure, wheel chair company made us wait until near the time of our flight before someone showed up to get us thru security. We end up does not have enough time to use the Cathay lounge . I even asked to borrow a wheel chair to wheel my husband myself, but they refuse to let us use their wheel chair.
It seems that if someone else get to the airport close to their departure time, priority will be given to those passengers ahead of us. very disappointed with wheel chair assistance in SFO airport
Part of the problem is that so many "handicapped" folks, many of whom can walk with no problem, are tying up the airport wheelchairs. We have been traveling for years with our own wheelchair (my wife is completely immobile), and have noticed a huge increase in airport wheelchair riders. On a flight out of Houston to Denver two months ago, there had to have been 20 people in airport wheelchairs. My wife was the only person in that long "handicapped" line who traveled with a wheelchair. I have always wondered how these poor folks get around when they get to their destinations.... But this huge increase in handicapped travelers may be causing the long wait times in some airports.
 

dagger1

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Per the OP, I think a tip of $5 is sufficient. But I definitely think a tip of some kind should be given. I can't imagine thinking that I have the "right" to be be pushed through an airport, because I have mobility issues. But I have to admit that I have been pushing my wife for fifteen years and she has never tipped me once!!!
 

Luanne

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Part of the problem is that so many "handicapped" folks, many of whom can walk with no problem, are tying up the airport wheelchairs. We have been traveling for years with our own wheelchair (my wife is completely immobile), and have noticed a huge increase in airport wheelchair riders. On a flight out of Houston to Denver two months ago, there had to have been 20 people in airport wheelchairs. My wife was the only person in that long "handicapped" line who traveled with a wheelchair. I have always wondered how these poor folks get around when they get to their destinations.... But this huge increase in handicapped travelers may be causing the long wait times in some airports.
Sometimes the folks using wheelchair assist can walk perfectly well, but it's standing for long periods of time that they cannot do. We used wheelchair assist for my mother many times for this reason.
 

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Sometimes the folks using wheelchair assist can walk perfectly well, but it's standing for long periods of time that they cannot do. We used wheelchair assist for my mother many times for this reason.
Yes, finding seats near departure gates is getting hard too. Lots of travelers now...
 

am1

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Service getting worse in the sense that there will be less people working in these jobs not that the people who are working these jobs will not work as hard.
 

Luanne

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Service getting worse in the sense that there will be less people working in these jobs not that the people who are working these jobs will not work as hard.
Sorry, that still doesn't make sense. Are you saying that if they pay these workers more less people will want the jobs? Or they will hire less people?
 

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... there will be less people working in these jobs...

They're not going to hire less people. The airport-authority will shell out some more $$, and raise concession fees or parking fees to cover it. IOW, it will cost you more $$ to visit the airport. IMHO, it's time to stop making these self-interested, overtly political comments.

.
 

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Sorry, that still doesn't make sense. Are you saying that if they pay these workers more less people will want the jobs? Or they will hire less people?

Will hire less people. Airports and airlines have cut back so much already but more is to come.

More people will want the jobs.
 

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My 92 yo aunt ... does NOT need or use wheelchair or a walker or anything else. But if I had her flying somewhere with me ... she would be using an airport wheel chair. Distances needing to be walked, uneven surfaces, people with wheeled bags, stress in strange environments, etc.

I would be inclined to tip $5 from the checkin desk to the gate or $10 from the curb drop off (where I have to go up 1 flight to the ticketing, then to the gate). At my main airport ... all "handicap identified" bypass the standing line to get thru security.... but you better LOOK like you are REALLY OLD or HANDICAPPED.

(And YES ... our professional football fans pelted Santa Claus with snowballs one year.)
 
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