Agree 100% that the AA2000 VIP service is hardly VIP level and I would not pay more than a decent tip for it. It is certainly not worth what they wish to charge for it. Having said this, as a freebie and when I travel with the entire family, it does indeed make a notable difference and in my experience, the entire Customs encounter is also much lighter when you have an AA porter with you. This last point is not relevant for Foreigners but to us locals it is quite important when we return home with tons of shopping for the kids, etc.