Wheelchair logistics and attendant tipping etiquette
 

My SO has injured herself while in Thailand and will need a wheelchair at Suvarnabhumi airport and at arrival in London.

I have requested TG to insert a wheelchair in her reservation; they have obliged. Never having been in this situation, I wanted to inquire about the logistics of getting a wheelchair at the airport. Who should I contact and where? If it matters, we are flying in J.

Also what is an appropriate tip for the wheelchair attendant in BKK and at LHR? I am grateful for their service and don't want to deviate from the accepted norms.

Thanks in advance.

The appropriate tip is to say thank you for your help. I don't know why you would consider handing over money to someone who is doing their job in the same way as the check in person and the flight attendant. ;)

At check-in in they will notice the request and get the wheelchair brought to take your SO to the plane. If they should not notice, just ask..

wheelchair from checkin (for TG J door 1) through security, immigration to Lounge and from Lounge to gate and into the plane
no tipping necessary

At BKK: I agree that no tipping is required. A nod and "thank you very much" (try say it in Thai) will suffice, but I'm sure that the weelchair guy will not decline a folded 50 Bath note and discretely given to him - but it is certainly not expected (this is not the US)

Thanks folks; much helpful

Being on wheelchair flying TG at BKK can be an experience if you're on a bus gate. The personal boarding elevator.:)

have seen that. isn't the Elevator at the same time bus for the wheelchairs? for me looked like that

Definitely no need to tip in BKK.. the attendand probably wouldn't give you an opportunitiy to tip, and if you try it might be a bit awkward for him/her. Also no need to tip at LHR.

As other have said no need to tip, but I don't think anyone would turn down a token show of appreciation for providing a personal service.

Tipping too much in Thailand can cause a loss of face for the recipient. You might come off as showy and flashy, and could appear to be demeaning their job and daily wage.


SL

Been there, done that :)

Last February I used BKK/TG assistance in Y and BKK/QR in F.

At check-in they will call the assistant with the chair, that will bring you through immigration and security check and then to the lounge. When boarding tome comes, the assistant will retrieve you from the lounge and bring you to the aircraft.

The process is smooth with no troubles. Just a bit awkward/frustrating if it's your first time on a wheelchair :p

Thanks folks, you guys are a repository of knowledge!

The process was exactly as described by you guys. I did, however, slip the wheel chair attendant THB100 when my SO was getting off the chair at the entrance to the aircraft, which he accepted gratefully and with a smile; no awkwardness at all.

While walking to the aircraft, I let him know how much we appreciated his service and his patience.

Glad to hear it worked out well. I have seen quite a few wheelchair pax being bussed to/from the plane lately (via their own minibus, while everyone else takes the big buses), given the runway repairs in BKK, and the tendency of TG to not always use gates. They had to get up/down the stairs by themselves.

As a point of reference, the 100 baht tip you gave the attendant was probably around a third of his daily wage. So I am very sure he appreciated it. Wages are low in Thailand, and unlike elsewhere that is not because they are expected to receive tips.

are you sure? did you observe that? There is a special car with Elevator from where wheelchairs incl. patient can be loaded from ground into the plane (as described above)

I'm not sure that a ground staff attendant would get as low as 300 THB per day. More in the region of 500 to 700 THB/day I would assume (but admittedly, no first hand experience). Anyway, it was a generous tip - but very well handled by the OP. I'm sure it was highly appreaciated.