Today was an ordinary day:
Parked my car with valet at bank (no other option). Tipped.
Parked my car with valet at dept store (no other option). Tipped.
Bought groceries at local supermarket. Boxboy helped me (I have bad shoulder so appreciated loading into my car). Tipped.
I tip for various and sundry things on a daily basis. I am happy to tip a skycap for helping lift large bags and make my departure easier.

Well, I tip for lots of things, too.

I always tip my hotel maid (sorry if I get that one started here). I just think it's appropriate, and part of it is the outrage that doormen pull down these huge incomes while housekeeping subsists on a bare minimum. But mostly, it's that my room being kept tidy during my stay is a personal service for me and me alone.

I also almost always tip valet parkers, even if there's no other option. Although, I had a recent exception to this. My health club periodically has special events and valets take over the lot. I don't tip then, figuring that they are included in the annual holiday fund tip. I also didn't tip when I lived in buildings in Chicago that required valet parking. Again, they were covered by an annual tip (and they beat the hell out of the cars on a regular basis--tip or no tip).

I assume a 20% tip on table service as the default value (but it may go up or down).

I don't tip the random little tip jars that have taken over service counters these past few years.

In general, if I receive a personal service for which tipping is customary, I'll tip and do so generously. But I also avoid unnecessary and unwanted tippable services like skycaps when I can.

I guess I'm confused here...

Are we talking about skycaps, the people with the carts that take your baggage and either take it to the outside counter or take it inside to the checkin line?

Because if so, I don't use Skycaps unless I have to go inside.

I DO use the curbside checkin. There is no fee for using curbside checkin. I tip $1 per bag, I have no idea what my wife tips, but lets say $2-4 for her. When we have a heavy bag, they usually look the other way when she tips.

It becomes an interesting situation with tipping. I tip valet's $1, unless I have to pay to valet park, in which case I tip $0-1 depending on the weather and speed of service.

I tip restaurant staff 12-15%. I do NOT tip maids, etc.

As far as I see it, if the staff member is paid on a tip based wage, then I will tip, otherwise I will not. Housekeeping staff are not paid on a tip based wage, nor, as far as I am aware, are paid valets.

The context here relates only to travel on Southwest Airlines. Perhaps it works differently if traveling on other airlines. Also, I am not a frequent traveler, so I don't know most rules/customs.


One Sunday evening, I was flying Southwest (as we always do) and we decided to use curbside check-in as there was no lines anywhere--inside or outside. As I hoisted by bags onto the scale, I noticed a few bills underneath a paperweight atop the agent's counter--a tacit encouragement for me to tip without him asking for one.

As I pulled out my wallet to drop a buck, my wife shot me a look as if to say, "you're not seriously going to tip him, are you?" I put my wallet back and reflected on this for a moment as he printed the tags and the boarding passes--exactly what would have happened if we went inside.

(Sidebar: I've since learned curbside check-in agent is *not* necessarily the same thing as a SkyCap, though the words seem to be used interchangeably.)

The outside check-in experience was exactly the same as the inside experience: hoist your bags onto the scale, show your ID, and get your boarding pass.

I think if someone was running up to my car, grabbed my bags, whisked them to the counter and checked me in, that's definitely tipping territory. But it was self-service the entire time up to him strapping a bag tag on the luggage and printing my tickets--something I would expect an airline to do for a customer. That's part of their process.

So my question is: why would I tip in this situation, given I received no service other than a boarding pass and luggage tags, both of which are just part of the normal process of air travel?

Confusing me even more: on a separate occasion (again, Southwest Airlines), I've been in a situation where there was a really long line in the airport, but hardly anyone was utilizing the curbside check-in for whatever reason. The desk agents announced that if you wanted to, you could migrate outdoors to curbside for faster check-in. Again, no additional service there--just a different line to stand in. Admittedly, a shorter line--but only because nobody chose to stand in it for whatever reason. I didn't tip that time either.

Something I've been wondering but never asked: Are Southwest's curbside check-in agents employees of Southwest Airlines, or are they just contractors like others have mentioned?

Does anybody really tip curbside check-in agents for doing the same job as the agents inside?