Question of the Day - 20 February 2018

Wheelchair services at all airports in the U.S. are complimentary. The cost is picked up by the public-service provider (in this case, the airport) to ensure that everyone who comes through its doors has equal access and isn't unfairly penalized for it. Equal access is also a guarantee of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The wheelchair attendants are usually employees of contractors to the airport authority and are rarely paid much above minimum wage. Even knowing that, it still boils down to what the wheelchair attendant actually does and what kind of tipper the user of his or her services is.

Some people believe that since this service is required by law, no tip is necessary, no matter what. Others are extremely charitable by nature and tip generously. The typical range is somewhere in between. (This writer falls in the latter group, so the following numbers might seem benevolent or even lavish to some.)

We’d say it depends on time spent and distance covered. If one attendant simply wheels you off the airplane and hands you off to another at the gate, then from nothing to a buck or two is probably appropriate. Same with being wheeled onto the airplane by a gate attendant.

If the attendant wheels you from the gate to the baggage area in a small airport (such as Reno), $5 is probably plenty. But if it's a big airport and a long way to baggage claim (such as McCarran), $10 might be more appropriate. Also, if a wheelchair attendant has to wait for luggage or for a car at passenger pickup, then time should be factored in. 

For example, if the attendant spends a half-hour with you, you might think that $10-$15 is appropriate, with $20 an hour as the criterion. Keep in mind that the attendant also spends some time getting to and from his/her duty station, so perhaps add another 10 minutes round trip into your calculations. 

This writer’s mother is 95 and right up to the pandemic, took at least one airplane trip per year on her own. Of course, she was wheeled in a chair all the way from the drop-off curb to her airline seat and vice versa.

She reports that one time, the wheelchair attendant (in Atlanta) picked her up at the gate, wheeled her to baggage, waited with her till the luggage showed up, retrieved it from the carousel, and helped her to the curb. She looked in her purse and was horrified to see that she had only a $5 bill. When she handed it to the attendant, he acted like it was the most bounteous tip he'd ever received. On the other hand, another time (at JFK), she had only a $10 bill and the attendant who’d spent two minutes getting her from baggage claim to passenger pickup looked pissed off when she gave it to him. 

As always in tipping situations, it depends on the individuals (the tipper and the tipped), the circumstances, the airport, and the service. Whatever you decide, we highly recommend you have plenty of various denomination bills on hand, so you’re prepared for every eventuality.