ShareThisEncouraged by a legal victory at Boston's Logan International airport, skycaps at several other East Coast airports have sued over pay.Skycaps in Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. have joined similar suits. And lawyers involved in the cases say more complaints are likely in the coming months.The key issue in the dispute is whether airlines have effectively cut the wages of skycaps by charging travelers who check luggage at the curb.Curbside check-in used to be free, but airlines began charging for the service a few years ago. Skycaps say their tips dropped dramatically soon after.Much like waiters, waitresses and others in the service industry, skycaps are usually paid near or below minimum wage, because tips are considered part of their income. But once customers pay the check-in fee, many aren't inclined to also tip the skycap.Skycaps are required to collect and turn over the check-in fees to the airlines. They can keep any tips offered above that fee, but they are not supposed to solicit them.The issue gained national attention in April, when a jury awarded nine skycaps at Logan International $325,000 for lost wages in a dispute with American Airlines. American spokesman Tim Smith said the airline has no plans to prohibit skycaps from taking tips at other airports. The carrier made that decision in Boston, he said, because of the unique nature of Massachusetts state law governing how tips are handled.Even so, after that verdict, Wilmington, N.C. lawyer Greg Jones said he was contacted by several skycaps at the Raleigh airport.In some cases, Jones said, customers think the fee they are paying is the tip."Sometimes, customers think they are tipping the skycaps, but the skycap doesn't get to keep the fee," Jones said. "That means their income is reduced."The allegations are included in four complaints filed in U.S. District Court in Raleigh last week against American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, US Airways, United Airlines and G2 Secure Staff, which contracts with the four airlines in Raleigh to provide customer services. A spokesman for the G2 Secure office at RDU declined to comment on the lawsuits.The suits come as airlines are struggling to cover operating costs. This week, American announced that it would charge some customers $15 to check the first bag at the counter -- a charge that would also apply at the curb. American and others also charge $25 for a second checked bag.Such changes aren't likely to put people in a tipping mood.Skycaps say it's difficult to say exactly how much was lost when airlines started charging for curbside check-in, because tip income varies widely. But tips of even a couple dollars each can add up quickly, because skycaps handle dozens of customers a day.For some skycaps, it's enough to make a living. They hope the lawsuits will help restore lost wages.Gary Gardner, who has been a skycap at Raleigh's airport for seven years, said the fees clearly cut into how much he can make in a day."You can make some of that money back through customer service, but there is no doubt the fees hurt my bottom line," he said.Most carriers charge $2 or $3 for each bag checked at the curb. United Airlines charges $25 to check a second bag at the curb, an amount that Gardner says no one confuses with a tip."But they aren't likely to leave a tip, either, after that second charge," he said.(E-mail Tim Simmons at tim.simmons(at)newsobserver.com)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Skycaps at East Coast airports join suit over check-in fees
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