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US Airways may have wrongfully begun charging a $2 check-in bag fee thereby reducing the tips earned by its skycaps.
Investigation Source
- Nationwide
Investigation Scope
Category Information
Investigation Topic
- Company Taking Employee Tips
Products or Services
- Your Occupation
- Sky Cap
Injury Type
- Monetary Loss
Investigation Details
Investigation and ongoing class action lawsuit against US Airways involving skycap workers from airports across the country.
Skycaps are individuals working at the airport assisting passengers with curb-side luggage check-in and airline check-in. They also direct passengers to and from taxis, and answer any questions travelers may have about their flight. In the past, skycaps were paid an hourly wage of a few dollars from airlines or third party contract companies, and received the rest of their compensation from tips from travelers.
With tips making up the majority of their income, skycaps were devastated when airlines across the country decided to implement a $2 per bag curbside check-in fee. The $2 fee does not go to the skycaps like it used to, but now goes directly to the airline. When this new fee was put into action, there was a steep decline in skycap earnings because passengers no longer felt the need to tip. Some airlines have even gone a step farther and have banned any additional payment above the $2 fee. This has left many skycaps earning no more than a few dollars an hour. Some skycaps were set to receive an increase in their hourly wage to make up for their loss of wages, but have yet to see this.
Skycaps are individuals working at the airport assisting passengers with curb-side luggage check-in and airline check-in. They also direct passengers to and from taxis, and answer any questions travelers may have about their flight. In the past, skycaps were paid an hourly wage of a few dollars from airlines or third party contract companies, and received the rest of their compensation from tips from travelers.
With tips making up the majority of their income, skycaps were devastated when airlines across the country decided to implement a $2 per bag curbside check-in fee. The $2 fee does not go to the skycaps like it used to, but now goes directly to the airline. When this new fee was put into action, there was a steep decline in skycap earnings because passengers no longer felt the need to tip. Some airlines have even gone a step farther and have banned any additional payment above the $2 fee. This has left many skycaps earning no more than a few dollars an hour. Some skycaps were set to receive an increase in their hourly wage to make up for their loss of wages, but have yet to see this.