By David Flynn
Tipping etiquette is a complex and often controversial subject, especially when traveling, and it becomes even more nuanced in airport lounges.
While tipping is a standard practice in the United States, it’s not the only country where gratuities are customary (to the annoyance of visitors who hail from a tip-free culture where employees pay their staff a proper living wage).
Taxi cabs and Uber drivers – waiters at restaurants, baristas and mixologists at cafes and bars – hotel concierges and bellhops – it can seem that almost everyone expects a tip.
To wrap some context around tipping in the US, Federal regulations allow wages to be pegged as low as US$2.13 per hour on the assumption the worker receive at least US$30 per month in tips.
However, many service staff employed at airport lounges – including the Qantas LAX lounges and United’s Polaris lounges – are paid well above those rates, at US$16+ per hour, with those jobs explicitly listed as being “non-tipped”.
To tip, or not to tip? Travellers often find tipping at airport lounges a confusing topic.
Tipping in airport lounges is never expected
First up, tipping is never expected in any airport lounge anywhere in the world.
That doesn’t mean that tipping isn’t commonplace – it’s most often seen in US airport lounges, and those tips are certainly appreciated by lounge staff.
But you should never feel obliged to peel a note or two from your wallet. In other words: tip because you want to, not because you feel you have to.
Tipping for drinks at an airport lounge’s bar
Most high-quality airline lounges – especially business class and first class lounges – have bars where bartenders or ‘mixologists’ will serve you anything from a glass of beer, wine or spirits to a fancy cocktail, all complimentary.
A $1 bill is the standard gratuity for complimentary drinks in most US airport lounges.
In US lounges, it’s generally the done thing to pop a $1 bill into a tip jar that’s strategically placed on the bar counter each time you order that complimentary drink, although some people will drop in a $5 bill in advance to cover several rounds of drinks.
In some lounges, such as Delta Air Lines’ new family of Delta One havens, there’s even a separate ‘premium’ menu of top-shelf drinks.
Should you pay a ‘premium’ tip to match? While some people suggest tipping the same 15-20% of the bill as they might at a bar or restaurant outside the airport, I recommend sticking with the $1 tip as a generally accepted standard at airport lounge bars.
Tipping for meals at an airport lounge’s dining room
À la carte dining is becoming increasing popular at upmarket airport lounges, in many cases delivering restaurant-grade food, drinks, and service.
In the US this includes American Airlines’ Flagship Dining, Delta’s Delta One lounges, United Airlines’ Polaris Lounges and others such as the Qantas First Lounge at LAX.
Of course, Americans and others who are have become accustomed to a tipping culture will usually put $10 or even $20 down, or hand it straight to the waiter, either when they first sit down or when they leave.
That amount is often calculated to be 15%-20% against what their meals and drinks would cost at a conventional restaurant.
By all means, tip if the service you receive is outstanding – but you should never feel you have to tip in the first place.
Courtesy: Executive Traveller
https://www.executivetraveller.com/should-you-tip-at-airport-lounges
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Coverpage’s editorial stance
