Curbside Check-In McCarran?

Okay - may seem like a silly question - please bear with me!

The majority of my flights over the past 5 years have been only with carry-on luggage (about 85%) only. The other times, I have brought my checked luggage into the long snaking line at the Airline counter inside the airport.

So here's my questions - I have never used the curbside service at any airport, let alone McCarran. How does it work? Are the people that help you called Skycaps? Where is it located? Is the line generally less than the indoor line up? Can they print boarding passes? Customary tip (for one bag)?

This is my situation - Allegiant Air - I have a seat assignment, so can print out boarding pass at hotel before I get to airport (NOTE: Allegiant Air is not included on the kiosks at the airport!!!). I arrive at airport at 6:00 a.m. - heard that line ups can be ridiculous at that time - basically I don't want to cut it too close and have too much stress waiting in lines.

 

I could be wrong, but I dont think there are any sky caps for Allegiant. Normally each airline has their own. They can be hit or miss. I have not waited at all, and I have also missed a flight because of them. My own opinion, in general, is that it is better to use the inside lines. They are better staffed.

 

I can not speak for allegiant airlines since i have never flown with them but I use curbside checkin every time I fly and have never had a single problem the lines are always much shorter then the lines inside and I tip the skycap a couple bucks per checked bag. Using the skycap cuts a good 15-20 minutes off the check in times in vegas and lets me get to the airport later then if i didnt use it.

 

A few years after switching to SWA I tried curbside checkin and was hooked! Short lines, quick service, and you're on your way! I usually have my boarding already printed but they can do that for you as well. I have never had a problem with overweight luggage there either. You get a lot for the price of a tip if curbside checkin is available!

Jimbo338

 

Couldn't have said it better. And the skycaps are always so much friendlier than their counterparts inside...gives you a few more minutes of that Vegas service before going back to the real world.

 

I have flown Allegiant and can tell you that they do have curbside check in. I always tip them but before I could get my money out of my pocket. The skycap was saying "now remember I'm the one that is going to make sure your bags safe and gets we're its supposed to go". The tone of his voice was almost threatening, that if I didn't tip he was going to loose our bags. So I thought screw you and didn't tip that time. I had a ten in my pocket I perpously put it in my front pocket in the cab to give it to the guy at curbside. But I didn't feel like being threatened into tipping. Oh forgot to mention he said that twice to me.
And yes I did get my bags when I landed.

 

Same thing happened to me! I love everything about SWA. I do the early check-in thing so they have to print my boarding pass, which is always done quickly. I check one bag (usually about 45 lbs.). I tip $5, which is probably an over tip by most standards, but it is worth it to me, especially when the lines inside are extra long. I also know they most likely don't get as many tips as they should, and sometimes they react like the $5 really made their day. Maybe a little good karma for my next trip.

 

That kind of crap really pisses me off. On the other hand, it could just be a by-product of them never getting tips.

 

I've seen both sides of this with AA before. The basically asking for a tip one really annoys me. One time I had like offered a tip and the guy said that he couldn't take it, and gave it back. Then as I was walking away, I realized that a supervisor type was standing off to the side watching them 2 Skycaps at the counter.

 

Not sure how flexible the curbside checkins are with overweight luggage. I know years ago you could go with a suitcase that was 10 lbs overweight and get away with it but I think the airlines started clamping down on overweight bags, lately I find it a crapshoot whether a skycap will allow overweight bags or not. One time a skycap only allowed the 50 lb weight (no higher), another time my bag was 57 lbs and the skycap let it go through.

I think the reason was that many people with overweight bags tried to use the curbside checkin to try to avoid the overweight fees, the airlines started clamping down on overweight bags going through the curbside checkin.

As others have mentioned, I do find the curbside checkins to be quicker than going inside, especially when there are lines at the counter.

 

At least with Southwest in Las Vegas, I've never seen a curbside check-in skycap weigh a bag.

LOL, I'm $omewhat $ure that the detail$ of the $ituation can be worked out to your $atisfaction.

 

Thanks for the help everyone. I hope to use the skycap with my golf bag cover - it's bulky and heavy for sure!!

 

It happenned to me with SW, I had a 3 ball bowling bag that weighed over 54 lbs and even though I offerred an extra $10 for the one bag the skycap wouldn't let it go unless I dropped the weight (took all my other stuff out of it), saying that SW was warning the skycaps about overweight bags. I instead went inside and skipped the skycap since they couldn't help me.

This happened a couple of years ago right after march madness so maybe because the flights were booked solid they had to watch out for the overweight bags.

As you mentioned, I guess there probably is $ome way that it could be worked out, lol.

 

They probably realized that many people had figured out what to do with a slightly overweight bag.

As I think back to the past several trips, often times they will just check the bags without, obviously anyway, weighing the bags. Then other times they will check the weight closely, even if they are obviously less than the max. I guess the enforcement goes in cycles.

 

Guess so with the cycle thing, could also be some butthead porters who feel they should also police the weight limit.

People have been using the skycap to get around the weight restrictions for decades, I remember prior to 9/11 after some of the conventions (CES, comdex, etc.) people would have extremely overweight bags (over 10 lbs over the limit), they would just go up to the skycap and give the guy $20 to take care of 2 overweight bags. Can't really do that anymore, the bags have to at least be close to the 50 lb limit (maybe 5 lbs over could be acceptable).