Q: When you ask to have the wheelchair at the airport, how much is appropriate for tipping?
—Liz Bair, Atlanta
A: That depends on the distance traveled, the level of service and a person's willingness to tip.
A tip could be a low as $1 or $2 for a short trip without a stop or as much as $15 or $20 for a longer trip with a bathroom or food stop, or if the attendant helps a passenger from a car and lifts or carries luggage.
“A push between the gate and the airplane should not carry an expectation of a tip,” the New York Times wrote in 2008.
“If the wheelchair captain takes you to the restroom or goes out of their way to perform additional service en route, then the tip should increase up to $5,” an Emily Post Institute spokeswoman told cheapflights.com.
The standard is “$5 to $10” if the “attendant assists in helping the passenger from a car,” AARP.org wrote.
People who handle bags generally are tipped $1 or $2 per bag.
Q: I recently passed a group of cyclists who were not using the designated bike lane and who went through a stop sign. Are bikers required to use bike lanes and are they required to obey traffic signs and signals?
—Richard H. Siegel, Atlanta
A: Cyclists are required to follow the same traffic laws and "rules of the road" as drivers do, Atlanta Police Department spokesman Sgt. Warren Pickard told Q&A on the News in an email.
“In Georgia, as in most states, the bicycle is legally a ‘vehicle,’” it states at bicyclegeorgia.com, the website for the Georgia Bicycle Federation.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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