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Tipping hotel van drivers

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CFI2766

CFI2766

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 11, 2005
Posts
1,293
I'm curious, should I be tipping hotel van drivers?

Thoughts:

1. I'm a new FO, I bring home a little over $200 a week. I'm not able, right now, to tip van drivers. Should I be getting dirty looks for not tipping?

2. If so, shouldn't I be tipping the bus drivers who take me to and from Camp Creek? I don't see that happening...
 
If they put your bag into/out of the van, you owe them a gratuity, IMHO. Poverty is no excuse. One could argue that per diem is intended to cover "incidental costs" on trips.
 
CFI2766 said:
I'm curious, should I be tipping hotel van drivers?

Thoughts:

1. I'm a new FO, I bring home a little over $200 a week. I'm not able, right now, to tip van drivers. Should I be getting dirty looks for not tipping?

2. If so, shouldn't I be tipping the bus drivers who take me to and from Camp Creek? I don't see that happening...
Click to expand...


Don't tip at all your first year. Most people dont. Just throw your own bags in the van. If they insist, let them. Just say thanks. I only tip if the van is on time and if they're nice about it. People have to work for my money!
 
Tip The Van Driver Thats What Your Per Diem Is For !

701EV
 
I've got a buddy who drives a hotel van. To them tipping is a joke 'cause those van drivers make more than most FOs and FAs. Think about it.

At a big crew hotel, in a large business city, you could do 4 runs an hour and get a buck from each person on the van. That's 5 bucks per trip, 20 bucks an hour. Plus your $5.15 from the hotel.

Now if you're talking Valdosta, well, give the poor guy a buck or two. But I feel FOs, FAs, and even cheap captains need not tip.

Besides, who ever tips us? We're in a service industry too.
 
701EV said:
Tip The Van Driver Thats What Your Per Diem Is For !

701EV
Click to expand...

Wrong! My perdiem is for eating and drinking on trips.

By the way, I WILL encourage my crew to tip the van driver for special favors, like running us to a bar or restaurant or "adult entertainment venue".
 
John Pennekamp said:
Wrong! My perdiem is for eating and drinking on trips.

By the way, I WILL encourage my crew to tip the van driver for special favors, like running us to a bar or restaurant or "adult entertainment venue".
Click to expand...

I can see this. This makes sense. Above and beyond gets a tip.

But if the guy is simply fulfilling the contract that ASA has with that particular hotel, I'm much less inclined to part ways with the $20 to $30 a month that tips would take out of my budget.
 
My number one rule:

When I walk out of the terminal and that van isn't there, no tip. I wait, they lose.
 
I'll tip if I get exceptional service or if the person does something out of the ordinary for us. But, I hate the fact that tipping seems standard, understood, and guarenteed no matter what for most people. Thats not what a tip is supposed to be for. Its not something I "just do."

Additionally, if you think about it, it really adds up. At my airline, there are CDO schedules that have 16 CDOs on them in a month. Thats 16 overnights in hotels. 32 van rides. If you tip a dollar everytime, thats $32/mo, or $384/yr. For a first year FO, $384 is almost another paycheck... or two months of crashpad rent. All for tipping people when you ride the van, even though they don't tip you when they ride your airplane?
 
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It drives me nuts!

It drives me nuts that everyone wants tip nowadays. The van driver, hair stylist, hiking tour guide, a host of restraurant who takes care of your take-out, rafting tour guides..... You pay $200 for some hikig tour, and they want another $20 for tip at the end of the trip? What did that $200 take care of???

If you are a regional F/O, don't even worry about it. When I was a f/o, I tipped every time, but that's because I felt like I had to. If the Captain gives him/her a buck, that's enough. They have their hourly wage. Tipping is overrated unless they take you to a restaurant or somewhere other than the hotel/airport.
 
I don't tip. I don't make enough. Period.

If someone takes me to grab some food on the way back etc. then I'll slap 'em a buck or two.

And whay does everyone here expect to be tipped. NO - I won't tip anyone else other than in a food establishment. Hairdressers, cab drivers etc, they do their job - good. If they do anything I feel is extra then sure, I'll give them a tip.
 
mayoplane said:
It drives me nuts that everyone wants tip nowadays. The van driver, hair stylist, hiking tour guide, a host of restraurant who takes care of your take-out, rafting tour guides..... You pay $200 for some hikig tour, and they want another $20 for tip at the end of the trip? What did that $200 take care of???

If you are a regional F/O, don't even worry about it. When I was a f/o, I tipped every time, but that's because I felt like I had to. If the Captain gives him/her a buck, that's enough. They have their hourly wage. Tipping is overrated unless they take you to a restaurant or somewhere other than the hotel/airport.
Click to expand...

I agree with this... I bartendedmy way through college and know how people live and die by the tips they make.. I also know the nights I spent hitting some coed, ignoring half the bar, and still walking with a couple hundred bucks.

The other night I was out at a restaurant with my girlfriend, slow night. The hostess took our drink order, and I watched her give it to our server. She put it into the bar and then disappered in the back. After 15 minutes the bartender walked the drinks over. The girl comes out, takes our order with the monotone push for appetizers and leaves again. The assistant manager brought out the food and refilled our drinks. The girl show up 45 minutes later with our check, ignoring our empty drinks and apathetically asking us about dessert. She acted busy at the next table until i put the cash in the check holder and she swooped right back by to ask if i needed change. Nope.. cost of meal $49 + $1tip

Basically she punched in our food order and then took the money.. the same function a cashier at a grocery store would do. The manager came by, obviously at her request and asked why I left such a small tip. I said if he had to ask, then he didn't understand the concept of a tip.

If anything I usually overtip for service.. but some people just seem to expect 20% or more simply for doing the bare minimum.
 
I usually tip depending on the driving skills of the driver. if they drive like a crazed lunatic, acting like they are in indy 500 in a POS van with bald tires, then I dont tip. There have been several times i have feared for my life in EWR, PHL, BWI, and basically any time the guy doesnt speak english, blasts crazy mexicano music, or jokes with their buddies on their CB radio using trucker language. I did tip in Dayton the other day cause the guy did get out of bed at 3 in the morning to come pick us up. But its a freakin dollar, those van drivers make bank.
 
CFI2766 said:
I'm curious, should I be tipping hotel van drivers?

Thoughts:

1. I'm a new FO, I bring home a little over $200 a week. I'm not able, right now, to tip van drivers. Should I be getting dirty looks for not tipping?

2. If so, shouldn't I be tipping the bus drivers who take me to and from Camp Creek? I don't see that happening...
Click to expand...


Why and how could one work for $200.00/week, let alone fly an airplane for that. I made more than that instructing. Where do you work?
Note to self never work for that wage.
 
CFI2766 said:
I'm a new FO, I bring home a little over $200 a week. I'm not able, right now, to tip van drivers. Should I be getting dirty looks for not tipping?
Click to expand...

$200 a week...not even Mesa's that bad.

First I question if van driver's make more than first year FO's. Everyone's different, if you have been furloughed and have 3 kids and a mortgage and money is extremely tight, then that's one thing. But at the same time the only time you should consider it is if your budget is so tight that you're not going to restaurants, not having a drink at the end of the day, don't have cable,

There's many comforts that should be given up before you decide to not tip the driver. The way I see it, there's low income jobs out there you sit behind a desk, but a van driver has that same low income but he puts his butt on dangerous roads. And in a sense, he's like us in terms of having our safety in his hands. He deserves a tip.

And to answer your question, yes you do deserve looks if you don't tip. At least though you're concerned about it enough to question.
 
If I recall correctly, you can tax deduct up to three dollars a day in gratuities.

If I have an exorbitant wait for the van, load my own bags, or the driver has a bad attitude, I'll not occasionally not tip if its over-the-top bad, but most times I still crack the wallet.

Don't be a stereotypical "cheap-ass pilot"...its only two bucks a day.
 
The best way I've heard it explained, is that if the employee declares their tips then I tip them. If it's a change jar at a coffee joint etc, no way. I pay taxes on every penny I earn, h@ll if I'm gonna give someone else tax free money.
The airline contracts the hotel to provide a service. The hotel then pays its employees with this contract. In no way shape or form is it my resposibility to help fund this "contract." When you rent out a banquet hall for your wedding/impending divorce do your guests pay the tip? No you set that up ahead of time with the contract.
By the way I tip 20% or better when I eat out. And waited tables while in college.
 
If the van service is very good, and the driver loads and unloads the bags, then I'll tip. If the van isn't there when we get out to the curb, then no tip.
 
“Don't tip at all your first year. Most people dont.”

Huh? Most people don’t? Wow, that’s the first I heard. The fact you’re even asking the question sounds to me like you already made up your mind and now need a justifications to your actions from others.

It wasn’t that long ago I was making a whopping $17,000 a year yet somehow always managed to tip the driver. Just because our pay sucks doesn’t mean we have to be jerks to the drivers.

“People have to work for my money!”

You sound like one of those guys/gals who’s always looking for an excuse NOT to tip. “Oh, there you go - we waited 3 minutes longer than normal for our table – no tip for you!”
Tipping should be the norm, only an unusually substandard service or a rude driver should make an exception to the rule. Even if you waited for the van a little longer than usual, if on the way to the hotel you notice the traffic indeed is really bad, give the guy/gal a break, there’s not much he/she can do about the traffic.

Treat others the way you’d want to be treated!
 
I know of a guy that didn't tip the van drivers and was generally a jerk to them...

One morning, after dropping him off at the airport and not getting tipped again, they pulled his tab from the hotel bar the night before. It was time stamped and made for great reading when it came accross the Chief pilot's fax.

One day per diem covers the entire month worth of van ride tips.

It's true that some van drivers make more than some F/O's. If it's that big of a problem for you, go be a van driver. Easiest job in the world to get.

Remember the Steve Buschemi speech in Resevior Dogs? Don't be that guy.
 
AV80R said:
“Don't tip at all your first year. Most people dont.”

Huh? Most people don’t? Wow, that’s the first I heard. The fact you’re even asking the question sounds to me like you already made up your mind and now need a justifications to your actions from others.
Click to expand...

Most people in their first year at a regional airline don't tip.

It wasn’t that long ago I was making a whopping $17,000 a year yet somehow always managed to tip the driver. Just because our pay sucks doesn’t mean we have to be jerks to the drivers.
Click to expand...
That's wonderful. I'm glad giving away your money for contracted services makes you happy. You could have made $17,300+ your first year if you didnt. That's 2% of your income.

“People have to work for my money!”

You sound like one of those guys/gals who’s always looking for an excuse NOT to tip. “Oh, there you go - we waited 3 minutes longer than normal for our table – no tip for you!”
Tipping should be the norm, only an unusually substandard service or a rude driver should make an exception to the rule. Even if you waited for the van a little longer than usual, if on the way to the hotel you notice the traffic indeed is really bad, give the guy/gal a break, there’s not much he/she can do about the traffic.

Treat others the way you’d want to be treated!
Click to expand...
I stand by my statement. I tip for good service. That's how it should be. Unless your party is 8 or more or whatever it says on the bottom of your receipt :)
 
I stand by my statement. I tip for good service. That's how it should be. Unless your party is 8 or more or whatever it says on the bottom of your receipt :)

I stand by my statement too!

I guess the aeropark in your avatar is for your private use huh? ;)
 
a while back, I read in Dear Abby (don't ask) a letter from a waitress saying that she expects 25% tips now. She said 25% is customary and that if she is undertipped, she makes a fuss about it to the customers. If I ever meet that waitress, I will punch her in the face. In other countries, it is offensive to tip. It is a mentality thing in our country. I am a first year FO, and I have never tipped a van driver. Don't plan on doing it until I am a captain, and if they are late, bad driving, etc, that will equal no tip.

15% at a restaurant, pretax. Lower if the service is not superior.
 
Hamburger said:
I know of a guy that didn't tip the van drivers and was generally a jerk to them...

One morning, after dropping him off at the airport and not getting tipped again, they pulled his tab from the hotel bar the night before. It was time stamped and made for great reading when it came accross the Chief pilot's fax.
Click to expand...


Yet another reason not to drink in hotel bars.

Hamburger said:
One day per diem covers the entire month worth of van ride tips.

It's true that some van drivers make more than some F/O's. If it's that big of a problem for you, go be a van driver. Easiest job in the world to get.

Remember the Steve Buschemi speech in Resevior Dogs? Don't be that guy.
Click to expand...

It also covers the bar tab for my crew. No desire to be a van driver... this is easier and more fun.
 
you chumps that don't tip regularly and then make up some half-a$$ rationalization why you dont are a bunch of punks. van not there? guy not in a good mood? come on.

At least take the skirt off and have the balls to admit you're too f-ing cheap to tip those guys. then at least you'll be a cheapa$$ instead of a guy too coward too admit the former.
 
In other countries, it is offensive to tip. It is a mentality thing in our country.

Has nothing to do with mentality, has to do with tax codes. In most Nordic countries for examples restaurant workers get a mandatory tip allowance as part of their paychecks; in other words a part of the price of the meal you are paying is reserved for tips and is included in the waiters’ salaries.

I am a first year FO, and I have never tipped a van driver… if she is undertipped, she makes a fuss about it to the customers. If I ever meet that waitress, I will punch her in the face.”

Maybe the drivers should “punch you in the face?” :)
Wow, I guess you deserve a Medal of Winer!!! Poor me, me, me…

Ps. Maybe you can ask “Dear Abby” how to become a better person? ;)
 
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relief tube said:
you chumps that don't tip regularly and then make up some half-a$$ rationalization why you dont are a bunch of punks. van not there? guy not in a good mood? come on.

At least take the skirt off and have the balls to admit you're too f-ing cheap to tip those guys. then at least you'll be a cheapa$$ instead of a guy too coward too admit the former.
Click to expand...

Ooooh, internet tough guy teling us off anonymously. I bet you have a 1 inch johnson too. I bet the ladies are impressed!

Look, y'all. Tip if you want to, don't if you don't want to. I'm not afraid to admit that I'm a cheapass who would rather spen that tip money on alcohol for my crew.
 

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