I whole heartedly agree. So all you holier than thou people who have 400 extra bucks a year to give a van driver, answer the question posed above? Do you tip the starbucks people, how about the fast food servers, the housekeeping staff, what about the rampers delivering you all those gate checked bags to you? What makes the van driver so special that he deserves a tip? The hotel employs them and is responsible for paying them a reasonable wage. If they are not paid a reasonable wage, it is not my concern. Just ask all the people who bitch about air fares and bag fees without any concern shown for the wages paid to half of the regional pilot workforce, which in many cases qualifies you for welfare and charity care.
I used to tip until I realized there would never be a financial payoff to having this job, and decided I needed to track my expenses to the penny and figure out where I could reasonably cut back just to put food in my mouth and a roof over my head, plus pay off my student loan debt by the time I lose my medical and be forced out of work. I saw 400 bucks went to van drivers and I just about fainted!! So needless to say, that is an unrealistic expense when you are living hand to mouth.
So for all you people who are so concerned about the financial welfare of the van driver....cry me a river!! And I never said that I was better than a van driver. I merely pointed out that those of us choosing this career attempted to make a better life for ourselves by getting a degree and going through all the flight training required involving a great deal of study and tanacity to complete. Just to have the legs cut out from under us by unscrupulous airline management teams that have taken away any semblance of a reasonable career path for about 70% of us. On the other hand a van driver merely had to answer a ad for a driver in the classified. Lets be a little realistic here. Most of the drivers I have encountered are not just earning a little money to get themselves through school, some yes, but most really have no other skill set they can use to earn a living. I don't think I am any better than anyone else. On the contrary, most of us are total losers for continuing to let management take a dump on us and not only expect, but demand what they demand from us for the pittance that many receive in this profession.
Do you all realize that mainline gate agents are paid more than regional fo's? Not to mention the guy that fuels the plane as well! I'm just saying that when you have a group of employees who are just struggling to survive, I think the last thing they need to be given a hard time about is their inability, and make no mistake it is an INABILITY to tip these drivers 400 a year. They are not choosing not to, they CAN'T!!! So for those of you that have a problem with it, blame this industries despicable management teams that value gate agents, skycaps, fuelers, rampers, and mechanics more than they do pilots as evidenced by all of these employee groups who are paid more than most regional fo's.