Cheapskate Captains

[Bandit60]

Speaking of lineman, for some reason pilots look down on them as if they work as a street cleaner or something. Lineman perform a service that if it weren't for them, corporate pilots would be fueling themselves. Imagine self service available for jets with a discount, companies would jump on it in a heartbeat, if it saved them a nickle per gallon. Be happy you can tell the lineman your fuel order and you don't have to do it your self. If a lineman gets a tip for unloading luggage, it's because he earned it.

Lineman have to put up with the constant whining of pilots who constantly appear with bad attitudes. Pilots have a bad day for whatever reason and take it out on a lineman who had nothing to do with your bad day. I worked for a week as a lineman and I left after taking a better paying job driving tractor trailers. As a flight instructor, I'm very close to the line crew at my airport and I know that you would never want to be treated as they are treated. These guys work in all kinds of weather, and have to deal with people who don't respect them for what they do.

Lets say you are a fortune 100 company who owns a jet, you know the value. Lineman are responsible for pulling out and putting away your multi million dollar piece of equipment. I don't know about you but I don't want to think about yelling at this guy and have him pulling the jet from a hanger. He could "accidently" hit the hanger on the way out and put your AOG for who knows how long and at a huge cost.

In closing, you as a pilot are responsible for a multi- million dollar aircraft. a lineman is also resonsible for multiple, multi- million dollar aircraft, cut them some slack, they deserve it.

In now way was I saying the linemen don't deserve the money or deserve the respect, because they do. My point is that the passengers thought that we were paid extremely well, and at that time in my flying, I think some of the linemen made more money than me and I was a Capt.

 

[flyifrvfr]

Mine was more of a general response for lineguys not directed to any one person. I know that lineguys were not being blasted, but I did want to post something nice for a change.

 

[Duderino]

I Fake Tip.

 

[urflyingme?!]

I feel bad about not tipping the fuel guys when I go to an airport, but hey I'm PAYING to fly. I do tip the van drivers if I go somewhere though. It gets a little interesting trying to tip when I live off of a credit card, once I bought a guy some fench fries at Carl's Jr!

 

[vetteracer]

I worked the line for 2 years. The most fun I have ever had at a job. Cheapskate things that took the cake.

-Ask for a power cart AFTER they pay at the desk. They walk buy you and say, Oh, can I get the power cart hooked up. No big deal it is basically a gratuity anyway. But no fuel, used the car all day, watched the cable TV and then fudge on a $15.00 power cart fee.

-Steel the chocks from the line. We had nice yellow wooden chocks. They were lightweight and held together by a piece of rope. I watched hundreds get picked up and tossed in the nose bay. I would have given them away if they had asked.

-Use the crew car all day and run it out of gas. They would call the FBO and we would have to go bring a can of gas and get is going again. Lord forbid they put $2.00 in the tank after driving all over the county visiting friends.

-Empty the lav pot on the ramp

- Steel the window cleaner and rags off the side of the refueling trucks.

-Ask you to wash the window and then when you are done yell at you for scratching the window. Then they request the manager and then they dicker off the price of fuel, free shirts etc.

-Leave their piece of crap cars parked at the FBO when they go off on a trip for the "airlines or fractionals". Then ask for a ride over to the terminal. And a ride back when they return.

-When weather is moving in, say hail, and Thunderstorms we would put ALL aircraft that would fit in the hangars. When the pilot or owner would show up they would jump all over you butt and yell and scream and tell you there is no way in heck that they are going to pay for the hangar. I would say, it is on the house and explain. They would still be mad. HEY I DID YOU A FAVOR FOR FREE.

If you want some inside information here it is.

If you do a lot of X continent flights, stop at the smaller out of the way FBO’s. You will become known and treated very well if you are genuinely nice to the line guys.

Short Story.

There was a Falcon 20 that came in all the time. Same pilot. When he landed he got the red carpet treatment. He would always have some left over or un-opened food and would bring it to the line shack along with a 6 pack of beer. This guy was our friend and we treated him like a friend as well. He received free hangar, when it was cold and the list goes on and on. The point is he was just a nice guy.

Same for the FedEx pilots that came in on the 727. They would cruise the ramp in less strict days and pop in the line shack etc.

Mark

 

[Bandit60]

Don't pilots who do the things in the aboved mentioned post just give us pilots a bad name? It's ashame that some people behave like that. I just wonder how they act in their private lives.

 

[grinder]

Dork tight-wads are everywhere in every profession, even when they are rich. It's just who they are. I dislike them as much as the type of guys who wear their uniforms to the mall. Strangely they are often the same.....Sorry for the thread creep.Grinder

 

[A Squared]

-Leave their piece of crap cars parked at the FBO when they go off on a trip for the "airlines or fractionals". Then ask for a ride over to the terminal. And a ride back when they return.

Interesting, It brought to mind a thread quite a while back on which folks were discussing doing just that. They got pretty indignant when I suggested it might not be very ethical. http://forums.flightinfo.com/showthread.php?t=2381

 

[aeronautic1]

Cheapest A-Hole Captain I flew with...

... two words, George A-rnold.

 

[NuGuy]

I knew a guy at my last airline that would take burned out light bulbs from home and swap them out with good ones from the hotel. He would steal the tips off the table at dinner if you didn't watch him.


Nu