Tips from pax

[Dooker]

What kind of tips do you guys see at the fracs? And does it ever feel awkward accepting them?

On the other side of the coin, what kind of tips do you give to line guys, etc? I've flown corporate and air ambulance for the past seven years and we never tipped, but I've heard this is common at the fracs.

Thanks!

 

[walshsfly]

What kind of tips do you guys see at the fracs? And does it ever feel awkward accepting them?

On the other side of the coin, what kind of tips do you give to line guys, etc? I've flown corporate and air ambulance for the past seven years and we never tipped, but I've heard this is common at the fracs.

Thanks!

What is this "tip" you are talking about?

 

[pilotpat]

First some of you guys have a secret handshake...now you get tips, too?!?! Dam you.

As far as tipping line guys, I do it when they clean a lav or like the other night when the pax all of a sudden wanted sandwiches, the kid ran to Quizzno's. Also, don't forget the van driver.

 

[gunfyter]

I got a tip to buy VLO stock back in November. Its up over 50% since then!

 

[pilotpat]

I got a tip to buy VLO stock back in November. Its up over 50% since then!

Now, that's the kind of tip you want. One that keeps on giving.

 

[fischman]

What kind of tips do you guys see at the fracs? And does it ever feel awkward accepting them?

On the other side of the coin, what kind of tips do you give to line guys, etc? I've flown corporate and air ambulance for the past seven years and we never tipped, but I've heard this is common at the fracs.

Thanks!

At my career at NJA, I've been offered a tip a handful of times. It is not awkward at all. I accept it graciously and say, "Thank you very much. I'm glad we were able to do a good job for you today." If you want an awkward situation, decline a $50 tip from an owner.

As far as giving lineman tips, give what you think is fair. I use as a rule of thumb,
a lav service is $20.
Handler tip for international ops, $40. If they do a great job and I don't even have to use my brain $75.
Fuel and GPU, $5.
Coffee, ice, papers, $5.
baggage help $5
Rides to and from hotels or FBO $5

Of course, we expense this back to the company and NJA will give you a cash advance when you get hired that must be repaid at termination of employment.

Hope that helps.

 

[Dooker]

Thanks.

 

[doylehargraves]

Don't worry tipping people until your captain. the captain does all tipping at flex.

On the other hand, I've gotten a $500 tip once and most other times its 50 or 100. Probably $500 a year in tips if I averaged it out and, yes, it's hard taking a tip from an owner until you see them tip the line guy $100 for standing there, having done nothing, with his hand out.

 

[Dooker]

'Rog.

Does the company reimburse you for tips to line service, etc?

 

[jtf]

At NetJets you fill out an expense report and they pay you back. I don't know how the other fracs do it.

 

[twincessna]

$4 for ride from hotel $5 for a lav and that is about it at Flex. No wonder the line guys don't want to help us out. Any other tips and it is out of your pocket, unless it is a taxi or sedan.

TC

 

[NJA bound]

Guess that's why the line guys (and hot little girls in CLT) come running when we pull up on the ramp, company ask no questions on reimbursing us for tips, can't believe you only give them 5 for a lav, you gotta be chitting me

 

[fischman]

Guess that's why the line guys (and hot little girls in CLT) come running when we pull up on the ramp, company ask no questions on reimbursing us for tips, can't believe you only give them 5 for a lav, you gotta be chitting me

BBWWWAAAHAHHHAAAAHAHAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Dooker]

I love that condescension you always see in posts from NJA guys.

Reminds me of the way folks at United and Delta and American used to look down their noses at those who did the exact same thing as them, but for a lot less.

Pride cometh before the fall ...

 

[FLYLOW22]

I love that condescension you always see in posts from NJA guys.

Reminds me of the way folks at United and Delta and American used to look down their noses at those who did the exact same thing as them, but for a lot less.

Pride cometh before the fall ...

I don't want to falleth yet... we just got cool.

I think the critical comments were directed at you management team for being a little too tight with the tips, thus attracting the attention and enthusiasm of FBO staff.

TIPS.

T o
I nsure
P rompt
S ervice

 

[Fozzy]

I love that condescension you always see in posts from NJA guys.

Reminds me of the way folks at United and Delta and American used to look down their noses at those who did the exact same thing as them, but for a lot less.

Pride cometh before the fall ...

Funny thing about tips. Sitting in the hotel trolley in MDW with a crew headed to Atlantic, and a SouthWest crew headed to the terminal. Guess who got dropped off first. NJA crew headed to Signature. Must be all the $5's he gets from us. I always love giving the guy a $5 dollar bill after all the airline types give their $1's. Funny to see their expression.

Anyways, please keep being cheap. Makes us look better and get ahead in line.

 

[captainv]

I always love giving the guy a $5 dollar bill after all the airline types give their $1's. Funny to see their expression.

Anyways, please keep being cheap. Makes us look better and get ahead in line.

No problem, enjoy. I'd be generous too if the company paid me back. $5 a van ride = 5% of my take home pay at the regionals. For our FAs, it'd be more like 10%. And yet they still pony up $1 every time. We have plenty of captains that stiff the driver, always makes me shake my head. Then they walk inside and plunk down $4 a Starbucks. To each his own...

 

[Ultra Grump]

TIPS.

T o
I nsure
P rompt
S ervice

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tip
Etymology

The Oxford English Dictionary states that it is derived from the English thieves' slang word tip, meaning "to pass from one to another." The notion of a stock tip or racing tip is from the same slang.
Another possible source for this term is a concept from Judaism that it is a chiyuv (obligation) for a seller to "tip the scales" in favor of the customer. The Torah says, "Nosen lo girumov (Give to him a tip)." For example, if your customer has asked for three pounds of onions, you should measure out the three pounds plus one extra onion, tipping the scale in his favor.[8]
The word "tip" is often claimed to be an acronym for terms such as "to insure prompt service", "to insure proper service", "to improve performance", and "to insure promptness". However, this etymology contradicts the Oxford English Dictionary[9] and is probably an example of a backronym or apronym.

 

[FLYLOW22]

No problem, enjoy. I'd be generous too if the company paid me back. $5 a van ride = 5% of my take home pay at the regionals. For our FAs, it'd be more like 10%. And yet they still pony up $1 every time. We have plenty of captains that stiff the driver, always makes me shake my head. Then they walk inside and plunk down $4 a Starbucks. To each his own...

Pilot on Pilot violence...

I wouldn't take the comments you are replying to as critical of YOU. I would take them as critical of the airline management team you work for and maybe the airline model altogether.

Frax work in a very customer service oriented environment. Tips go a long way. Yes we are paid back for them but that is a management decision, and a good one.

A $5 tip gets us to the airplane 5-10 minutes faster, we start our prep time sooner and chances are that we will be that much better prepared for the Owner to show up.

$5 goes a long way to insure a positve Owner experience. That's priceless.

Airlines could care less. Late? Whatever. Gum on the seat? Ok.

Two two are just a different business models with different management philosophy, different economic targets that come with a different set of customer expectations.

ie. The other day I was on the van with an airline crew. My stop was first and NOT out of the way at all. The driver went out of his way to drop them off first. I heard them say that they had plenty of time too. No tip for the driver. He got the point.

 

[captainv]

Pilot on Pilot violence...

No worries, I took no offense and didn't mean to give any back.

I agree with everything you say. They're separate worlds, and there are days when I fondly remember flying a shiny Learjet in the upper flight levels. (and tipping line guys and van drivers for a job well done) The frax seem to have the business model more or less dialed in. I was hopeful that this last wave of airline bankruptcies would point us in the same direction, but old habits die hard. Sad, because many of us do care about customer service, but our ideas are met with silence.

Anyway, my post was a counterpoint. You tip $5 because you're authorized to. Some of our flight attendants make $18,000 the first year, and still dig out $1 for a ride, when they really could use the extra buck. If you guys were tipping out of your own pockets, I'd truly be impressed. I'll bet if the airline gave me $50 bucks a day to hand out to good rampers, our on-time percentages would shoot up. But they don't think that way...