Boomer

When the hotel is a short walk I'll skip the van ride too.

Does anyone tip the housekeeping staff the traditional $5 each day? No? Because they never see your face?

Cheapskates...

FLowpayFO

I just gave people jet flying service, why don't I get a tip?

Senior Skipper

Not this again...

Bellanca

This thread reminds me of my college roommate's friend who drove a hotel van where some of the regional pilots stayed. She used to endlessly complain that the pilots never tipped her and were always complaining about their job for the duration of the ride. Needless to say, she didn't like me because I was a pilot.

Moral of the story: either they were cheap or she was just a b***h that didn't deserve a tip anyways lol.

xjsaab

I will tip $1 if they are on time, move my bags and have a good attitude. That being said. Van drivers do not have a system to declare tips when they clock out. When I waited tables I had to declare my tips. (PS tip cash to servers, Credit Cards have a paper trail and can't be fudged). Therefore tipping is not a official method of payment for services to van drivers. It's a bonus, if Uncle Sam can't get a "cut" I wouldn't feel guilty for not tipping. It'd like us getting ****ed for not being tipped with our job. We do the same thing, move people from point A to point B.

Colgan Pilot

If the van driver goes out of his way, I will tip but generally I dont feel the need to tip the driver when I am going to and from work. Like others said, I dont have a choice, its the only way I will get to the hotel.

Example:

In providence, I deadheaded in at 6PM, the driver asked if I wanted to get somthing to eat (because there is nothing around the hotel) I said I'm a little hungry. He drove me past a Subway and waited while i bought a sub to go.

HE got a tip and a nice one too.

However,

In Dulles, the driver came, tossed our bags, didnt say a word just drove and delivered us to the hotel. Thats his job description. No Tip.

I ordered pizza from dominos recently and saw a $2 delivery charge. NO tip there.

I ordered Chinese, no delivery charge, YES tip. Because they did that at their own expense.

Most hotels, if you order room service tack on a "delivery fee" for the server going up an elevator. No tip.

What I really hate are the places that add 18% gratituity automatically. gratituity should only be paid if I feel the need to show GRATITUDE towards my server for doing an excellent job!

Hell, I drive a van with 74 passengers on poverty wages...If I made a $1.00 tip for each landing that I greased it on the tarmac and the passengers felt "gratitude" for my excellent service I would have made.... well... a dollar, but you get my drift! J/K

Blueskies21

I used to be tighter with tipping because I was making less, so standard for me was a dollar if you were on time, generally friendly and loaded my bag. Now that I make more I tip a dollar basically all the time. Not sure that's actually a better strategy because it's not really encouraging good behavior. Though I've noticed when I tip guys who do essentially nothing they seem shocked, so maybe they'll do better in the future. Now has anyone else had other crewmembers ask to borrow a dollar? That's been happening to me a lot recently. How come I can keep my wallet stocked and no one else can?

Farmlover

on my own time i tip, but i am on company time, they set up the hotel they arrange the hotel to give us transportation, i shouldnt have to make up the salary for the hotel,

USMCFLYR

And I could counter with they pay you money in the form of M&IE that you should be using for appropriate tips; but then that is the point of the whole debate isn't it, whether it is proper to tip or not. Van drivers at the hotel that I worked at (and others I know) count on tips just like waitresses. On a trip you chose to go out and eat and I'm assuming that you still tip the waitress.

On a side note because someone mentioned tipping if the van driver takes you out to eat -- that is nice too because I wasn't suppose to take people out to eat, but if I wasn't busy then I supported the crews with chow runs. I wonder if i wasn't able to bring them back from chow if they would have taken a taxi and then stiffed the taxi driver a tip too?
It seems that if one has worked in the service industry (especially one that relies on tips), people are more understanding.

In the end - it doesn't matter to me anymore, but if I get out of the van and I see one of my crew not tip, I'll give the guy/gal extra to make up for it.

Personally - I like it when they pay wages that don't relay on tips either, but that is a societal problem. The ones who are saying that they should get tipped for flying, I would agree if when you got hired part of the inbrief was "we are paying you even less than the other regionals because we have a sign at the front door that says tips are appreciated "

As for delivery charge, that is great if that money is going to the wait staff. If it is just anohter form of tax that goes into the hotel's pocket then it is no different than when pilots argue that the airlines have raised prices and make millions more and still the pilot's don't get a raise. the poster who said that those service personnel knew what they were getting into and shouldn't have taken the job in the first place with such a poor salary that they have to rely on tips; I say.......sounds like a pilot

Bzwebner - I like your approach for the most part. Being a former service industy guy - I don't like the **standard** tip amount. I tip based on quality of service. REALLY poor service from a waitress/waiter gets less, EXCELLENT service gets far more. I have even stiffed before (long story), but it isn't my MO.

USMCFLYR

whoareyou310

I agree with this statement. Also I simply can't afford to tip as an FO, if others can that's great, more power to you. Every individual has a different financial situation, don't bash on those of us that can't.