450knotOffice

I've always done the tip. Always. But that's just me. I can understand an FO or FA not tipping, although I've met very few who do not. Most do.

USMCFLYR

Maybe. It is also expected. Maybe you guys should lobby for that in your next contract - high per diem to actually cover the incidentals. If you have contracts at certain hotels and it is known that certain crews don't tip AT ALL, that might contribute to poor service
It is a bad situation if you really can't afford to tip the driver.
It wouldn't have mattered to me in the way I did my job though. I had some pride in my work even as a hotel van driver. For those of you waiting 20 mins on the van pick-up, I hope you are making a complaint to the front desk supervisor or the night manager. The crews were our #1 pick-up priority - even over other guests.

USMCFLYR

DirectTo

Apparently this topic stirred up the bad drivers...since this started I've had three drivers at three different layovers who literally pulled up to the hotel, got out, and walked inside and left us to unload our bags.

Seriously, I don't mind putting them in and getting them out, but at least come back there like you're going to do it.

Gray

I'm trying not to complain. It's really starting to get on my nerves hearing grown men do it day in and day out. Wait, I guess I just complained about the complaining.... Geez

CrakPipeOvrheat

I don't carry cash. I rarely use cash. I use to tip and I was having to go to an ATM to take out money just to tip. Sometimes if I remember to get tip money after I had the chance to get to my banks ATM I would get charged an extra 4 bucks to use another banks ATM. So I stopped tipping. I am not going to bother myself with something I don't have to do. If drivers start carrying card readers........then I still won't tip. I have found that I like not tipping better than tipping. I worked at a job that I worked for tips for 5 years. Tips are stupid. The boss should pay for it.

hockeypilot44

You guys are a disgrace. Too many of you are used to being taken care of by mommy and daddy. Now that you are in the real world, you are embarrassing yourself, your company, and your co-workers by not tipping. It is a classless move. I will say that in my observation, the majority of regional employees do tip a buck. I had an ex-copilot of mine ask me for a recommendation. I told him no because he didn't tip one person on a four day trip with me. Not tipping might have cost him a job. It's a small industry.

FSUpilot

whatever dude.. daddy died.. and i left home when I was 15. worked my ass off to get where I am. nothing was handed to me. classless huh? not giving someone a rec because they didnt tip? whatever.. pot meet kettle.

CrakPipeOvrheat

I don't give recommendations to people who do tip.

sandlapper223

This is what is wrong with this country. First **** poor service, then we say nothing and eat it like tripe? Speak up man! All we do is condition the next employee to slack every time we accept this behavior. It happens everywhere in our industry: The ramp rushing crews, no ground power, air, lavs, ice, grooming, rude gate agents who broom jumpseaters, disrespect the flight crews (and Captain), fail to deliver the final paperwork, etc, etc, etc. Van drivers who are rude, run late, drive like felons, and generally act like we owe them something.

And all we do all day is dutifully suck it up? Please! Fear of complaining is our greatest downfall. Customer service is dead in this country. Speak up people, maybe the rest of us will get some decent service!

Jayhawk 023

Well...yes, no, maybe--usually not (for me at least). I was all on board with this idea for the first few years, until I stopped paying someone else to do my taxes and started doing them myself. I realized the CPA, who did her best to keep everything as legal as possible, never really got all of those 'van tips' to count as deductions. Turns out I could not do it either.

The problem: I was/still am a regional airline FO that is supporting a wife and child and barely hanging on financially...you think I own a home? Of course not. Because I am not a home owner and already have two dependents under me, I must take the normal standard deduction (if I remember my terminology from the past spring). So in other words, I really never exceed that deduction threshold each year. All of that money I spend on uniform stuff, flashlights, dry cleaning--and of course van tips, doesn't really make a dent in my taxes, or returns so to speak. I am not a tax expert in any way, but I found that for people in my situation, the whole mentality of it being a deductible expense is really sort of a facade.

If I'm doing something wrong and missing the boat with this stuff, by all means someone speak up and tell me how I can claim this extra $200 or so each year.