FlyChicaga
Vintage Restoration
I wanted this to get more attention, rather than be buried in the depths of the "tipping" thread.
I know it is very, very frustrating to arrive at the airport to catch your ride to the hotel on a reduced rest overnight only to have a driver show up 30 minutes later. It is very frustrating to watch your sleep dwindle away because the driver is not there; trust me, I feel the pain.
However, since I am close to someone in the hotel industry, I have learned that this is not always the drivers fault. Many times, it is outside circumstances other than just the driver being late because they drive slow and are lazy. Sometimes it is because another crew wanted to get food, go to the mall, the movies, etc., and the van is occupied accommodating them. Sometimes it is because the driver was asked to run and errand for the front desk. Sometimes it is because the hotel management forces the drivers to stick to a strict 30-minute schedule (leave ever 30 minutes). It could be a lot of reasons.
From talking to some drivers, many (including someone close to me who would drive crews to the airport and to restaurants) tell me that the crews were downright rude to them because the van did not accommodate to their schedule. The hotel would get a call from a crew, "We are here to get picked up," and be told "the van will be there in 20 minutes, it just left the airport." At 21 minutes, the desk gets another phone call, "Where is the van? You said it would be here in 20 minutes, it is now past that." Then the driver gets barked at, stiffed by the crew after loading all their baggage, and told, "We need to go get food, when can you take us?" What??
Like I said, it is not often the drivers fault. It also cannot be helped when a crew arrives three hours behind schedule and expects the van to be waiting for them. Things just do not always work that way.
So what is the point of this thread? If the van shows up late, do not take it out on the driver. Take it up with the manager on duty when you arrive at the hotel if it is that much of an issue. Or, talk to your hotel committee. The only times I will stiff the driver and take issue with him/her is when a) they do not even get out to open the rear doors, let alone load bags, b) are downright rude to the crew, or c) drive recklessly putting us in danger.
Have a little patient with the employees of these hotels. Often, these hotels sign contracts that give up rooms that could make three to ten times what the airline pays for them. Most of the hotel employees I've found are very helpful to crews if you are polite and treat them with respect. When you start treating them like trash because you "deserve" something from the hotel (that you aren't even paying for, your company is), then they get a little pissed.
Plus, remember, you are representing the company you work for. ALL the employees know which crews are polite and don't make asses of themselves. They also know which ones are the #######s who act like fools. The person I am "close" to still has a very negative opinion of a certain Chicago-based airline because of the ways their crews acted during overnights.
I know it is very, very frustrating to arrive at the airport to catch your ride to the hotel on a reduced rest overnight only to have a driver show up 30 minutes later. It is very frustrating to watch your sleep dwindle away because the driver is not there; trust me, I feel the pain.
However, since I am close to someone in the hotel industry, I have learned that this is not always the drivers fault. Many times, it is outside circumstances other than just the driver being late because they drive slow and are lazy. Sometimes it is because another crew wanted to get food, go to the mall, the movies, etc., and the van is occupied accommodating them. Sometimes it is because the driver was asked to run and errand for the front desk. Sometimes it is because the hotel management forces the drivers to stick to a strict 30-minute schedule (leave ever 30 minutes). It could be a lot of reasons.
From talking to some drivers, many (including someone close to me who would drive crews to the airport and to restaurants) tell me that the crews were downright rude to them because the van did not accommodate to their schedule. The hotel would get a call from a crew, "We are here to get picked up," and be told "the van will be there in 20 minutes, it just left the airport." At 21 minutes, the desk gets another phone call, "Where is the van? You said it would be here in 20 minutes, it is now past that." Then the driver gets barked at, stiffed by the crew after loading all their baggage, and told, "We need to go get food, when can you take us?" What??
Like I said, it is not often the drivers fault. It also cannot be helped when a crew arrives three hours behind schedule and expects the van to be waiting for them. Things just do not always work that way.
So what is the point of this thread? If the van shows up late, do not take it out on the driver. Take it up with the manager on duty when you arrive at the hotel if it is that much of an issue. Or, talk to your hotel committee. The only times I will stiff the driver and take issue with him/her is when a) they do not even get out to open the rear doors, let alone load bags, b) are downright rude to the crew, or c) drive recklessly putting us in danger.
Have a little patient with the employees of these hotels. Often, these hotels sign contracts that give up rooms that could make three to ten times what the airline pays for them. Most of the hotel employees I've found are very helpful to crews if you are polite and treat them with respect. When you start treating them like trash because you "deserve" something from the hotel (that you aren't even paying for, your company is), then they get a little pissed.
Plus, remember, you are representing the company you work for. ALL the employees know which crews are polite and don't make asses of themselves. They also know which ones are the #######s who act like fools. The person I am "close" to still has a very negative opinion of a certain Chicago-based airline because of the ways their crews acted during overnights.
