Van_Hoolio
Well-Known Member
Here is my rule that I live by:
For as long as I don't receive tips from passengers as a 121 pilot, I will NEVER EVER give one dime to the hotel van driver who picks me up to take me to the Econolodge or Ramada Inn for a horrible night's sleep.
I love it when the hotel van drivers, who probably make more money than I do, look surprised when all they get is a "thank you" for pulling my bags out of the back. What the hell do they expect?! They're just a hotel van driver!
Welcome to the regionals!
Going by that logic, you would never tip at a restaurant or bar you went to on an overnight either. It is customary to tip drivers, just as it is to tip waiters and bar tenders. It's not customary to tip airline pilots. If you want a job where you get tipped, apply at Outback.
Pay the guy 50 cents to load your bags and 50 cents to unload them, you cheap bastage. Even on 1st year pay, I figured I could part with a few bucks of per diem that I would get for the trip to tip the van driver.
People like you who don't tip ruin it for the rest of us. Withholding the tip is about the only recourse we have for poor (i.e. late) hotel van service. If no one tips, the van driver has no incentive to empower himself (i.e. track the flight; call ops; etc.) to pick up the crew on time. By not tipping, you are also doing the rest of your crew a disservice. Some crew members count on the van to be able to take them out to eat or to run an errand. Usually these special trips are at the discretion of the van driver as a matter of "availability". Don't expect anything extra if you are too cheap to tip.
It is your choice to not tip, but trust me, you are making an ass out of yourself in front of other members of your crew. Some are probably embarrassed to fly with you. Aviation is a small world as we all know. You never know who you may be making a poor impression of yourself in front of.
Mike