Tipping FBO workers

Sisson2011

Sisson2011

Well-Known Member
When you're flying your private plane or even corporate pilots do you tip the local FBO hand that marshals you in and takes care of you? Is it customary. My friend and I got to discussing it earlier and we were curious.

Thanks!

Matthew Sisson
 
Depends on the service. If we're the only plane on the ramp, parked 50' from the door, pay $100 for the ramp fee and I still have to get my own chocks before we depart...then no - two reasons, you don't deserve one and you're not there to get one. If the guy/gal hustles to get the fuel truck, help with bags, etc..., we'll give them a tip.
 
Depends. I landed to get fuel and the fuel farm would not accept my card. The guy drove his truck over, fueled me up and charged me the self serve price. He got a tip.
 
oooooo....never thought about it....now I will have to pay attention. I think the examples given deserve a tip. Hustle, help, pleasant....
 
but lets say I'm a corporate pilot... do I tip? I mean, I'm there to make money, not give it away.

How does it work?
 
Sidious said:
but lets say I'm a corporate pilot... do I tip? I mean, I'm there to make money, not give it away.

How does it work?
Click to expand...

My friend who is a corporate pilot says he "greases" everyone. He is reimbursed by the company. I am sure not all companies reimburse the pilots.
 
Sidious said:
but lets say I'm a corporate pilot... do I tip? I mean, I'm there to make money, not give it away.

How does it work?
Click to expand...

My boss gives me about $100 in ones every month that I keep in the airplane. It is used for tipping line guys. It is sad how often I find a line guy worth tipping. Netjets gives pilots a few hundred dollars a month for tipping.

Alex.
 
Most of the time I only accept tips once. I've had NetJets crews tip me separately for lav, then window service, then ride to the hotel and it's just too much.

Also, sometimes food is better than money itself.
 
I got tips when I worked the ramp in Blacksburg for game day traffic. It wasn't half bad. Most of the time, it was only a dollar or two, but sometimes twenty. In any case it was great, since I never worked expecting a tip.
 
I never expected to get tips as a line service guy. It was nice when I did, but I usually felt uncomfortable accepting them.
 
When we come back from Mexico, we stop at a small airport of entry. They don't have self serve, so we tip the line guy $20 to stay late if we need it.
 
It all depends. if they go above and beyond their normal job to help us out, we would tip them. But usually the pax tip the line guys for unloading their baggage so i dont feel its necessary to tip them again.

Now, if only the pax would start tipping the crew!
 
It seems a lot of passengers will tip line guys for pulling their car around and helping with the bags. It is nice to see, but I helped with the bags too, plus safely flew them around the country and I rarely see tips.

That said, I don't tip the line guys, but I will give them left over catering, and often offer them a water or something.
 
Good points. The line guys at Atlantic in KAUS work pretty hard, and they've always been really responsive and cool to me when I've needed fuel on short notice. I really ought to tip them. It's gotta be annoying when they're dealing with jets and tprops and some wanker (me) asks them to swing over and give me 20 gallons of 100LL for the 152.

Although the gas IS almost $7 a gallon there....

-b
 
Hacker15e said:
I never expected to get tips as a line service guy. It was nice when I did, but I usually felt uncomfortable accepting them.
Click to expand...

:yeahthat: If I took at tip it was because the pilot wouldn't leave me alone about it. I didn't mind it at all but I was always just doing my job. I went above and beyond for those pilots who treated me nice. So every time that I head into an FBO or talk to a line guy I always try to say thanks....They NEVER get enough credit for the *stuff* that they put up with.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top