Tipping the hotel van driver

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Not at 35 bucks a night for a 200 dollar room. His boss's boss's boss will care. That's it.

The opportunity cost of inconveniencing the rich local people lined up out the door to eat far outweighs the eventual loss of an airline contract. Potatoes vs. Foie Gras.
 
Bumblebee said:
so the airport van driver violated the contractual obligation to pick up the airlne crew, just getting in after their day at work, which we are certain was tougher than the UPS crew (it was a regional workday after all) and took your crew to dinner while they waited at the airport? You seem to be happy about this? The crew at the airport may have never been there before, and yet they pay the price. It could have been several of our JC people who are working hard to improve the workrules and image of regional pilots.

You know, you could have mentioned to her that regional crews have a much tougher job, with far less pay, but no... can't do that...those regional pilots are scum, right?


pathetic
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We didn't make any comments about regional pilots. We thanked her for looking out for us and she said that she liked dealing with our crews.

The point is don't irritate the van drivers.
 
A-300F4-622R said:
The point is don't irritate the van drivers.
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Eh, not really. When a company gets enough complaints from their pilots, said company will change hotels. Simple as that. A 1 dollar tip from a regional pilot is the same as a 1 dollar tip from a UPS pilot. Or even a 1 dollar tip from the greatest airline pilot in the world.

But if the driver doesn't give a crap about the crews, well everybody loses out. Including the van driver, who has just lost all those round trip dolla billz.
 
I've been left standing with no reason or apology given several times, lately.

I'm going to dig up the legal jargon in the hotel contracts and start making them walk the line.

If the contract says 15 minutes or less for pickup and we wait 20, they're going to eat a cab fare.

Actually, the Pilot contract says 15 minutes or less, so that must mean that all hotel contracts must comply, or the company risks getting the bill.

I'm going to check in on this.
 
Working at an FBO, I never expected a tip to transport pilots to/from the airport. Just getting away from having to do a lav or fueling was good enough.;)
 
Do at least a buck/bag but better yet, know their name and around the holidays, give 'em a $5 or a $10 and say thanks. I used to do that and yes it cost a bit more but what I found was the guys asking the next time I was scheduled in and my bag was usually first on, first off. It pays to pay attention to the little people.
 
I don't tip people for things I could do myself.

I do always tip my Urologist, because I can not pulverize my own kidney stones with a laser.
 
Recently started working line services and am often called to go pick up or drop off aircrew and passengers at the main terminal or hotels, so I guess I'll throw in my .02. I don't expect a tip though, I mean usually it's only a bag or two. Plus it's my job.
I did get a $3 tip from a pilot the other day for picking him up from the airport and bringing him to the fbo, he didn't even have any bags. Thought it was pretty cool/nice of him. Had a flight attendant tip me $2 today even though I was late, but I did load her bags and gave her some advice on getting aroudn Houston trying to get some specialized food for her client.
Now the people that come in on G IV's and have 1000 lbs of crap that gets loaded and don't tip...that's just rude IMO. We had a family bring in a limo that was practically dragging the rear end on the ground it was so loaded. Not a dime.

As for being late, not always our fault. I mean like today we were super swamped and I had to wait for a semi opportune time to get away. At one point we had no more spaces to park aircraft, yet by the time I get to the hotel/terminal and back you might see a different story.
 
Orange Anchor said:
It pays to pay attention to the little people.
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My dad LIVES off of this philosophy. Mainly because he was (or still is..he says) a little person.

From getting his residency papers to getting that extra awesome table at a nice restaurant, he always pays attention to the "smaller" people at work and you know what? It pays off EVERY time.
 
A-300F4-622R said:
We were in the hotel van in LAN a few years ago, going to the restaurant for dinner. The head concierge lady, who always treats us great, was driving the van. We were chatting with her when her radio went off. It was the front desk saying that Comair had called AGAIN and was getting peeved waiting at the airport for a pickup. She called back to the hotel and told the front desk to call Comair and tell them it will be awhile till she can come and get them as she is taking the UPS crew to dinner. She told us that since we always treat her well and tip well, she gives us priority over all other hotel guests when we need transportation to and from the airport or to and from restaurants. She specifically mentioned that Comair didn't usually tip well, if at all plus they usually had a bad attitude towards her, so she would not go out of her way to take care of them.
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I'm willing to bet that Comair crew was on a highspeed and just wanted to get to the hotel ASAP, at least LAN used to be a high speed when I was there and most Comair guys were
pretty good at tipping. I also don't want to sit at the airport for 30 mins. or whatever when Im on a high speed.
 
We take care of the van drivers, FBO and hotel. $5 each way. Same if we go to dinner. $10-$20 for a lav. Sometimes $5 for a fueler if we are in are a quick turn. Over and above gets noticed. Usually $20 for a Line guy that has to stay OT for a late arrival.

To all the line guys on here: Thanks.
 
NJA_Capt said:
We take care of the van drivers, FBO and hotel. $5 each way. Same if we go to dinner. $10-$20 for a lav. Sometimes $5 for a fueler if we are in are a quick turn. Over and above gets noticed. Usually $20 for a Line guy that has to stay OT for a late arrival.

To all the line guys on here: Thanks.
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Dang wish you came through HOU!

I'm definitely learning how NOT to act when, if, I ever make it as a pro pilot.
 
NJA_Capt said:
We take care of the van drivers, FBO and hotel. $5 each way. Same if we go to dinner. $10-$20 for a lav. Sometimes $5 for a fueler if we are in are a quick turn. Over and above gets noticed. Usually $20 for a Line guy that has to stay OT for a late arrival.

To all the line guys on here: Thanks.
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Collectively, NJA crews indeed have always tipped very well.

I would help unload bags and I'd get a couple of bucks. Then I'd do a lav and get a couple more. I'd do a water service and get a couple more. Then I'd take them to the hotel and get a couple more. Frankly, when they would offer to tip me a second time I'd just turn it down and say I already got a tip. They'd insist though so eventually I'd give in.:o

There was a base customer that would give a $20 to any lineguy that told him he landed well.:D
 
How could I have missed this thread. :)
contactground.9 said:
I don't tip people for things I could do myself.

I do always tip my Urologist, because I can not pulverize my own kidney stones with a laser.
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Best post in this thread.

I'll only tip the drivers when they're really nice and drive me to a nearby restaurant - OR - they've been waiting for our crew for a long time outside AND they manage to show good attitude. Other than that, it's their duty to drive me back and forth to the airport.

I'll load my own bags, not because I'm a cheapskate, but because it's faster for me to do it and I feel terrible to give a girl or an old man a heavy bag to pick up. Would you give your wife, gf, sister, mom, daughter, grandfather a heavy bag to carry when you could do it yourself? Didn't think so.
 
On the rare occasion that I get to enjoy the van, I always tip at least 3 or 4 bucks, however short the ride. Those guys work their butts off and tipping is an expected courtesy. You can Mr. Pink it all you want, but in the end, it's in your best interest to get with the program. They're human beings, and human beings have memories. Not tipping is for spoiled sports stars and crapbag CEOs who think they're more important than mere mortals who actually do work.
 
AngelFuree said:
How could I have missed this thread. :)

Best post in this thread.

I'll only tip the drivers when they're really nice and drive me to a nearby restaurant - OR - they've been waiting for our crew for a long time outside AND they manage to show good attitude. Other than that, it's their duty to drive me back and forth to the airport.

I'll load my own bags, not because I'm a cheapskate, but because it's faster for me to do it and I feel terrible to give a girl or an old man a heavy bag to pick up. Would you give your wife, gf, sister, mom, daughter, grandfather a heavy bag to carry when you could do it yourself? Didn't think so.
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I would throw a bag at a 96 year old woman if it was her job to do so. I would then smile cheerfully as we drove to the hotel doing 25mph in a 50, with the right turn signal on the entire way.
 
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