Tipping the hotel van driver

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Geting back to the not tipping the van driver thing...

Per diem is another term used for M&IE, which is an acronym for Meals and Incidental Expenses. This is basically what pretty much every airline pays crews overnighting somewhere (and some pay for day trips as well). The definition of which is money paid to cover expenses associated with being on the road, which includes not only "Meals" but things like tipping drivers/maids/etc which is the "Incidentals". You can take that to the extreme and look at not tipping like cheating or stealing from those workers. So quit being cheap and tip the van driver a measly buck. If on my measly first year FO salary at Colgan I tipped the van drivers and left a tip for the maid, don't begin to tell me you can't afford it (Jace). However as has also been said before, if the service is poor you don't get the tip. It disgusts me when people don't tip outside of that reason, as it should.
 
this is stupid.. who cares what any other dbag thinks.

If I have a dollar in my pocket I give it to them, If I don't have one on me, I load/unload my own bags and go on my way. If they do something exemplary and I have no change I go out of my way and go make change for them.

Anybody that judges people for this stuff is an idiot and has no idea what that person's personal circumstances/finances may be. If they want to spend their money on alcohol and dirty hookers instead of van driver tips.. Thats their choice. Deal with it, Worry about yourself.:rolleyes:

If it's such a big deal to you, why don't you just pay extra for the non-tipper instead of stewing over it like a ra-tard all day? Whats an extra "extra" dollar.. Huh? Huh? Its no biggie you freakin cheapskate :D you'd probably spend that extra, "extra" dollar on beer or smokes or an i-pod anyway.. lol

I think it's quite funny how nobody EVER actually talks about this in the cockpit, only in the safety of internet forums.. I'd hate to fly with one of these people that actually pops a vein in their neck about something so stupid. Certainly LOTS of front office talk about Booze and Girls but can't say I've EVER heard van driver tips being discussed in my last 4,000 hrs. and I hope to keep it that way.
 
Rocketman99 said:
Geting back to the not tipping the van driver thing...

Per diem is another term used for M&IE, which is an acronym for Meals and Incidental Expenses.
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I'm on the road 5 days a week generally. I don't get a per diem (I have in the past), though my employer is really stingy about tips on my expense reports. I eat a lot of un-reimbursed travel expenses out of my pocket. Some percentage of that comes back on my taxes at the end of the year.

Anyway, the point is: Pony up the buck or two. That is how it works in our society. If you don't like it, walk :)
 
If they just stand there and let me load my own bag, they get nothing. (That's happened a couple of times, and it's always a female driver.) If they load and unload it, they get a buck. Of course, they get tipped for driving me to/from a restaurant.
 
RPM said:
If it's such a big deal to you, why don't you just pay extra for the non-tipper instead of stewing over it like a ra-tard all day? Whats an extra "extra" dollar.. Huh? Huh? Its no biggie you freakin cheapskate :D you'd probably spend that extra, "extra" dollar on beer or smokes or an i-pod anyway.. lol
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Have before and I will again. We've also talked about tipping and not tipping before on trips so :P

You're right Dale, what was I thinking trying to get this back on topic. My bad!
 
Bumblebee said:
The point wasn't whether you drink or smoke, but the excuse that you can't afford to tip one tiny little dollar (for someone who does a good job and customarily would receive a tip for the service) then just spend like crazy on other stuff. It is your money, and you can do what you want...just don't use the "I can't afford it excuse".
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No I understand what he was getting at, I was just being a smartass :).
 
Rocketman99 said:
Geting back to the not tipping the van driver thing...

Per diem is another term used for M&IE, which is an acronym for Meals and Incidental Expenses. This is basically what pretty much every airline pays crews overnighting somewhere (and some pay for day trips as well). The definition of which is money paid to cover expenses associated with being on the road, which includes not only "Meals" but things like tipping drivers/maids/etc which is the "Incidentals". You can take that to the extreme and look at not tipping like cheating or stealing from those workers. So quit being cheap and tip the van driver a measly buck. If on my measly first year FO salary at Colgan I tipped the van drivers and left a tip for the maid, don't begin to tell me you can't afford it (Jace). However as has also been said before, if the service is poor you don't get the tip. It disgusts me when people don't tip outside of that reason, as it should.
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If I were making what the government pays out on M&IE rates I wouldn't worry about tipping a van driver...as it is we are already under the M&IE rate by around 30%.
 
Of which that amount is still paid expressly for meals and incidentals. It's not regular income. We're paid at least a good 30% less than a real regular salary too...
 
I wish it were customary for pilots to get tips. And F/A's. Actually some of our really good F/A's get tips, and purposely try to bid DCA and HPN flying. One got a $50 on one leg.
 
wheelsup said:
I wish it were customary for pilots to get tips. And F/A's. Actually some of our really good F/A's get tips, and purposely try to bid DCA and HPN flying. One got a $50 on one leg.
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Before the airlines, I use to get tons of tips (cash ones you jackals haha) as a CFI.. $100 tips were not uncommon.. plus food and beer bought for me nearly every day buy customers.. I made more in tips and beer than my $19hr pay.. ah the good ol' days.

Now you get absolutely nothing for good customer service at the airlines.. so they get nothing special in return.. I need to go fly a G-V. :cool:
 
Rocketman99 said:
Geting back to the not tipping the van driver thing...

Per diem is another term used for M&IE, which is an acronym for Meals and Incidental Expenses. This is basically what pretty much every airline pays crews overnighting somewhere (and some pay for day trips as well). The definition of which is money paid to cover expenses associated with being on the road, which includes not only "Meals" but things like tipping drivers/maids/etc which is the "Incidentals". You can take that to the extreme and look at not tipping like cheating or stealing from those workers. So quit being cheap and tip the van driver a measly buck. If on my measly first year FO salary at Colgan I tipped the van drivers and left a tip for the maid, don't begin to tell me you can't afford it (Jace). However as has also been said before, if the service is poor you don't get the tip. It disgusts me when people don't tip outside of that reason, as it should.
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I do agree with your point but to temper it just a bit, they had salads and sandwiches in to-go boxes at the airport this morning. They were $9.50. Takes a while to rack that up in per diem, especially if per diem is not adjusted for inflation over time. Again I'm in the 'tip' column but honestly couldn't care less what the rest of the crew choses to do.
 
RPM said:
Deal with it, Worry about yourself.
:rolleyes:
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Well, in the grand scheme of things, this is a good point. But it's not like I'm letting it keep me up at night.

can't say I've EVER heard van driver tips being discussed in my last 4,000 hrs. and I hope to keep it that way.
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The internet is for all of things you wish you could say to people in real life if it weren't for their ability to punch you in the face. Haven't you figured this out yet? Seriously, though...I'm glad we don't talk about the same things here that we do in real life or there'd be like 10,000 pages of lies about women and booze, one page about airplanes, and no pages at all about how much you all SUCK. And where would be the fun in that?
 
RPM said:
Before the airlines, I use to get tons of tips (cash ones you jackals haha) as a CFI.. $100 tips were not uncommon.. plus food and beer bought for me nearly every day buy customers.. I made more in tips and beer than my $19hr pay.. ah the good ol' days.

Now you get absolutely nothing for good customer service at the airlines.. so they get nothing special in return.. I need to go fly a G-V. :cool:
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I had a student who tipped me over 50 bucks per lesson. He also had his own twin. Guess who got priority when scheduling time came around. I'd meet him at his house for ground lessons and I prepped his aircraft for flight lessons most of the time.
 
Bumblebee said:
Quit flying? Really?

I am getting tired of all of this, "you shouldn't have taken the job then" crap...Everyone has to pay dues, If you are first year at a major, the pay is crap too...should people not take that job until those conditions improve? What if the industry changes?

Every discussion around here has come down to...well you...or they...

There are plenty of opportunities out there still, but you have to work hard, pay your dues and work within the system that is available to us.

As I have said before, we are not in charge...none of us, from the Greatest Airline pilot in the world to the van driver. (If you are in charge and reading this, I am sorry for my blanket generalization.)

We are along for the ride, make it the best daggone ride you can...

and be kind to one another. (that includes tipping a measly dollar)
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The only thing that gets me Dale, referring to what you're talking about above, is the complete irony of a few regional or other pilots making the statement in the "tipping pizza guy" thread or even in this thread, that if said pizza guy or van driver didn't make enough money, they should just quit their job. Yet when the exact same logic is turned around and used towards a regional guy for why he stays in his job, they generally get offended that it was said to them and that its not even a reasonable option.

That's the observation I find funny.
 
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