Originally Posted by
FlyingKat
I get a giggle out of mainline folks that want to lecture regional crews about money. When you are a regional FA or FO making peanuts compared to mainline crews $40 or $50 bucks a month in tips just for a ride to and from work can be a bit much. However Captains are a different story.
If you ask the van driver for something extra like a ride to the restaurant or downtown, then a tip is always appropriate for something outside of a ride to the airport.
Also for you mainline types, most regional FOs and FAs eat out of lunchbags in order to make money off their per diem and pay bills, no spend it in tips.
The majority, if not all, of the "mainline types" in this thread are recently separated from regionals. Whining about making two or three times what previous FOs made who DID tip and acting like we don't know how it is at the regional level is pretty ignorant. As is the argument that since you don't use the tax free money, which is tax free for reasons including meals and tips, for meals that you shouldn't have to use it for tips either.
I tipped even when I was making $20 an hour, using the excuse that you don't budget for it doesn't hold water. Of course, the amount of money you say it costs doesn't hold water either. A 4 day trip has 3 overnights, for $6 in tips at $1/ride. If you work with 11 days off a month in a 31 day month that gives you 20 work days. In 4 day trips that means 5 trips and 15 overnights. That's $30 in tips. If you do any 2 or 3 day trips the number drops. It also drops if you have more days off than that in a month or any 30 hr layovers.
Ever wonder why hotel drivers try really hard to wait for some airlines' crews and not others? Or care about how long they are at the curb? What you're really doing with a tip to a van driver is encouraging good service to crews going forward. And yes, it does give your airline a reputation if most of the crews don't tip.
While I am loathe to use "back in my day" references, this really is the best pay period time the regionals have ever had. Anyone who was new in the regionals 10 years ago or more really did have it much worse.