Tipping Van Drivers
01-16-2020 | 01:20 PM
#31
Line Holder
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 246
Likes: 3
I really don't understand why crews feel compelled to tip. Riding in the hotel van is a required part of my job. Sure, if a driver really helps us out with something I'd tip. I always tip for rides off duty (i.e. restaurants, or into town). But just mindlessly giving away hundreds of dollars a year for something I have to do for work never made sense to me.
This^^
Where do you draw the line? Google hotel maids, they ‘should’ be tipped $1-5$ per night. Do y’all tip them?
Tipping is a terrible American social ‘norm’ for the restaurant industry who is too cheap to pay their employees properly and expect the customer to pay them. Let’s not let it spread to everything.
It hurts them way more than it helps them. They don’t have as much stability as an hourly wage employee. But you chose to go out to eat, you could order delivery, so as terrible as it is, I do tip wait staff when I go out.
But this is part of our job. Do we tip gate agents for being on time? Bag handelers don’t get $1 for every bag they handle, pilots don’t get $1 for every passenger.
It is an insult to tip in most countries. We are professionals who do our best, we don’t need a bribe/tip to do well.
It leads to scum in various other cities, where some guy jumps on your car and starts cleaning the window and expects money for it and he breaks your window.
Exactly. I treat the van driver like I would want to be treated. I thank them, tell them to have a good day. I let them load bags because they have a method, but I will gladly load or unload my own bag, in fact prefer it.
I assume most won’t turn down a tip, but don’t expect one either. I don’t think it ruins their day or they care if they get a tip.
01-16-2020 | 01:33 PM
#32
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 2,928
Likes: 97
This^^
Where do you draw the line? Google hotel maids, they ‘should’ be tipped $1-5$ per night. Do y’all tip them?
Tipping is a terrible American social ‘norm’ for the restaurant industry who is too cheap to pay their employees properly and expect the customer to pay them. Let’s not let it spread to everything.
It hurts them way more than it helps them. They don’t have as much stability as an hourly wage employee. But you chose to go out to eat, you could order delivery, so as terrible as it is, I do tip wait staff when I go out.
But this is part of our job. Do we tip gate agents for being on time? Bag handelers don’t get $1 for every bag they handle, pilots don’t get $1 for every passenger.
It is an insult to tip in most countries. We are professionals who do our best, we don’t need a bribe/tip to do well.
It leads to scum in various other cities, where some guy jumps on your car and starts cleaning the window and expects money for it and he breaks your window.
Exactly. I treat the van driver like I would want to be treated. I thank them, tell them to have a good day. I let them load bags because they have a method, but I will gladly load or unload my own bag, in fact prefer it.
I assume most won’t turn down a tip, but don’t expect one either. I don’t think it ruins their day or they care if they get a tip.
Where do you draw the line? Google hotel maids, they ‘should’ be tipped $1-5$ per night. Do y’all tip them?
Tipping is a terrible American social ‘norm’ for the restaurant industry who is too cheap to pay their employees properly and expect the customer to pay them. Let’s not let it spread to everything.
It hurts them way more than it helps them. They don’t have as much stability as an hourly wage employee. But you chose to go out to eat, you could order delivery, so as terrible as it is, I do tip wait staff when I go out.
But this is part of our job. Do we tip gate agents for being on time? Bag handelers don’t get $1 for every bag they handle, pilots don’t get $1 for every passenger.
It is an insult to tip in most countries. We are professionals who do our best, we don’t need a bribe/tip to do well.
It leads to scum in various other cities, where some guy jumps on your car and starts cleaning the window and expects money for it and he breaks your window.
Exactly. I treat the van driver like I would want to be treated. I thank them, tell them to have a good day. I let them load bags because they have a method, but I will gladly load or unload my own bag, in fact prefer it.
I assume most won’t turn down a tip, but don’t expect one either. I don’t think it ruins their day or they care if they get a tip.
This right here ^. Some of guys can knock folks for rationalization of not tipping.
You guys do y’all and tip. Let folks who don’t tip, do them.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
01-16-2020 | 02:03 PM
#33
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 450
Likes: 0
I personally think tipping van drivers is out of hand. Answer these questions...
1) Do flight crews get tips for leaving and arriving on time? No..it’s our job.
2) Do ramp crews get tipped for the hundreds of bags they load and unload daily? No..it’s their job.
3) Is a hotel van to/from the airport an “extra”? No..it’s the driver’s job.
Lets say the average crew remember is out 14 nights/month. If you trip $1 each way that’s 28/month. That’s $336/year on something you probably don’t get reimbursed for. If the van driver is willing to take us somewhere then absolutely I will tip them because that’s beyond the scope of our regular airport transportation requirements. I also prefer to load and unload my own bags unless the driver has a method for stacking them in the van.
1) Do flight crews get tips for leaving and arriving on time? No..it’s our job.
2) Do ramp crews get tipped for the hundreds of bags they load and unload daily? No..it’s their job.
3) Is a hotel van to/from the airport an “extra”? No..it’s the driver’s job.
Lets say the average crew remember is out 14 nights/month. If you trip $1 each way that’s 28/month. That’s $336/year on something you probably don’t get reimbursed for. If the van driver is willing to take us somewhere then absolutely I will tip them because that’s beyond the scope of our regular airport transportation requirements. I also prefer to load and unload my own bags unless the driver has a method for stacking them in the van.
01-16-2020 | 02:24 PM
#34
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,370
Likes: 0
From: 737 FO
I really don't understand why crews feel compelled to tip. Riding in the hotel van is a required part of my job. Sure, if a driver really helps us out with something I'd tip. I always tip for rides off duty (i.e. restaurants, or into town). But just mindlessly giving away hundreds of dollars a year for something I have to do for work never made sense to me.
This^^
Where do you draw the line? Google hotel maids, they ‘should’ be tipped $1-5$ per night. Do y’all tip them?
Tipping is a terrible American social ‘norm’ for the restaurant industry who is too cheap to pay their employees properly and expect the customer to pay them. Let’s not let it spread to everything.
It hurts them way more than it helps them. They don’t have as much stability as an hourly wage employee. But you chose to go out to eat, you could order delivery, so as terrible as it is, I do tip wait staff when I go out.
But this is part of our job. Do we tip gate agents for being on time? Bag handelers don’t get $1 for every bag they handle, pilots don’t get $1 for every passenger.
It is an insult to tip in most countries. We are professionals who do our best, we don’t need a bribe/tip to do well.
It leads to scum in various other cities, where some guy jumps on your car and starts cleaning the window and expects money for it and he breaks your window.
Exactly. I treat the van driver like I would want to be treated. I thank them, tell them to have a good day. I let them load bags because they have a method, but I will gladly load or unload my own bag, in fact prefer it.
I assume most won’t turn down a tip, but don’t expect one either. I don’t think it ruins their day or they care if they get a tip.
Where do you draw the line? Google hotel maids, they ‘should’ be tipped $1-5$ per night. Do y’all tip them?
Tipping is a terrible American social ‘norm’ for the restaurant industry who is too cheap to pay their employees properly and expect the customer to pay them. Let’s not let it spread to everything.
It hurts them way more than it helps them. They don’t have as much stability as an hourly wage employee. But you chose to go out to eat, you could order delivery, so as terrible as it is, I do tip wait staff when I go out.
But this is part of our job. Do we tip gate agents for being on time? Bag handelers don’t get $1 for every bag they handle, pilots don’t get $1 for every passenger.
It is an insult to tip in most countries. We are professionals who do our best, we don’t need a bribe/tip to do well.
It leads to scum in various other cities, where some guy jumps on your car and starts cleaning the window and expects money for it and he breaks your window.
Exactly. I treat the van driver like I would want to be treated. I thank them, tell them to have a good day. I let them load bags because they have a method, but I will gladly load or unload my own bag, in fact prefer it.
I assume most won’t turn down a tip, but don’t expect one either. I don’t think it ruins their day or they care if they get a tip.
For those of you who say "if I happen to have cash" you should be ashamed of yourselves. If you don't care to tip, then don't... but don't make some excuse about how you don't have cash when you intentionally make sure not to.
For the rest of you looking for excuses, tips are expected and the drivers notice when certain airlines crews don't tip. When I started at my current airline on day one of indoc they made a point of saying that tipping van drivers is not considered optional and that if we want to say we are making some broader societal point about tipping to do it on our own time, not while representing the company, and more importantly when it isn't affecting how they look at our crews.
The only reason I carried cash when flying RJs was hotel van tips and I still do for the same reason. Yes the drivers notice when you don't tip, and if they see a pattern from a company yes it affects what kind of service you get. In the old days the van drivers were in many cases making more than RJ pilots (although that wasn't their fault), now they are almost assuredly making less than you.
I personally think tipping van drivers is out of hand. Answer these questions...
1) Do flight crews get tips for leaving and arriving on time? No..it’s our job.
2) Do ramp crews get tipped for the hundreds of bags they load and unload daily? No..it’s their job.
3) Is a hotel van to/from the airport an “extra”? No..it’s the driver’s job.
Lets say the average crew remember is out 14 nights/month. If you trip $1 each way that’s 28/month. That’s $336/year on something you probably don’t get reimbursed for. If the van driver is willing to take us somewhere then absolutely I will tip them because that’s beyond the scope of our regular airport transportation requirements. I also prefer to load and unload my own bags unless the driver has a method for stacking them in the van.
1) Do flight crews get tips for leaving and arriving on time? No..it’s our job.
2) Do ramp crews get tipped for the hundreds of bags they load and unload daily? No..it’s their job.
3) Is a hotel van to/from the airport an “extra”? No..it’s the driver’s job.
Lets say the average crew remember is out 14 nights/month. If you trip $1 each way that’s 28/month. That’s $336/year on something you probably don’t get reimbursed for. If the van driver is willing to take us somewhere then absolutely I will tip them because that’s beyond the scope of our regular airport transportation requirements. I also prefer to load and unload my own bags unless the driver has a method for stacking them in the van.
You are all going to do your own thing anyway, but don't fool yourselves into thinking that anyone else sees you as anything other than cheap and stingy. Regardless of what broader points you think you are making that is how both the drivers and your fellow crew members see you.
01-16-2020 | 02:55 PM
#36
Prime Minister/Moderator
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 45,127
Likes: 796
From: Engines Turn or People Swim
Don't forget that the management of each hotel aims to keep their employees happy. A van driver that doesn't get tipped will complain about those cheap crewmembers who won't tip, and who knowing a specific airlines track record will provide good service or slow service.which can affect the hotels decision as to whether it's worth it to keep the contract.
if you hate the hotel, go ahead and be cheap. If you like the hotel it's in your best interest to do the societal norm.
if you hate the hotel, go ahead and be cheap. If you like the hotel it's in your best interest to do the societal norm.
If you don't like the hotel, call in fatigued... that will get you a new hotel quicker than anything else.
01-16-2020 | 03:03 PM
#37
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 450
Likes: 0
no, you don’t call fatigued unless there is a true fatigue issue, not because “you don’t like the hotel”.
01-16-2020 | 03:04 PM
#38
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 450
Likes: 0
At my former airline, probably 3/4 of the captains I flew with didn't tip. They would either shove themselves past the driver to move their bag or make an excuse about "I'll make up for it next time" even though the driver had seen them three times already that month. They also wondered why the van drivers were rarely if ever sitting there waiting for us or otherwise prompt to pick us up.
For those of you who say "if I happen to have cash" you should be ashamed of yourselves. If you don't care to tip, then don't... but don't make some excuse about how you don't have cash when you intentionally make sure not to.
For the rest of you looking for excuses, tips are expected and the drivers notice when certain airlines crews don't tip. When I started at my current airline on day one of indoc they made a point of saying that tipping van drivers is not considered optional and that if we want to say we are making some broader societal point about tipping to do it on our own time, not while representing the company, and more importantly when it isn't affecting how they look at our crews.
The only reason I carried cash when flying RJs was hotel van tips and I still do for the same reason. Yes the drivers notice when you don't tip, and if they see a pattern from a company yes it affects what kind of service you get. In the old days the van drivers were in many cases making more than RJ pilots (although that wasn't their fault), now they are almost assuredly making less than you.
The thing is, people like you who don't tip affect everyone else... although the people who don't tip aren't likely to care about that.
Tips for things like your van driver are expected to be part of your per diem, which is why it is not taxed. So no, it's not something you don't get reimbursed for, you just get the money whether you tip or not.
You are all going to do your own thing anyway, but don't fool yourselves into thinking that anyone else sees you as anything other than cheap and stingy. Regardless of what broader points you think you are making that is how both the drivers and your fellow crew members see you.
For those of you who say "if I happen to have cash" you should be ashamed of yourselves. If you don't care to tip, then don't... but don't make some excuse about how you don't have cash when you intentionally make sure not to.
For the rest of you looking for excuses, tips are expected and the drivers notice when certain airlines crews don't tip. When I started at my current airline on day one of indoc they made a point of saying that tipping van drivers is not considered optional and that if we want to say we are making some broader societal point about tipping to do it on our own time, not while representing the company, and more importantly when it isn't affecting how they look at our crews.
The only reason I carried cash when flying RJs was hotel van tips and I still do for the same reason. Yes the drivers notice when you don't tip, and if they see a pattern from a company yes it affects what kind of service you get. In the old days the van drivers were in many cases making more than RJ pilots (although that wasn't their fault), now they are almost assuredly making less than you.
The thing is, people like you who don't tip affect everyone else... although the people who don't tip aren't likely to care about that.
Tips for things like your van driver are expected to be part of your per diem, which is why it is not taxed. So no, it's not something you don't get reimbursed for, you just get the money whether you tip or not.
You are all going to do your own thing anyway, but don't fool yourselves into thinking that anyone else sees you as anything other than cheap and stingy. Regardless of what broader points you think you are making that is how both the drivers and your fellow crew members see you.
01-16-2020 | 03:07 PM
#39
All is fine at .79
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 4,490
Likes: 42
From: Paahlot
They’re van drivers not organized crime blackmailers.
They get paid to drive the van.
If they’re late, rude, falling asleep or otherwise unsafe you file your complaint through the usual channels.
They get paid to drive the van.
If they’re late, rude, falling asleep or otherwise unsafe you file your complaint through the usual channels.
01-16-2020 | 03:09 PM
#40
Line Holder
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 246
Likes: 3
Tipping Van Drivers
This is a sadly laughable statement (and false). If they did want to keep them happy, they would pay more hourly.
I guarantee zero input from driver is used when deciding contracts.
