For the same reason it bothers me when you pee on the toilet seat or tip 10% in the hotel restaurant or don't hold the door open for the person behind you. It's rude or selfish or classless as determined by society.

 

fair enough. I remain un swayed...so bye.

 

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.

 

It says a lot about your character, period. Of course it doesn't bother you. Cheap f#cks like you have no shame.

Now who is the one judging, smalls?

 

And yet we all complain that regionals exist because cheap people care more about the price than the quality of service...but then are too cheap to tip the van driver. Irony.

 

I guarantee I made way less than you as a regional FO, and yet I still tipped.

 

Peeing on the toilet seat or not holding the door are not the same as not tipping the van driver. It's ok not to tip a van driver if they're just taking you to the hotel. maybe in your world it's not. But fortunately we don't live in your world.

 

No. You do live in my world. It's the world that every traveler lives in while in the US. You tip van drivers for above and beyond service. Those aren't my rules. Those are the rules of society.

And yes, being the guy who pees on the toilet seat is literally the exact same thing as the guy who doesn't tip the van driver. Nothing says you aren't allowed to pee on the seat or that you have to tip the van driver other than societal norms. Violating those norms makes you a self-centered outcast. Not my rules.

 

The van driver is not the same as a server. We are just riding on his route. The server is your personal slave for a short period of time to serve you so they deserve a tip. You won't make front page news on yahoo if you don't tip a van driver but you certainly will if you leave no tip for a server if they post it on instagram..... You can talk about social norms all you want.

 

Exactly. He's paid to drive. Not haul bags. If he does, he gets a tip. If he waits for you at the curb, just for you, he gets a tip. If he brings your keys, he gets a tip. If he gives tips on places to eat or specials or things going on around town, he gets a tip. Usually, they meet at least one of those criteria.

And this isn't about making the front page of Yahoo news. You won't be breaking news if you don't hold the door for someone, but you are a douche. No one will report you to CNN if you talk loudly on your cell phone in the gate area, but everyone is laughing at you. Not all societal norms are news worthy but they are still things we as a society have chosen to do. Either you do and people are grateful. Or you don't and people make fun of you behind your back and judge you and everyone like you.