I hate those unfurnished hotels!

 

Just some fyi to this thread, for those who are newer around these parts.. When I started as a DC-8 and DC-10 plumber, the captains usually bought drinks and/or dinner for the pilots on layovers (sometimes even for the stews!). When I started, the captains' pay rates were more than the co-pilot and plumber pay combined. The captains' rates were astronomical; these guys talked all the way from coast to coast about their boats and planes and ranches.

Somewhere along the way, the middle-seniority guys got control of the union and made the pay rates more level, more fair I suppose. My fo's now are paid more than 70% of what I'm paid.

I take no position on the overall topic. Sometimes I buy drinks for helpful, friendly fo's. Sometimes I just rack out as we hit hotels late at night. But keep in mind, the economics have changed over the years. Captains no longer have hugely higher take home pay per trip than fo's. So don't be too hard on guys who can't afford to buy drinks and dinners on every layover.

 

I think the message is simply not to allow a generosity to become an expectation.