Curious how much y’all are leaving the shuttle driver and the limo driver?

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Longwaytofall@reddit

I do $1 a ride and I really dislike it. It’s a meaningless amount of money, a pain in the ass for me to stock, and is only a token thing to not look like an asshole. Wish we could all just do our jobs and be paid by our employers.

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SpeedbirdTK1@reddit

Just don’t tip them.

I really don’t understand why we hold van drivers as some kind of special class that deserve extra money for doing their job when their job is so fucking easy compared to rampers destroying their bodies lugging bags in all sorts of shitty weather conditions or the poor janitors that have to clean up completely wrecked airport bathrooms. Van drivers get paid to sit around in the AC or heat in a comfy vehicle and they’re on the clock the entire time whether they’re waiting for you or not.

The pretentious ass people who want to call you a cheapskate or an asshole cause you didn’t arbitrarily tip a random person a dollar for no reason are free to tip the van driver a 50 or 100 on your behalf since they’re such great people who feel the need to be superior to you.

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PulaskisCandyStore@reddit

In the last few years of major hiring at the legacy I'm at, we naturally had a ton of RJ folks. And them not tipping was noticeable. I'm never going to tell people what to do with their money but you will stick out when the broke flight attendant is giving them a dollar but you're too principled to tip because the driver has an "easy" job and tipping culture is BS. Why should I buy my FO that talks about his old regional all the time and complains about uniform pants a beer on the overnight? It's just sort of the right thing to do and is particular to our industry culture.

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das_thorn@reddit

With that in mind, should folks in the back start tipping the FAs for drink service?

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PulaskisCandyStore@reddit

Some passengers do tip flight attendants, for sure. Flight attendants just need to get paid more. I'm saying that tipping van drivers is normal in the aviation industry, has been for decades. So much so that flight attendants making 50 grand or less will do it while some fresh off probation legacy FOs won't on some principle. Some of the new hire Covid generation of airline pilots got sucked up so fast they haven't been around long enough to know what they don't know.

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das_thorn@reddit

Lots of things used to be normal in the aviation industry that have gone away, and rightly so. Tipping should be one of them. If nothing else because I have to make a special effort to keep ten or fifteen bills floating around that I'd otherwise never carry.

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PulaskisCandyStore@reddit

Great. Don't tip. But see how that sets the tone with your crew. Go on and be the face of removing tipping on crew vans.

But 2 pilots making collectively between 500k-1M can spring a couple of bucks and not complain about it. Sh*t it's been (mostly) a dollar standard for the last 30 years. With inflation, you're saving money now. I'm not saying it's right. Here we are working under some legacy contracts where you can go fly 2 days of premium and make like 8 grand for maybe flying a couple of legs. But some folks (mostly newer pilots who walked into these contracts) will still complain about carrying some singles in their bag. Wild times.

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SpeedbirdTK1@reddit

Just because something is industry culture doesn't make it right or worthy of being continued. You can't make the sort of moral argument that you're making for van drivers when there so many non-tipped, low-paid positions that support everything there is to run the environment we operate in. Why aren't you tipping the ramp crew that just loaded 100 bags in the 120F PHX or LAS summer heat or -30C ORD winter?

Also, if your FO is annoying like that then why would you want to hang out with them on the overnight after a full day of work, much less them buy them a beer?

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PulaskisCandyStore@reddit

I agree that tipping culture is silly and unfair. It's also silly that pilots wear blazers and ties and even hats. But it's engrained and until there is a massive change in that culture, you will stick out and look like a cheap person to your crew. We don't tip the ramp crew or janitor because no one has ever done that uniformly in airline culture.

If you're on probation and a half way normal person I'll buy you dinner and a beer or a coffee at the airport because you make peanuts on first year pay. And I'll keep buying beers because that's what Captains did for me on my way up. You have a point but if you're a non tipper you'll prob run into a someone that's going to bring up that you make 200k a year and that not giving the old man skyhop driver a buck is pretty lame even if you have a good argument. Again, you do you.

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PLIKITYPLAK@reddit

Van driving is an easy job? I mean it doesn't take a special skill but it is far from a cake job. A lot of those van drivers, especially those that work close to a busy airport at an airport hotel, are constantly on a tight loop. Especially those hotels that have can times every 15 to 20 minutes. Right when these drivers get back to the hotel they are right up against their next departure time. They don't even have time to hit the bathroom and if they do I have literally seen them running to and from it before.

It amazes me the disdain some of my fellow pilots have for the working class.

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Studsmcgee@reddit

Just curious. If the driver doesn’t load the bag do you still tip?

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PLIKITYPLAK@reddit

It depends but most likely no. Just don't be that guy who literally pushed the van driver out of the way to grab his bag just so he didn't feel pressure to tip. I've seen that happen more then once unfortunately.

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Joe_Littles@reddit

You’ve obviously never worked a job that depends on tips to get by.

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BigBadPanda@reddit

He sounds like Mr. Pink.

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e_pilot@reddit

this

luckily the gratuity is included from my company on our scheduled transportation, but like 20% of what we get is still just a regular hotel shuttle

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extremefuzz777@reddit

Honestly I do the same. I’ll tip if I get a van on my own time and own dime, like if I’m on vacation. But I’m here for work, so I don’t think it should be expected of us to cover what’s essentially a company expense. And even if it’s just 1$, those tips add up at the end of the year.

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throwaway_tiredcap@reddit

Years ago on the ol forum, there was a tipping thread that was getting way out of hand. I think in the regional sub, and maybe it had to get locked. It’s been a while.

But it always becomes just like this thread: most people giving token sums, a few saying “don’t be cheap” to sound better than everyone else (and hey if you actually give that much, good on you, but this is anonymous internet so who really knows), and a few that make a stand for a societal paradigm shift on tipping.

I am not picking a side, or stoking discontent. But I do to k this is the most based take but it’ll make people upset on both sides. Back when I saw the squabbling in the aforementioned forum, a couple days later I got in a hotel van in Forgettable Midwest Regional Layover and there was a laminated sign taped on the console. Not for the passengers, but for the driver. Misquoted and paraphrased, the gist was “your job is to safely drive the van, help passengers on and off if they need help, and to load and unload luggage.” I don’t recall the exact phrasing but it was like, very clearly saying the job duties included loading and unloading and was saying basically hey, do your job.

I took particular note of that because the conversation in those discussions always boils down to “it’s not their job to lug my bags, they do it as an added service so that’s why I tip! And to incentivize them to be on time and wait for us!” I really wanted to show them “hey, I get what you’re saying but actually this actual specific thing is in their job description (usually something like have to be able to lift 50lbs and be exposed to the elements). And also, timeliness and awaiting our pickup is supposeddddd to be in our hotel contracts but like, good luck with that lol.

Anyway I admire your bravery, many of your peers would gladly lambast you for even suggesting deviation form the norm of tipping. 🎖️🫡

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newtostew2@reddit

The r/curb episode with Larry David having the tiny female limo driver carry his bags (against his wishes), and she’s struggling like none other and LD is getting judged to shit lol, I’m pretty sure he even said “I offered a tip! I said I’d carry them.” And then she’s like “tips aren’t necessary, it’s my job” or something similar and how she could still do it. Definitely a comedic juxtaposition for the situation, but relevant it seems

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throwaway_tiredcap@reddit

We are all Larry David on this blessed day. He says what we all lack the courage to.

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fighting_gopher@reddit

I’d personally prefer if they didn’t unload my luggage. They lift bags all day, I can get mine. They don’t need to do it for me

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swakid8@reddit

Same here….

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RiverFrogs@reddit

I hate that tipping has become required. If they go above and beyond the par for the job I enjoy tipping but why am I having to tip on everything even if the service or experience sucked

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Puravida1904@reddit

$0 they get paid more than I do flying

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Typical-Buy-4961@reddit (OP)

Flair checks out.

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Baystate411@reddit

$2 and sometimes cover the FO

One time I handed a British driver a euro and he said "what the fuck is this" and gave it back. Whoops

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Typical-Buy-4961@reddit (OP)

Yeah those guys prefer lbs.

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Kjartanski@reddit

£ surely

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Typical-Buy-4961@reddit (OP)

No no I’m pretty sure if you go over to England the price stickers on everything in the dollar tree would say 1.25lbs

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pvdas@reddit

He probably thought you were taking the piss

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No-Park-620@reddit

I don’t leave anything.

I am required to take the shuttle/car service. I should not have to tip anything for something I am required to use. I should be able to do an overnight without spending any money. Wish company would cover it but thats not my problem.

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Typical-Buy-4961@reddit (OP)

You’re living as though the world were how you wish it was; not how it is. Ok.

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SATSewerTube@reddit

This reminds me I need to go get more $2 bills

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Typical-Buy-4961@reddit (OP)

Same 😖

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bigplaneboeing737@reddit

As shitty as this sounds, I just find it a huge inconvenience to head to the airport ATM, get a $20 bill, and break it by buying gum at airport news stand.

Many people just do not carry cash anymore.

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Typical-Buy-4961@reddit (OP)

Yep. I agree and dang those airport ATM fees coupled with the gum/sanitizing wipes is a rip off to access tip money for my $3-$5 I need, depending on how funny the guy is.

It’s pretty meaningless and I just wish we could do without tipping as it’s such an expensive thing to do. I seem to go thru $80-$100 I keep in small bills really fast when I’m out on trips.

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rotorcraftjockie@reddit

$5-10

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Typical-Buy-4961@reddit (OP)

What?! $10 per ride? There could be 8 of those on a trip. Dang. That could amount to a few hundred a month.

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Sunflowerdiva@reddit

Flight Attendant here. When I have money to spare, I tip $1 or $2. I wasn't able to tip my last trip because my budget was super tight and I needed to use the little bit I did have for food. I feel bad when I can't tip but I need to look out for my well-being first.

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Typical-Buy-4961@reddit (OP)

100%. Nobody would judge you for that. Look after yourself and honestly FAs aren’t always super well paid so they shouldn’t expect tips from y’all.

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lavionverte@reddit

Per company guidelines (all reimbursed):

Shuttle van: $5 per crew per ride

Limo that I booked (e.g. Uber Black): 20%

Limo that the company booked (e.g. Empire CLS): 0, we're told not to tip them because service charge in billed to the company

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LaggingIndicator@reddit

I stock up on $2 bills and hand those out. $5 if I don’t have anything else and for Pete’s sake, don’t ask for change unless you need it for the next morning’s tip.

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BigBadPanda@reddit

$5 if they load my bag. $5 if they don’t. I’m not a cheap asshole and I’m paid extraordinarily well.

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Veritech-1@reddit

The cheapass in me could never.

That’s $10 a day on the road. A four day trip ends up being $30 (not counting the personal drive to and from the airport). Three of those trips a month is $90 a month.

That’s $1080 a year.

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BrosenkranzKeef@reddit

Yeah? Your company pays you back don’t they?

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Veritech-1@reddit

I mean, they pay me money to fly airplanes and I get per diem. I don't have money specifically allocated to transportation to work.

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BigBadPanda@reddit

And I get paid $6 a minute. I can taxi slow and make that money back.

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Diver_Driver@reddit

Not to mention we get paid a per diem to help cover expenses on the road. I earn back my tipping money while sleeping.

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DarthStrakh@reddit

Yeah I'm kinda surprised on here yall don't tip when you make that much. I make half as much as some of the titles on here suggest and I tip like $10 or 30% for everything if they do a good job. It makes people happy and doesn't effect my well being.

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t_dog581@reddit

Because tipping culture is out of control. It's not about how much money we make. It's the principle of the matter. Tipping is (was) supposed to bring servers wages up to at least minimum wage. Now, everyone and their mother wants a tip for doing a shit-ass job at their job which they are paid way over minimum wage for. I don't need to tip someone for doing their job on the sole basis of the fact that I make more than they do.

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DarthStrakh@reddit

Yeah I mean you can argue the morality of companies using tipping systems all you want, I agree with you. But not tipping people isn't really rebeling against the system, the company doesn't give a fuck if you tip lol. You're just making another humans day who just helped you out worse.

Now, everyone and their mother wants a tip for doing a shit-ass job

I mean. If they do a shitty job I'm not tipping lol.

I started doing this thanks to a memory I have from when I was younger. I was broke af, eating one meal a day, trying to get through college and working a shitty internet install job with a dick of a boss. This company was small, so whoever was around ran phone support. I had an older guy call in and he was clearly having problems being walked through the troubleshooting steps over the phone and I had nothing going on that day so I said fuck it and told him not to worry about it and I'd just swing by. Super simple 5min job. But he thanked me and tipped me $50 and told me to get a nice lunch. I was able to eat 2 meals a day for a week and he made my fucking day/week. I'll never forget that dudes face.

I've had many more extraordinarily kind experiences from strangers and I just try to pay it forward the best I can.

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Joe_Littles@reddit

My biggest takeaway in this thread is most of the people responding here come from significantly more privileged backgrounds than I ever did, lol. I could never not tip anyone working in the service industry. But it would be nice if their wages were brought up so we didn’t have to subsidize it.

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DarthStrakh@reddit

I agree. That and people rarely pause to think about other human beings. Growing up in small town America I'm just not used to treating strangers like shit I guess lol. Just look at how many downvotes my first comment received vs the second. The second included more emotion and a good story. People don't really think about the context of their actions unless it's shoved in their face. They don't think about how simple kind actions can dramatically effect people's lives.

The level of reactions I've gotten from what I would call not really that dramatic of a tip is crazy. People like PROFUSELY thanking me(which I don't like tbh, idk why but comments to my face like that make me quite uncomfortable). It clearly meant more to them than that measly $20 meant to me.

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Mediocre_Paramedic22@reddit

The what?

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PM_ME_YOUR_FOQA@reddit

$2 normally. $1 if that's all I got. If I ran out of money then 0. I'm not gonna ask the guy I'm flying with for change, Next time I'll tip a 5 $ to pass it forward. Makes it even in my book.

0$ if they're late or drive like a maniac.

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Morganrow@reddit

These van drivers getting $1 bills like crazy but can never break a 20

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Acrobatic_Oven9847@reddit

It's cuz they lie and want to keep the 20

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boobooaboo@reddit

Joke is on them, have they not learned how cheap most of us are?

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BrosenkranzKeef@reddit

$5 minimum every time because the company pays us back.

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Ima-pilot@reddit

$2 for men $1.44 for women

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BrtFrkwr@reddit

Used to give a dollar. Now give 2. Inflation.

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BringPopcorn@reddit

This.

I was giving a dollar in 2008 at the regional when I was making $23 an hour. Hell, the van drivers might have been making more than me then.

I give $2 now, making $225 an hour at a legacy, and I was recently trying to decide if it was time to go to $3.

I understand it's their job etc etc, but I'm not going to miss the $2 and it might actually help them. (A full crew of 6 giving $2 is $12, they might only make $15-$20 an hour)

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spacecadet2399@reddit

Generally $2. I sometimes think of it as $1 per bag but I find myself just giving $2 even when I keep my flight bag with me. So I guess it's just $2.

If I happen to only have $1 on me, which sometimes happens, that's enough. A lot of pilots just give $1.

I don't have a problem with this. I don't really understand people who do. We make a lot of money and the drivers don't. It's a meaningless amount to us, but it's not to them, especially over a full shift.

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user1928473829@reddit

Honestly the biggest problem isn’t the amount, but rather the inconvenience of getting cash to give them.

I am 100% cashless. But now I have to go to Walmart, buy something meaningless, get $20-40 cash back. Then I have to go to the hotel front desk and ask for “as many $1 bills as you can give me” because they don’t want to let go of their whole stack of $1s. And now my wallet becomes extremely thick with just singles.

I’d happily Venmo drivers but I’m sure that’ll catch them off guard and they would rather not bother.

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Diver_Driver@reddit

Go to your bank. Walk up to the teller. Ask for $100 in $1 bills. Repeat as necessary.

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user1928473829@reddit

I haven’t been to my bank’s physical location probably in 4 years lol. And I try to avoid asking the drivers for change because it just feels a certain way. But if everyone is doing it, then maybe it’s not that bad

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Diver_Driver@reddit

I get it. Like you I struggled to have change for a good 5 years of my career. Now I go to the bank twice a year and have all the $1 bills I could need and never have to bother anyone for change. Its far easier and I'm less inconvenienced. When I pack for my trip I dip into the cash stash and bring exactly what I will need.

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user1928473829@reddit

That’s smart honestly. Just a couple of trips to the bank should cover all I need

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KITTYONFYRE@reddit

And I try to avoid asking the drivers for change because it just feels a certain way

I'd bet the drivers would be happy to make their giant pile of 1s a little bit smaller and less annoying, for the same reasons you're annoyed with carrying around a bunch of 1s!

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Gen_Vila@reddit

Cries in USAA

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Working_Football1586@reddit

We use Uber black SUV for most everything and standard tip is 20%. If it’s a hotel shuttle standard tip is $5 but the company reimburses us for all of it.

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Fi3sty1nstruct0r0110@reddit

This thread should’ve been a poll cause I’d love to see how divided we are, but it appears the greater majority tip something.

Personally, tipping culture is stupid and we only do it because it has been the status quo for so many years, but the status quo can change. Frankly, I would love it if the van driver just stayed in the van and allowed me load my own bags, cause it’s not that hard. Regardless, I don’t tip because I just never carry cash. Sure, I feel awkward when the whole crew tips, but it’s not my responsibility or even the expectation to do so. Hell, we don’t even get paid for preflighting.

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14Three8@reddit

$2 for a bag load and unload

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Worried-Ebb-1699@reddit

I tend not to tip. Sorry, tipping culture is out of hand and my experience is the drivers don’t load.

If it’s a black car, then it’s different and almost always a good few bucks.

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ComprehensiveEar7218@reddit

I give out $2 bills.

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Jaimebgdb@reddit

European pilot here. Never tip anyone nor has it ever occurred to me that I might maybe want to consider it.

I also have never received a single tip in my entire life, not even when I was flying rich people around in business aviation.

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Acrobatic_Oven9847@reddit

Pilot in Brazil here. We don't even know wtf tipping is. Weird concept.

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Acrobatic_Oven9847@reddit

$0. Fuck tipping culture.

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Diver_Driver@reddit

A couple of bucks to a minimum wage employee adds up. Even more so if everyone is doing it. I'm paid well AND paid a per diem which in theory is intended to help cover tips and other expenses on the road. I get my tip money back while sleeping in the room. $2-5 is what I tip depending on the situation.

What no one is mentioning is how tipping returns to us in the form of better service. At many hotels I have seen the drivers go out of the way to take care of crew bags and ensure crews get on the shuttle first. Its not because we are special, its because we tip and take good care of them. Many of the regular pax do not.

As a commuter I have even had a shuttle for a different hotel nearby drop me at my different hotel because I tipped him really well every time I saw him. He got to know me and would go out of his way to help me out. (My hotel shuttle was always full and the wait for an empty one would be excruciating.)

Sure, there are still plenty of awful drivers out there. That said, generally what goes around comes around. Golden rule and all that.

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mad_catters@reddit

$2 if they load and unload my bag.

$5 for something special, like if they drop us off for dinner, or run me out to a gas station for snacks.

$20 for picking me and the FO up from a strip club in the french quarter at 1am on a Tuesday.

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TheKujo17@reddit

Cheapskate move on that last one. You shouldn’t have $20 left. Those poor girls.

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homeinthesky@reddit

God damn I love NOLA

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flyingPhi129@reddit

Oddly specific

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Initial-Historian-89@reddit

😂

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Unlucky_Geologist@reddit

Our van drivers get paid 20-25$ per each pickup and dropoff. I’m not tipping knowing how much they make.

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PLIKITYPLAK@reddit

$2 now that I make the big bucks lol. Sometimes more, sometimes I'll tip for the whole crew. People who do not work the industry may think that is low but they don't realize on an average trip we may have to take 6 van rides, and over a month somewhere around 20. That starts to add up quickly.

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Ichabod89@reddit

Do they pay for the gas? Do they pay their maintenance? Nothing.

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rayman3325@reddit

None. I just won't do it for work. Most of the van drivers are just front house staff that have extra time these days. They're not working for tips. Most places we go they're getting $15-$20/hour. They don't need tips. Tipping culture is fucking out of hand. They dont even touch bags most of the time. I'm faster at throwing my bag in and grabbing it out anyways. Majority of the time we have scheduled rides these days and the contract with our company the gratuity is added to the ride the company pays. So I'm not carrying cash for the random hotel shuttle I end up taking.

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Sure_Challenge_3462@reddit

If they offer to help, do help w bags, or get out of their seat to help, $2-3. If they just push the door button, nada.

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TopOsprey@reddit

$5 bill every time as long as they get out to help

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longlive737@reddit

20% for the Uber Blacks too

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eatsteak1@reddit

This thread bickering about a dollar here, 2 there when we just throw 5s at people all day is kinda funny. I guess getting reimbursed makes all the difference

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user1928473829@reddit

Yeah lol getting reimbursed is huge. If we threw out $5, it would be $30 a trip, or $120 a month. For a 12 year captain, maybe it’s not much. But for a first year FO, that could cover my phone bill.

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hawker1172@reddit

So you’d be spending ~$28000 on van tips over a busy 30 year career

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Yuri909@reddit

28000 / 5 = 5600 van trips

30 x 365 = 10950 days

I don't know how many days per year an ATP works. But is that ratio about right given the above?

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hawker1172@reddit

16 van rides a month for 30 years

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infowhiskey@reddit

Yes. Don't be a cheapskate.

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Twarrior913@reddit

Never need to tip because they’re never fucking there on time.

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user1928473829@reddit

This. Always no tip if they’re not there waiting. ESPECIALLY if they just dropped off the crew that’s taking our plane and just left without waiting a few mins for us

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nstanko1@reddit

Between 2 and 5....etiquette used to suggest 1 dollar per bag for bell hops and such...I carry 2 bags....and what does 1 dollar get anymore. At least 2 is almost a cup of coffee..hahah

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TheOvercookedFlyer@reddit

I once asked the shuttle driver from Via Rail at Dorval (Montreal), Canada (he drives from the train station to the airport and back) how much he makes from tips. He told me that on a good day, it could be as much as $200 and on bad day, as low as $20.

I don't know about you guys but I reckon a well-positioned shuttle driver could make as much as a FO with salary and tips, perhaps a little more.

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7layeredAIDS@reddit

That’s a stretch. You say well positioned but you’d need to be WELL positioned and go the extra mile every single time. Give a city tour as your driving, never be late, telling jokes, etc

Average airport shuttle drivers make about $50k according to Glassdoor and ZipRecruiter. Skyhop global (air crew only transportation service) is even lower at $15-18 per hour. Most regional FO’s make $100k year 1. Bridging that $50k gap requires an extra $1041 per week or ~$208 per day if working a 5 day work week. That’s on the high end of your estimate and that’s doing it consistently in and day out. Definitely not achievable doing air crew runs. Maybe achievable with the general public.

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LowTBigD@reddit

Should we also be tipping the front desk when we get our keys?

Ya’ll tipping housekeeping too?

What about TSA? Why not?

Handling a guy a single dollar is borderline insulting.

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FlyingSceptile@reddit

I do a $5 for housekeeping ($2 for the van driver). Not sure why the debate is always van drivers but not housekeeping. They deserve it more than the drivers to be honest

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hawker1172@reddit

They are doing their salaried job…why should housekeeping be tipped? Why aren’t we tipped by that logic?

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mass_marauder@reddit

Not to be pedantic, but jobs like housekeeping and van driving are definitely hourly in the vast majority of cases.

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TheOvercookedFlyer@reddit

Should I put a tip jar on my dash during fligths ?

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halloween_is_tmrw@reddit

Not in the ATP club yet but uh yes to all of those? If they did a good job and they’re a service worker then yeah I’m tipping 🤨

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dash_trash@reddit

Wow the TSA must really be fingering just the right corner of your g-spot for you to think they deserve ~your money~ even more of your money!

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dash_trash@reddit

Wow the TSA must really be fingering just the right corner of your g-spot for you to think they deserve ~your money~ even more of your money!

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hawker1172@reddit

There is a point to this. Tipping culture has gotten out of hand. These people are paid.

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7layeredAIDS@reddit

Internationally I always think it’s dumb (but I still do it to fit in lol)

A lot of these European countries don’t really have a tipping culture really in any scenario and then they end up with like 3€ and $11 in mixed currencies from our large crew of pilots and FA’s like “uhhh thanks now I get to go get this swapped out to €’s”.

I mean really it would be like working a register somewhere in the states where you don’t normally receive tips and then having an Italian guy give you an extra 5€ for doing your job. Like “oh!…. Thanks… totally not necessary but you Italians always seem to throw me Euros when you visit Baltimore…”

I mean first I think overall they really do appreciate it. It shows appreciation for their services especially cause over there they are rarely late and do a good job. In general the ride is pretty smooth too. They always accept our tips graciously. But i do wonder if it’s a little of a PITA for them to deal with all the dollars they get. I purposely try to keep some coin euros but you run out at times.

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ReleaseCertain6082@reddit

Tipping is a personal thing. Personally, if I get good cheerful service, I usually tip.

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IFlyAirplanes@reddit

We usually get rental cars, but in the rare instance they didn’t have one available (or it didn’t show up) I throw the driver $10 or $20.

But we get reimbursed for tips, so I give money away to everybody.

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DblDtchRddr@reddit

I was on the other side of things, used to be the contracted taxi for a hotel that didn't have a shuttle driver for the redeye crew every morning, usually around 0300 which gave me enough time after bar rush to clean up any trash and vacuum out the back. I'd usually have three in the car, two pilots plus chief flight attendant. I'd handle bags in and out, pilot and co would each give me $5. This was a \~10 minute drive with a guaranteed deadhead back. They flew for Piedmont Air.

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saabdriver1@reddit

$5 But it is reimbursed by the company

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AcesHighAFC@reddit

Found the 91k driver 😂 (same)

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busting_bravo@reddit

$2 bills

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554TangoAlpha@reddit

$2 then I learned that’s hard to change internationally so now back to $1s.

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Dunnowhathatis@reddit

Never.

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Logan5276@reddit

I don’t. It’s their job. Tipping is out of hand.

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L0ngcat55@reddit

Non-us airline, very few people tip the bus driver.

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MMLCG@reddit

My son is a non-US pilot flying into SE Asia / East Asia destinations and I have travelled with him a few times on the crew bus, no one tips - flight crew or cabin crew.

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TrifleOpen7359@reddit

Since he is keeping me alive, I tip between two bucks and five.

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Oregon-Pilot@reddit

$1 for quick van ride between airport hotel/airport. $2 for the long ride downtown.

I do it for 2 reasons, equally. One, I don’t want the colleagues I’m with to think im a total cheap ass. I imagine this social pressure is the primary reason most people tip the drivers at all. And two, I can afford to give out a few bucks to other humans. I don’t really donate to charity, so I suppose this is a way to help out people with whom I interact. I give a buck when I order a coffee too, because that dollar will do more for the barista than it will for me.

Tipping culture is totally out of hand, and it’s surprisingly inconvenient to reload on $1 bills to hand them out. But I guess I’ll keep doing it because it makes me feel like a more generous person than I probably am lol

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silvanvon@reddit

I always hit the no tip button on those machines. No way I'm gonna tip someone making me a burger at a fast food place 20%. If they're really nice or do something special, I'll put some cash in the jar.

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jabbs72@reddit

$1/$2 for a short stay hotel by the airport, $5 if it's a downtown hotel / international layover.

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Brambleshire@reddit

$1-10. It's a function of how many are in the van, how long the drive is as, how much cash I have, and if there are flight attendants. I often offer to tip for them since they make much less money than us. Also if there's a huge crew and everyone tips 1$ that's a fair tip. But if it's just me and one other guy on a long drive... I'm definitely tipping more than $1, probably a $5.

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FlyingSceptile@reddit

It’s not 2010, most airline pilots are making $100k (or at least close to it) or more a year. Is one or two dollars making the difference to the van driver? Maybe. I’m not them. I have heard that some drivers don’t like air crew because we’re cheap tippers.

I usually do $2. Feels like the least I could do

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FlyingSpectacle@reddit

$3 bucks, $5 if they’re really cool

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FlyingSceptile@reddit

Found Creed Bratton.

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jh1567@reddit

At least $3+ for keeping me alive during the part of my workday where I’m most likely going to die.

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DerekLongshanks@reddit

$1 and that’s it unless we had a good convo then $2

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LowValueAviator@reddit

If they touch my bag twice (load/unload) it’s $2. Once it’s $1. Zero times it’s $0 unless they were busy (un)loading someone else’s bag or something.

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dcl415@reddit

1 usd or 2 cad

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fallingfaster345@reddit

$1 unless they were truly awful (rude, unsafe on the road) or straight up didn’t even help load/unload the bags. (Or if I forgot to go get more $ones, and in those cases I genuinely feel bad.)

I always tip the van drivers, even in foreign countries where presumably they make a livable salary. At the end of the day, they transported me somewhere safely and handled my luggage with care and saved me from lifting it yet again that day, so I’m happy to tip for a job well done.

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