Question:

Why don't pilots tip for this?

by  |  earlier

0 LIKES UnLike

Why is it that pilots tip the guys who fuel their planes (line service) and whoever picks them up from hotels, but they never tip the person who cleans their plane for them?

I've been detailing private planes for over a year now, and I see them tipping all these other guys, and I was wondering if there was a reason for this..

 Tags:

   Report

11 ANSWERS


  1. I detailed planes for 3 years and only time i got tipped is if I had the plane pulled out of the hangar and fules before the pilot got there.  But I busted my @&% cleaning and debugging and never once got anything.  I got my satisfaction however every once and a while getting to go for a ride in their planes which to me was and is better than a tip


  2. I've never tipped anybody for anything they've done to my aircraft.  Someone who stops me from starting engines with the plugs still in might receive a case (or several) of beer, but that's hush money, not tip money.

  3. well that you mention it, its true. But I see them pilots tip only the drivers who picks them up or me included but usually i, myself does the refueling and really no commercial pilots gave tips. The aircraft cleaner have a steady job and sometimes just vacuum the cockpit. Some meticulous pilots even wipe all the instruments with kimswipes. The pick-up guy esp. the ones who brought pilots to and from the hotel as they say is some sort of incentive for carrying their luggage and even gives them salute. Maybe the giving came out of habit and when giving to cleaners is added then I'm sure it will follow suit also.

  4. I've never been around when the aircraft has been detailed. Most of the time, our own in-house maintenance guys do it and the pilots aren't around. (We, the pilots, do some obvious stuff ourselves, too.) On other jobs, the owner or management company made the arrangements and it was done without our participation, by persons unknown, in our absence.

  5. I hate that the custom of tipping has been almost become standardized.I.e  Servers get paid 2.65 an hour because it is demanded that you tip them, and "customary is 20%".

    I think the idea of a tip, is going above and beyond what is expected, surpassing the level of service that one might expect to find. This was a way of showing a job VERY Well done, not just done.

    I hate the custom of tipping every body in the service industry becaused they actully did their job.  I think that price that is agreed should be the price that is paid, and if the person went WAY beyond what is normal, then a tip might be in order.  I also get annoyed when people complain about not getting tips. Its a tip, above and beyond, not a set amount like an hourly wage. They choose the job, so do the best job you can do, and go out of the way every time, and the tips might just start flowing in...

  6. Line Service workers are like a pilots pit crew.  They are typically lower paid workers who can have a big impact on how smooth our flight is.  A poor line crew can add a lot of stress to our day.  Keeping them motivated to park us close to the FBO or dump the lav late at night when we just want to head to the hotel sometimes takes some cash.  We rely on a level of service that sometimes is not inherently provided.

    That being said... I do not personally believe that tipping everyone associated with the flight is necessary.  As a cleaner, you're being paid for just that.  If the plane is completely trashed, maybe a small tip is in order for service above and beyond.  It shouldn't be expected though.

    Let's be realistic.  Should I tip a mechanic because they diagnosed that pesky electrical gremlin?  A big thank you may be in order but  a tip?  Come on, where has pride gone in this business?

  7. I usually clean my own but the couple of times I've hired someone, I have tipped them, even when they did a less than first class job. Sometimes, it depends. I have seen aircraft detailers working their hind ends off and they deserve a good tip. I've seen others swatting each other with towels, spraying each other with the hose and otherwise generally goofing off. Their work was less than stellar. The tip was related to the work.

    Having worked in a position where tipping was part of the pay myself, I am always considerate of a job well done. But, people are always different. I have seen some of the people with the most money who are the worst tippers; I guess they have never been in that position and just look down their noses sometimes at the "little people." Its just human nature; you just have to learn to deal with it.

  8. Probably some jerks for pilots. Just a thought.  I think if I had someone detail (or clean out) my plane, I'd look at it as I would a waitress at a restaurant.  Sounds like you've got some thoughtless pilots... Just mho though.

  9. We don't tip at all.

    But then, I live in Australia and tipping is not a custom here. If you tipped a cleaner, refueller, or mechanic here they'd probably think you were trying to insult them (or at least look at you slightly bemused).

    The idea here is simply that they charge $x*x for what they do, and you expect them to do a good job for that. Their reputation hangs on it.

    Our way of appreciating good service is to give those service people the business (and tell everyone else about it too), and a verbal thankyou. Any manager over here who wants to survive will pay the wages required for his workers to do a good job, keep the business, and have a good relationship with the crews. No tips necessary.

    In fact, expecting more than the agreed price is guaranteed to start a very heated argument almost anywhere!

  10. The 727 that you see me sitting in is a corporate aircraft. We always tip extremely well but we expect the tip to be divided among the people that do the work as they see fit. There's fuelers, honey bucket operators, deicers, tug operators and yes cleaners but I often don't even know who did what as we get busy too after landing at an airport away from home. We always do the tipping on arrival and its my understanding that most FBOs collect the tips for the shift and divide them as agreed.

    I'm sorry if you get left out but we have a job to do too and we're likely tired when we land and just want to get the passengers in the limo and on their way and then get done what needs to get done with the aircraft so we can be on our way to the hotel. So when we hand fifty or a hundred bucks to one of the linemen, our job is done as far as showing our gratitude is concerned. If you're not getting your cut, I think you should take it up with whoever you work for. I can't stand on the ramp at two in the morning and do  the "one for you and one for you and one for you" bit. But we do our best to say thanks and we can't spend all night making sure somebody's feelings aren't hurt.

  11. those are some mean pilots

    i tip my cleaners, fuel guys, tug drivers, etc.

Question Stats

Latest activity: earlier.
This question has 11 answers.

BECOME A GUIDE

Share your knowledge and help people by answering questions.