So, do you tip? Who and how much?

iflyforfun

iflyforfun

Pre-takeoff checklist
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iflyforfun
I really don't know how to handle the line folks that help out. This is true at home as well as when traveling. My general feeling is to tip a few bucks (I do when I get gas for the boat), but not sure who to tip and when to tip. Of late, I've just not been tipping ... doesn't seem quite right. At restaurants I know they (are supposed to) split tips, so I tip and know everyone is taken care of (assuming good service). Do the line guys split tips - especially if plane is there overnight?


So, for the following examples, do you tip, and if so, how much? I don't expect absolutes, but I'd like to get a feel for prevailing practices - what's the norm?

Home airport
* Call for gas and oil. One guy shows up in less than 5 minutes, brings a quart and puts in plane while I'm doing pre-flight. Fuel truck comes 15 minutes later and fuels plane.
* Take plane to shop on field, line guy gives me ride on golf cart across airport back to my car (could have walked in 5 minutes).
* Call for gas and oil. Same guy brings both in 5 minutes. He fuels while I add oil.
* Call for gas only - just a simple fill-up.

Away
* Make short stop at small airport. Tie down for 2 hours, get 20 gallons. Do I tip the guy who directs me in and offers to clean the windows (I pass - only I touch my acrylic)? Do I tip the guy there when I pick the plane up (I don't know who fueled)? Do I tip both?
* Tie down for 1 week. I want the plane watched carefully. Do I tip the line guy and ask him to watch out for her, or do I tell him to watch out for her and tip him on departure?

In general, I feel that I should tip for most of the above. It's the cases where there are two trips involved that bother me - one guy gases, second guy brings oil, or leave the plane for a week so have two sets of staff when arrive and depart. Also, is a buck-or-two okay, or should it be $5 each time (thinking week long stay on that particular question).

What is general consensus?
Jeff
 
i usually seek out cheap self serve when on the road. at home our club pays the FBO a monthly fee so that they will pull the planes out, put them away, and fuel them up.
 
I tip when service is "above and beyond," such as helping me put the canopy cover on and secure the plane in windy conditions, helping me unload the unwieldy 55-lb sim and the rest of my PIC gear, or helping me dig my way through the snow into my hangar. Typically, I give $5-10 depending on how far above/beyond the service was.

BTW, coming out from the FBO to the T-hangars with a couple of shovels and digging snow and chopping the ice out of the hangar door tracks in freezing temps is a 10 on that scale.
 
My plane is in a tie down at Gibbs in San Diego(KMYF). I always tip five dollars when they fill my tanks or put air in my tires.

I do this because I want the line crew to keep an eye on my bird when I am not there. I'm lucky if I can fly once a week, so an extra 20-25 dollars a month is no big deal. I get the feeling that one or two dollars would be fine, but I have been doing this for years now so I wont change the amount.

I know my bird is being watched. When I call for fuel, it is very rare that I have to wait more than a few minutes. Tipping is a worthwhile expense.

John
 
I don't generally tip unless it's "above and beyond"... I would agree shoveling snow is tipworthy. One guy helped me manually deice my plane, and that was worthy.

Just fueling me up and cleaning my windshield seems like just good service. I always am very appreciative, but i dont consider that above and beyond.
 
OK, what do y'all think is routine vs above/beyond?

I'd have to say that I think cleaning the windshield is beyond routine, but not by much (and undesired if they use the wrong materials, like a paper towel or a shop rag or the like -- and yes, I've seen that happen). OTOH, airing the tires is not, to my thinking, above/beyond, although on my Tiger, they just provide the air bottle from the fuel truck and I do the airing, and I don't consider that above/beyond (and the way the Tiger's wheel pants are, that's the only way I want it to happen). Assisting in de-icing seems to me above/beyond (unless the FBO charges for the service). I always self-oil, so that's not an issue for me.

What else...?
 
John Baker said:
My plane is in a tie down at Gibbs in San Diego(KMYF). I always tip five dollars when they fill my tanks or put air in my tires.

I do this because I want the line crew to keep an eye on my bird when I am not there. I'm lucky if I can fly once a week, so an extra 20-25 dollars a month is no big deal. I get the feeling that one or two dollars would be fine, but I have been doing this for years now so I wont change the amount.

I know my bird is being watched. When I call for fuel, it is very rare that I have to wait more than a few minutes. Tipping is a worthwhile expense.

John
Click to expand...

Hmmm, maybe that is why Gibbs is so hit or miss with refueling the flying club planes!

I fly with Plus One and generally call for fuel the night before an early morning departure. My track record with Gibbs is about 50% chance that the fuel request was completed.
 
I go for the above and beyond rule. You will generally know it when you see it.

For the home airport there is usually a "box-o-goodies" delivered at Christmas time as a thanks for their help.
 
I never expected a tip when I worked line service, although it was sure nice to get one! Back when I was working line service, doing stuff like filling planes and driving people to a train station meant that I didn't have to be doing the other parts of my job: backbreaking landscaping, so anything that wasn't doing that was a welcome break!

I think that anything unusual you ask for beyond just filling the plane might deserve a tip.
 
NC Pilot said:
I go for the above and beyond rule. You will generally know it when you see it.
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Click to expand...

I agreee with that... you know it when you see it.

See, I would say airing the tires does count as above and beyond (unless the FBO charges you for it). But to each his own....

Sometimes an FBO guy will drive me to the hotel, which he is not required to do... When I had an emergency, and had to leave the plane in AZ, the fbo guy was closing down and drove me 20 miles to the nearest bus stop so I could catch a ride to Tuscon or Phoenix. I offered him a $20 and a LOT of thanks. He wouldn't accept the $20.... I love the small town attitude.
 
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I had to think about this a bit. Yes, sometimes I do tip a line man (wife wants to all the time..?) but only if they show the proper attitude and enthusiastic service. A lineman smiling and helpful with rental cars, luggage, and other offers of help usually get a nice tip. These guys make our flying days more pleasant.

Now the line men who "don't want to be there" don't get tips and pretty much get ignored. You can spot these duds quickly. They are the ones who don't marshall you to park, are slow to respond, can't follow fueling instructions, are short spoken or rude, and generally do no more than is absolutely necessary. I have found way too many like this...

So, to answer your question, there is no set standard for tipping line men. Do it when you feel it is deserved and forget it when you don't.
 
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I give the line guys at my home field a tip at Christmas. I have tried to tip the mechanics at away fields who've helped me when they didn't have to (and in some cases were specifically prohibited from helping), and they've always refused.

Otherwise if it's just the service they're getting paid for, nope. Then again, at least 90% of my flying is for the non-profit, and as long as I'm not getting any money from it, nobody else will be, either.
 
We don't tip at all at our home field, unless the line guys go way out of their way for us. On the road it really depends. If we want a GPU at a busy FBO, want fuel first at a busy FBO, Want to get into the quite full hangar in winter or during thunderstorm season. Then you better grease the line guys. It can be really cheap insurance.

At an airport that we regularly go to for quick turns and to pick up and drop off the boss, the ramp is usually full of everything from 150's to G550's. We are normally able to roll onto the ramp and get a front spot, GPU and fuel truck right away. The line guys know that they will get a $20 if we can get in and out quick.

I even go to the same FBO in the dakota on my own time and get just about the same level of service. With that airplane the line guys know that I don't want to be parked anywhere near the jet blast so they marshall me into the back 40.

I appreciate their efforts and give what I can if its earned. What seems to be true is that you get what you pay for.

What seems to put you on the bottom of the priority list is complaining about the price of fuel, parking fees, facility fees and so on to an employee that is likely earning minimum wage. They just think you are a whiney jerk and will treat you as such.
 
Usually $10 if they at least help me with the bags and such.

I've tipped $100 on a few occasions.

For example, one time the FBO at a rather busy class C field stayed open for 45 minutes past their closing time for us because they remembered that I had mentioned I might be back late. I didn't even have to ask them to do that - in fact, I was surprised when I showed up and they were waiting. There was no other easy way to get to the plane - it's a busy field and even airport police couldn't really help.

The other time we were fighting terrible headwinds and ended up 2 hrs late. The FBO was expecting us and they tracked us on flightaware and made sure someone with a rental car stayed at the airport to greet us at midnight.

In both cases, the $100 was more than worth it.
 
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