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Tip the ramp guys, or not?

MacCool

Well Known Member
I’m a little embarrassed I don’t know the answer to this question. At the airport where I hangar my airplane, all the fueling is done from the truck. I’m currently paying $5.97 a gallon, (not that that’s necessarily germane). If I need fuel, I can call on the phone, or on CTAF on approach and the ramp guys will happily and promptly drive down to my hanger and fill the tanks. It’s convenient. They’re very friendly and do a great job.

A couple of times of year, I drop off some Costco-size jars of M&Ms to the FBO staff as a gesture. I’m wondering, however, whether not I should be tipping the fuel guys directly. I realize local customs will vary but in general, is it customary to tip the ramp personnel for otherwise routine fueling services? If so, how much?

(I’ve asked around here. Some of my hangar neighbors say they usually tip something and some look at me like I’m crazy.
 
They usually don't get paid alot and depending on the airport, work very hard. Nothing wrong with leaving a tip on the fuel cap when you call for fuel in my opinion.

I also tip the driver when the fbo gives me a ride. Depends on the fbo, but a few of them have saved me a big taxi fee just to drive a few miles into town.
 
I do..

As a current corporate type it’s mostly common to tip. I’ve seen a difference in service once you are known to the line guys. Especially when they help with bags, ice, rent cars etc.
i now usually tip the line folks that assist with my 8 operations. A lot of our FBO folks come out even to the self serve pumps and pull hoses or grounding wires. If they drive the truck across the field to my hangar they get a tip just to show my appreciation.
It’s money well spent to me because they mostly go the extra mile and are helpful.
Purely personal choice but they notice and appreciate it.
 
I always tip. Hey work hard and don’t get paid top dollar. And if you frequent the same location often that tip will go a long way
 
first off it really depends on service and the FBO. I'm sorry, but I refuse to tip when I get fuel at a FBO that charges a huge ramp fee and excessive prices for fuel. I'm sorry, its not my responsibility to make up for the lousy wages that the FBO pays their workers when they are already soaking me for what services I am using.

now, at a field I go to a lot, and get great service and the line guys go out of their way to help, a tip is in order.
im getting real sick of the tip mentality in this country.

bob burns
rv-4 n82rb
 
Tips

In a small airplane only for a ride to a hotel etc. For those who can afford a turboprop or a small jet they can afford to tip.
 
The way I see it - if I fill up 20 times in a year and tip $5, that cost me a $100 for the year. Since I am the guy flying, that $100 is easier for me to give away to help a few guys out or at least put a smile on their face.

That totally relies on a smile from him and good service. I tip very well in restaurants and for good service. BUT, I never go into a place to eat without enough cash to pay the bill if they give me crappy service. I do not want them having my credit card when they are pissed at me!
 
I tip when they provide good service. I never tip if I have to park myself, chock my own wheels and have to figure out where to go to request gas. I never tip if nobody greets me outside and I find them just sitting around and talking inside the FBO.

I expect most of us have experienced the line boy running out to the ramp, directing us to a parking spot, immediately chocking the wheels, offering to help tie down, assisting with baggage, driving me from the plane to the FBO in a golf cart, offering crew cars for lunch or overnight, carefully fueling the plane without spilling gas on the wing, offering info on local places to eat or stay the night, immediately explaining where the pilot lounge is located and the complimentary food or drink. Assisting at the self-serve pumps..

When I get a lot of the good things described above, YES I TIP! They earned it!
 
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Tips are great and usually appreciated. For that reason I like to carry $5 bills to hand out. Unfortunately the guy who fueled my plane today struck out as I warned him to slow down as the tank was getting full. Sure enough, I got the 100LL wing-wash. No tip unless you get the majority of the fuel in the tank without spilling.

-Marc
 
Tips are great and usually appreciated. For that reason I like to carry $5 bills to hand out. Unfortunately the guy who fueled my plane today struck out as I warned him to slow down as the tank was getting full. Sure enough, I got the 100LL wing-wash. No tip unless you get the majority of the fuel in the tank without spilling.

-Marc

Lol.. I agree, but you made me laugh.. Flying back from Oshkosh I stopped at a self-serve pump. I fly an RV12 and the fill location is on the fuselage, about eye level. I obviously wasn't paying attention and created a 100LL geyser that sprayed an incredible amount of fuel all over me and the airplane. No tip for me on that one. The wife didn't seem too happy with my odor for the rest of the flight home.
 
On hot, summer days, the line guys appreciate knowing I've got ice cream bars in the freezer.
You bring the gas truck right to my hangar, have whatever you want in the fridge.

Outside of hot days, it's common for me to slip them a $5.
 
NO TIP

ground-handling-pic-3.jpg


YES TIP

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Lol.. I agree, but you made me laugh.. Flying back from Oshkosh I stopped at a self-serve pump. I fly an RV12 and the fill location is on the fuselage, about eye level. I obviously wasn't paying attention and created a 100LL geyser that sprayed an incredible amount of fuel all over me and the airplane. No tip for me on that one. The wife didn't seem too happy with my odor for the rest of the flight home.
Joe, any issues when you lit your cigar? :D
 
Tip the ramp guys, or not?

Heck yeah. If they give good service.

In this race-to-the-bottom society we seem to be living in now with the haves and the have nots, it's practically the only way to share our humanity and have a one-on-one connection. Not to mention sharing our "wealth" - as inappropriately as I have used that term. Besides, they're not going to get appropriate compensation from their employers, the system just isn't set up that way anymore, all the $ gets funneled to the top.

Alright, I'll get off my stupid soap box now and get back to building my airplane.:rolleyes:
 
As a corporate jet pilot, I do not tip for normal service. The line folks I know get paid well. This is not a service industry like wait staff that is based on tips. If someone does a great job above and beyond, I shell out some cash.
 
Should I tip

After reading with interest this discussion, my answer is if you get good service definitely tip, a linemen, or line-lady, who is willing to come to a somewhat thankless job and goes above and beyond what is ask of them should always be given some recognition. A lineman is a person who probably has one of the least gratifying jobs in aviation, some are there because they love aviation and it is their launch into a career in aviation, your act of kindness could be just the incentive for a career in aviation, and if you think the aviation community is all that healthy right now, I guess I am missing it. Yes airplanes are selling quickly, but good service persons and maintenance personnel are in short supply.
Do I tip, you bet, carry the bags to a waiting car in the rain, fuel it, put on the engine and static covers, service the lav, chock the wheels, a ride to the hotel, that could earn a hundred dollar bill, it went on the expense account anyway ....
For the RV6A that would likely get you a $20 tip...
Was a lineman for a year
Exempt but donated for 2021
RV6A,
RV6 regrettable sold
Fifty year flying career
JS
 
“And Don’t Forget To Tip Your Waiter!”

I’ve not been fortunate enough to do much cross country flying in our RV-6 lately, but I always tip at least 5 bucks to the line person who comes out to fuel the airplane. Well, usually $10. Most of these folks are not paid very well, especially since some of them are partly paid by the gallon and I don’t end up buying much fuel. Besides, I always seem to get the nice guy. I usually get a ride to the terminal. I’ve been the line guy a few times, when the real line person was not available so I got called out if the maintenance hangar to fuel the odd transient airplane. It can be a bit of a thankless job.
 
NO TIP

I do realize I am in minority here and likely elsewhere but I am very much against tipping especially for those who just do their job and nothing extra. If they are under paid, then they need to demand a fair wage for their work. If we continue to tip then it really masks the true cost of the goods/service we purchase. Are we trying to fool ourselves about the actual cost of goods/services?
 
It appears most people are responding to what they do when stopping at an “away” airport referring to carrying bags, and getting a lift. Do people tip the line people at their “home” airport? Best I have found for them is a year end Christmas tip for the line people that are more permanent and still there working in winter and it was not just a summer job.
 
As someone that fly's and works the line, Tips are appreciated but not expected. We try to give the best service we can to ANYONE that comes into our airport. It doesn't matter if you're in a Quad City Challenger or a Global 7000. I've found that those that do tip are few and far between. But I didn't take a job at the airport to get tips.
 
Tip the ramp guys, or not?

Heck yeah. If they give good service.

In this race-to-the-bottom society we seem to be living in now with the haves and the have nots, it's practically the only way to share our humanity and have a one-on-one connection. Not to mention sharing our "wealth" - as inappropriately as I have used that term. Besides, they're not going to get appropriate compensation from their employers, the system just isn't set up that way anymore, all the $ gets funneled to the top.

Alright, I'll get off my stupid soap box now and get back to building my airplane.:rolleyes:

Totally agree, if we can afford to fly certainly we can afford to help a fellow line guy with a small gesture of our appreciation for him being there.
 
I don't normally tip for fuel, but for a lift in the golf cart or driving my rental up to my plane and helping me unload and tie down I tip well. Anything above and beyond deserves a tip in my opinion. Once had a flat on landing at dusk.. The line man at MKL was heroic in getting me to the ramp. Gave him $20 which he graciously tried to refuse. I use to give rides to some of the line men. It pays off when you really need help. John
 
Tips

A PS to an earlier post I made about tipping lineman, sadly the two rural airports I fly from most often do not even have a lineman to tip or give a ride to, I guess this is the aviation of our future, 4000’X60’ smooth paved runways 2 GPS approaches, about 40 hangars, many are full with multiple aircraft ......
JS
 
Tipping at the FBO

Here's a personal story to help support my earlier post:

I purchased some jacks off another forum today and the pilot/owner is out of town. He called the FBO and asked the office if the lineman can let me gain access to the hangar so I could load them onto my trailer. When arrived at the airport they were welcoming and immediately escorted me to the hangar and the lineman helped me load the jacks. (After some effort in trying to unlock the padlock.) As I was chatting with the pleasant young man he told me he was taking flight lesson (from the same FBO) and was about to solo.

It is not really the FBOs job to provide this kind of service and there was no remuneration involved for them, the lineman is just started out in aviation and I'm an old dog, we had a pleasant conversation and they were all extremely helpful, and I got a good deal on the jacks and I can afford to so I tipped him $20. It clearly felt like the right thing to do and in my mind should help perpetuate this unique collaborative that we call General Aviation. There is nothing else like it that I know of and we all need each other to continue to make it work the way it does. That's what I think anyway.
 
The discussion went beyond my question and isn't entirely applicable to my situation, but it was interesting and useful in the broader sense. Sounds indeed like there's a lot of local and situational variation. For background, it's a non-towered airport but is pretty large and pretty busy, with a couple of 7000 x 150 ft runways and lot of jet and helicopter traffic, especially in the summer. Only the one FBO, with full maintenance and avionics services.

I was mostly interested in per-occurrence tipping when the ramp guys just drive up to my hangar to fuel the plane, which they do for me at least a few times per week. Around here, I've concluded that a general acknowledgement for good baseline service from the entirety of the FBO staff is most appropriate and I guess I'll just continue periodically dropping off those industrial-size jars of M&Ms. But they do promptly and willingly provide the occasional extra services beyond those usual FBO duties and I certainly agree that individual tipping in those above-and-beyond circumstances would be the respectful thing to do at this particular airport. Thanks to you all for your comments.
 
...Most of these folks are not paid very well, especially since some of them are partly paid by the gallon and I don’t end up buying much fuel...
Commission based line-person pay (paid by the gallon)? News to me, must be a California thing. I've been a line-person at various operations (large and small) in my past and never was my pay related to how much fuel I pumped.

How common is this?

George
 
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