How much should you tip the airplane pilot?

Harriet Baskas Travel writer

A Well-Mannered Traveler shouldn’t listen in on other people’s conversations, of course.  But during a shuttle van ride between an airport and a hotel recently I couldn’t help but tune-in to the discussion several airline crew members were having at the end of what must have surely been a very long and frustrating day.

“I’m totally exhausted!” announced one weary-sounding flight attendant. “Every seat on every single flight today was full. And every passenger was incredibly cranky and very needy.  Those blankety-blank weather delays just made it worse.”

“Can you imagine if we were working for tips?” said a pilot in the backseat, “We’d all be broke for sure!”

Tips for the flight crew? It’s an intriguing concept. Something to mull over next time you’re unaccountably left cooling your heels at the gate or buckled in on a plane that’s clearly going nowhere anytime soon.

Imagine: Delayed or bumpy flight? No tip for the captain and his or her co-pilot. Served a stale, microscopic bag of pretzels on a five-hour flight with only weak, tepid coffee or half can of soda to wash it down? Nix the gratuities for the flight attendants.

But be ready to hand out some crisp bills if you should be lucky enough to be bumped up to business class or get slipped an extra bag or two of fancy mixed peanuts from first-class.

Tipping flight attendants and other crew members is officially frowned upon. But cost-cutting measures at many airlines may one day force the issue. For now at least, flight attendants, pilots, gate agents and the folks who work the ticket counters don’t fish for cash tips. But sincere compliments and kind words from passengers are graciously accepted.

Inside the airport, however, it’s a different story. These days it’s customary — but not mandatory — to tip skycaps, wheelchair attendants and the folks who drive the cute electric carts that zip from one end of the terminal to the other. Like many restaurant workers, many of the airport service providers are paid at minimum wage or something called “tip minimum” based on the assumption that these workers have an opportunity to earn extra income from gratuities. So while whether or not you tip — and how much you tip — is entirely up to you, know that your tips do make a difference in a workplace that can be extremely hectic and stressful.

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According to a representative from an aviation services company that places workers in a variety of positions at airports nationwide, many service workers are not allowed to solicit gratuities but “may certainly accept any tips offered.”  So if you expect to use skycap, wheelchair or electric cart service at the airport, it’s a good idea to pack some extra dollar bills along with your ticket and ID.

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