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It has long been understood that one doesn't tip flight attendants (or pilots). The theory was that the cost of the ticket included a generous pay package for FAs such that tips were not necessary. Also, things like meals and drinks were included, so there wasn't a "price" involved to calculate a tip.
Nowadays, pretty much every airline charges for meals and for drinks, even soft drinks and water, even on long-distance international flights. And this article brings up an interesting point:
I hadn't really considered this before, mostly because I figured the FAs' union would have raised holy Hell about it, but in this age of ludicrous nickel-and-diming by airlines, I suppose it's equally possible that the airline management is tightening the screws on folks like the baggage handlers and FAs and, I would suppose, the pilots.
There's a big anti-tipping movement on, but I tend to feel the opposite; tipping is, in many ways, the ultimate free-market experience: the better someone does, the better they get paid. Pay for performance, even if it is someone brutal. But I have long felt that there were cases in which tipping was unnecessary and frankly awkward. Tipping on cruises is always awkward to me, handing out envelopes to people; I prefer to be an anonymous tipper when possible, sort of like "my tip is our little secret." So handing an envelope to a waiter on a cruise in a room full of people seems a little ... crude, I suppose is the right word. But that's how it's done, so I do so.
Perhaps it's time to re-think the whole tipping thing W/R/T airline employees. Maybe it would be better and more efficient to move stuff like baggage handling and FA duties to private contractors. FAs are already "selling" for the airlines, just like a waiter in a restaurant is "selling" the veal as a special. Maybe it's a better idea to treat that job like a waiter's job and let excellence in service rule the day. Of course, the opposite side of that coin is that these are professionals in a specified industrial role for which they have received specialized training (pretty much anyone can wait tables, but you have to have special training to know how to deal with a hijacking situation or whatever).
Something I'll have to ponder.
Nowadays, pretty much every airline charges for meals and for drinks, even soft drinks and water, even on long-distance international flights. And this article brings up an interesting point:
“A lot of flight attendants earn very little money, especially if they fly for regional airlines,†said Airfarewatchdog President George Hobica. “They used to get paid when they showed up for duty at the airport and now most airlines pay them only when the wheels are up … so they’re getting paid less, a lot of them have lost their pensions and perhaps it might not be a bad idea to tip them.â€
I hadn't really considered this before, mostly because I figured the FAs' union would have raised holy Hell about it, but in this age of ludicrous nickel-and-diming by airlines, I suppose it's equally possible that the airline management is tightening the screws on folks like the baggage handlers and FAs and, I would suppose, the pilots.
There's a big anti-tipping movement on, but I tend to feel the opposite; tipping is, in many ways, the ultimate free-market experience: the better someone does, the better they get paid. Pay for performance, even if it is someone brutal. But I have long felt that there were cases in which tipping was unnecessary and frankly awkward. Tipping on cruises is always awkward to me, handing out envelopes to people; I prefer to be an anonymous tipper when possible, sort of like "my tip is our little secret." So handing an envelope to a waiter on a cruise in a room full of people seems a little ... crude, I suppose is the right word. But that's how it's done, so I do so.
Perhaps it's time to re-think the whole tipping thing W/R/T airline employees. Maybe it would be better and more efficient to move stuff like baggage handling and FA duties to private contractors. FAs are already "selling" for the airlines, just like a waiter in a restaurant is "selling" the veal as a special. Maybe it's a better idea to treat that job like a waiter's job and let excellence in service rule the day. Of course, the opposite side of that coin is that these are professionals in a specified industrial role for which they have received specialized training (pretty much anyone can wait tables, but you have to have special training to know how to deal with a hijacking situation or whatever).
Something I'll have to ponder.
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