Tipping Charter Pilots

[RoadRunner]

Jim got an email yesterday asking about tipping charter pilots. He tried to respond, and was told that he had a bad email address. I am posting the question and answer on his behalf.

[RoadRunner]

Here's one you don't have under "tipping etiquette" - at least I couldn't find it.

My husband is a charter pilot; occasionally passengers tip generously (which is always a pleasant surprise) because most do not tip at all. I'm just curious...is there an etiquette rule of thumb on this, or are some people just naturally generous this way.

[RoadRunner]

That's a good question. I couldn't find much information on tipping charter pilots. My assumption is that you have generous individuals. Considering the cost of chartering a plane, most customers probably aren't going to tip.

Most people who receive tips have little or no other wages. In other words, if charter pilots make $30,000 t0 $100,000 per year in wages, they probably aren't going to receive tips on top of that.

[RoadRunner]

If you have any additional information or personal experience about tipping charter pilots, please let us know.

[Alec]

This is still my favorite. I would never dream of tipping a pilot. It's funny to me that someone would even ask you. Is it because they wear a funny cap?

[el2]

My brother is a pilot who does a lot of charters and I asked him about this. He says he does receive tips sometimes, depending on the customers. There are a couple of regulars that always tip. It is generally between $50 -- $100, on a charter that would cost $2,000 -- $5,000. He feels you should tip your flight crew when they have gone above and beyond a normal charter, such as days longer then 12 hours (definitely if the day is longer then 14 hours) or extra unscheduled stops where they've arranged cars or food on short notice. Some unusual tips have been fresh tuna steaks and moonshine.

[jamesglewisf]

Thanks for the info. I still don't think you need to tip a pilot. I can see it if he did a lot of stuff other than fly the plane.