[LuganoPirate]

Yes Canucklad, and if the driver doesn’t get one he’ll put the brakes on and say, right you tight lot, if I don’t get a tip we’ll stay up here, all night if necessary, till I do get one! 😉

[MartynSinclair]

I still cant get over being asked by the Jet Blue check in staff at White Plains for a tip a couple of years ago……. what surprised me more was most passengers WERE tipping the check in staff…

[Charles-P]

Like LuganoPirate here and others I had assumed this was not allowed. I too have written letters of praise when I have received (or seen) good service most recently to Lufthansa for the way a particular crew member helped a flustered and nervous elderly lady.

I wrote to Etihad once to highlight some excellent service and was subsequently told the individual had been rewarded with a shopping voucher and she had spent the money on some new shoes, a nice personal touch.

[transtraxman]

Suffice it to say that….
Tipping is and has always has been demeaning. It is built into a society which exploits and is not prepared to reward demanding work, taken advantage of by unscrupulous employers whose only thought is in reducing costs.

Where there is an economic cost there is always a human cost . In Europe , at least, we have some sort of social protection, while in the US it is not the same case, to say the least. Vive L´Europe!!

[MrMichael]

It is odd how different conventions apply in different countries around Europe. For instance when I moved back to the UK with my new MrsM (my little Viking) she was amazed that in England we tipped hairdressers and Taxi drivers, but equally amazed we did not tip bartenders.

I think however her biggest shock (off topic this) when in a Video Rental store in Ealing she asked the assistant if they had any Danish films……the response to my horror and her amazement was “your lucky, just in, Danish Dentist on the job”

[BAfanatic]

Alex_Fly, you’re right, you said “Don’t tip T5 security. You may be arrested”, definitely a good point, but it would be interesting for spectators!

[EU_Flyer]

BAfanatic – 03/02/2015 08:43 GMT

Very true.

Especially given that by the time one reaches the xray machine, one is usually so cool, calm and collected and ready for yet another delay caused by someone whipping out a wad of 50s to thank the security person for not putting them through the individual “you’ve been deliberately randomly selected to have your cavities searched” search.

I’m going to try it next week. Do they have wifi in HM Prisons?

[TominScotland]

Slightly off topic but still on tipping. Yesterday evening I took a taxi home from the airport, no luggage just a computer bag. I noticed that the driver added £1 to the fare for luggage – I questioned this as he had not done anything to help me load my bag but he was not very helpful – “It’s something we always add – its for your bag!!”. I sat silently through the journey and proceeded to add a £2 tip to the fare instead of my usual £5. Satisfaction!!

[dutchyankee]

While I agree that tipping air crew is absurd even though I have sometimes brought chocolate onboard for the crew as I know their jobs are not always pleasant, I do take some offence to many comments here that seem to denigrate the USA and its tipping culture. The minimum wage for a number of service industry jobs in the USA is lower than the normal minimum wage in non-service industry jobs, and hence waitors and other hourly service personnel do tend to rely on and work harder for tips. Is this not preferred to say jobs in my Home country of the Netherlands, or Belgium, France, et-al where a so-called service charge is added to the bill that in many cases the employee never sees or only receives a portion of. I think service would improve dramatically in those countries if the employees knew good service would be rewarded. You all might find the friendly and efficient service you receive in the USA to be `fake` but it sure is refreshing compared to the surly, bored, tiresome service one can expect routinely in most of Europe.

[Carajillo2Sugar]

DY – The employment of staff is a business expense and needs to be factored into the business plan. Customers of hotels, restaurants, taxis etc etc should not be expected to subsidise the wages of the people who work there.

The tipping situation in the States (New York, in particular!) is really getting out of hand; they now expect (!) 20%-30% of the bill as a tip and some waiters get really ar$y if they think you’re short-changing them. Now that is something that gets right up my nose! Even at a measly (?) 20%, a waiter doing a 5-day week serving ten tables a night with an average bill of $100 is looking at $1000 per week just in tips.

Hell, I know a lot of people who would work for free for that kind of money!

[EU_Flyer]

Speaking of being nice to crew, about 10 years ago in my student days, I was flying from Athens to New York via London on BA. A severe delay in Athens led to my 3 hour connection in London reducing to 30 mins. Miraculously, I made it onto the LHR-JFK flight but was assigned a terrible seat (Athens wouldn’t issue me a b/pass for that sector).

On boarding, having been given 47E in the middle section of a 747, the purser, taking pity on me and my 6’5 rotund build and sweating after having run the entire length of T4, gave me a seat in WTP as economy was packed. I’d never flown WTP (or Club) and was delighted.

Just before landing, I went to the galley and thanked the crew individually for making my flight so special. No tip, just a sincere thanks. 10 mins later they placed a bag on the empty seat next to me saying: “that’s for taking the time to say something nice”. Inside the bag was a bottle of Bollinger.

From that flight onwards, I have always made a point of thanking crew members who have made an effort to provide good service during a flight. It costs nothing and most of us would agree that to be appreciated for helping someone is nice, even if that’s your job.

As for tipping cabin crew, I don’t feel it’s necessary where a genuine thanks does the trick.

[dutchyankee]

@Carajillo2Sugar – 03/02/2015 10:37 GMT

I don’t disagree, however, to use your point, a waiter in NY can easily pull in $1000 a week (of course if giving good service), but as most people who know New York, that is hardly what one would call a fantastic wage when you take NY`s cost of living into consideration. The norm is vastly different. The norm for tipping in the US is 15 to 20%. I hate to be `expected` to give a tip, and it is of course optional, but I certainly don’t mind doing so if the service received is outstanding. Does it not likewise `get up your nose` to pay an automatic service charge when you receive sub-par or unfriendly service here in Europe? Do you remove the service charge from your check if that happens?

By the way, many years back there was a case in New York (Manhattan) of a well know brand hotel starting with an S whose Doorman positions went to the highest bidder and the contract was a 0 base salary, solely tips. This was found to be illegal for obvious reasons, but it was said the doormen could easily earn more than the General Manager just in Tips!

[Carajillo2Sugar]

DY – Don’t get me started on the ‘optional service charge’!

Do I ever ask for it to be removed?

I’m English, so of course I don’t……

[dutchyankee]

Exactly my point. Which is worse, having the option to pay what you think is right, or having it applied to every bill irrespective of the quality of service. I have on one occasion taken the service charge off the bill at a restaurant in The Hague. The server was so annoyed and argued that his Manager came to ask why, and when I explained the situation and service, or lack thereof, I had received he actually comped the entire bill.

[Charles-P]

‘optional service charge’ = I always ask for these to be removed.

When I tip it is in cash and given directly to the person I want to reward not the company. I share the views here of others concerning the amount of tip in some parts of the US. When I left a New York restaurant without leaving a tip for the waiter because in my view the service had been indifferent and the food average I was followed out into the street and shouted at ! We came close to blows at one point which I’m sure amused passers by no end.

[Author]

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