Pilot tips

[kkbrig]

I know this is on here a million times and I just tried a search, but I'm at McKinley lodge today and my service is sketchy at best. I am hoping by starting this new post, I will get an answer as a pop up on my phone, when we pop into a bit of service. So- sorry sorry for this repeat question!!

 

We are going on a grand Denali flight with glacier landing with TAT this afternoon. I have suddenly realized that I do not know what to do as far as tipping. We did not know what to do for our River guides, but we winged that. Our family is a party of 6, so we may take up a whole plane.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tangerinebunny]

We tip and offer our thanks; some do this, others don't.

 

Amount seems to vary by what tippers can afford. We aim for 15-20% since that's what we tip at home.

 

There are STRONG reactions to tipping here at CC, but we all do what feels right to us.

[mek]

I just got back from Alaska yesterday and overall, I was surprised how any people didn't tip bus drivers, tour guides, etc. We were on a cruise tour and I just didn't see it happen much on the land portion of our trip.

Edited July 4, 2015 by mek

[Budget Queen]

For 6 people on a flight, frankly- my opinion, is it should be at least $50. Sorry- I find find those who claim nobody else tips, just looking for an excuse to join them. If you want to tip do so, don't use other's as a reason not to.

Edited July 4, 2015 by Budget Queen

[mek]

For 6 people on a flight, frankly- my opinion, is it should be at least $50. Sorry- I find find those who claim nobody else tips, just looking for an excuse to join them. If you want to tip do so, don't use other's as a reason not to.

 

If you are referring to my post, in no way did I say I didn't tip. I tip frequently and generously. I was only commenting that I was surprised that the majority of people didn't.

[trophy_23]

When we did our bear watching trip in Kodiak we gave the pilot a $50. I'm not sure if that was reasonable or not, but he seemed happy. We were the only two on the plane with him so I had no one else to compare to.

[mek]

When we did our bear watching trip in Kodiak we gave the pilot a $50. I'm not sure if that was reasonable or not, but he seemed happy. We were the only two on the plane with him so I had no one else to compare to.

 

We did a Mt McKinley flight with a glacier landing - 8 people total on the flight and we were the only ones who tipped. Just don't get it.

[Ed]

What if the pilot is the owner of the company and plane. You are already paying for the excursion so does that change anyone's tipping policy?

[lucky cal]

What if the pilot is the owner of the company and plane. You are already paying for the excursion so does that change anyone's tipping policy?

 

I would be interested in others thoughts on this as well. We are doing several flightseeing trips later this month and for one flight I expect the business owner will be our pilot. We generally tip generously but don't want to insult the owner of the company if it would be viewed as inappropriate.

[lucky cal]

We are going on a grand Denali flight with glacier landing with TAT this afternoon. I have suddenly realized that I do not know what to do as far as tipping. We did not know what to do for our River guides, but we winged that. Our family is a party of 6, so we may take up a whole plane.

 

Not intending to hijack this thread, but I'd love to hear about your experience with TAT after your flight. We're doing the same flight with them in a few weeks.

 

Thanks. Have a wonderful time!

[tangerinebunny]

If the pilot happens to be the owner, we still tip the pilot. No one has ever looked insulted.

 

If the owner of a neighborhood restaurant brings out your food, do you fail to tip?

Edited July 4, 2015 by tangerinebunny

[trophy_23]

I think I would still tip the owner if they were the pilot if you enjoyed the trip and it was well run etc. Like anything, if you are unhappy or feel it was poorly run then that may reflect in the amount you tip or whether you choose to tip.

[Budget Queen]

I would be interested in others thoughts on this as well. We are doing several flightseeing trips later this month and for one flight I expect the business owner will be our pilot. We generally tip generously but don't want to insult the owner of the company if it would be viewed as inappropriate.

 

I tip a LOT of owners, I don't care who owns the company. IF I enjoyed my tour and had a safe return- I tip.

[Budget Queen]

If you are referring to my post, in no way did I say I didn't tip. I tip frequently and generously. I was only commenting that I was surprised that the majority of people didn't.

 

My point was general, and ONLY to those, who won't tip, (you see it, occasionally on this board) then add the claim, that nobody else did either. Like that somehow, makes it just fine, for all the cheapskates. :)

[oaktreerb]

Tipping is often done discretely and/or if two are traveling together one will tip for both ($10 instead of $5). A handshake will transfer the tip to the guide who will discretely place it in her pocket and then go on to shake hands with the next person. I can't really tell for sure who tips and who doesn't when people shake hands with the tour guide, and whether others tip is none of my business as long as I do the right thing.

[oaktreerb]

I just got back from Alaska yesterday and overall, I was surprised how any people didn't tip bus drivers, tour guides, etc. We were on a cruise tour and I just didn't see it happen much on the land portion of our trip.

 

HAL provides suggested tipping guidelines on the reverse side of every "Welcome to...." daily information sheet on cruise tours. This is what they recommend:

DRIVER GUIDES: $1.00 USD per guest for transfers, up to $4.00 USD per guest per full day of service. HOUSEKEEPING: $2.00 USD per room, per night. FOOD SERVICE: 15-20% of pretax bill. JOURNEY HOST: Up to $7.00 per person per day.

 

For some I thought the guidelines were low. A driver guide who provides commentary deserves a bigger tip than the one that just drives, for instance.

They also provide a guideline for tipping the host on the McKinley Explorer on those information sheets.

[dsrdsrdsr]

I tip a LOT of owners, I don't care who owns the company. IF I enjoyed my tour and had a safe return- I tip.

 

I've always assumed that a safe return was part of the package. Not an extra that deserves special reward. ;)

 

Are pilots, like waiters, underpaid because they depend on tips to make up the wage? In other words, do pilots of Alaska passenger taxi flights get paid significantly less than pilots of freight, scheduled, or post office planes?

[watchdiva]

We plan on tipping our pilot whom we think is also the owner. We KNOW we will have a great time and are planning our tipping accordingly.

[Jane2357]

Resurrecting an old thread to get more details.

 

Next week - Michelle from Island Wings will take us on a float plane tour of Misty Fjords - around $239. per person x 2. She is the pilot and the owner - so what would be appropriate and I'd also like to give a tip to her office person who has been very helpful.

 

Also helicopter ride/ glacier dog sledding trip - pilot is not an owner that I know and of course then there is the dog sled people. This is approx. $600. per person.

 

I am not clear what would be appropriate. I was thinking $50 for Michelle, $20 to the office girl. $40 for the helicopter pilot and am clueless about the dog sled people.

 

Advice Please

 

[notentirelynormal]

Resurrecting an old thread to get more details.

 

Next week - Michelle from Island Wings will take us on a float plane tour of Misty Fjords - around $239. per person x 2. She is the pilot and the owner - so what would be appropriate and I'd also like to give a tip to her office person who has been very helpful.

 

Also helicopter ride/ glacier dog sledding trip - pilot is not an owner that I know and of course then there is the dog sled people. This is approx. $600. per person.

 

I am not clear what would be appropriate. I was thinking $50 for Michelle, $20 to the office girl. $40 for the helicopter pilot and am clueless about the dog sled people.

 

Advice Please

 

 

For a minute there I thought you were going to tip $600 per person and I thought :eek:. Then I read more closely.

 

There was someone the other day on a tipping thread that said $20 a minute (or something like that). Wow, they are rich! I'm sure it was a typo but....

 

If I am going to tip it makes no difference if the person is the owner or an employee. The service provided is what gets the tip.

[Jane2357]

For a minute there I thought you were going to tip $600 per person and I thought :eek:. Then I read more closely.

 

There was someone the other day on a tipping thread that said $20 a minute (or something like that). Wow, they are rich! I'm sure it was a typo but....

 

If I am going to tip it makes no difference if the person is the owner or an employee. The service provided is what gets the tip.

 

LOL - this are true bucket list excursions for us :D I only listed the prices because someone else had said 20% but I think that is VERY high for the tip. They are charging premium prices already.

[CruiseNewby47]

Resurrecting an old thread to get more details.

 

Also helicopter ride/ glacier dog sledding trip - pilot is not an owner that I know and of course then there is the dog sled people. This is approx. $600. per person.

 

 

Jane2357, I really want to do the dogsledding tour on the glacier! Do you mind sharing who you booked with? I have seen a TEMSCO and Gold Rush Dog Tours offerings (who use TEMSCO for their helicopter transportation). I am trying to see what my options are, especially for the transpo. Thank you!

[Jane2357]

Jane2357, I really want to do the dogsledding tour on the glacier! Do you mind sharing who you booked with? I have seen a TEMSCO and Gold Rush Dog Tours offerings (who use TEMSCO for their helicopter transportation). I am trying to see what my options are, especially for the transpo. Thank you!

 

We booked the heli/glacier/dog sled tour through the cruise line - Celebrity but it is TEMSCO. I think you can save a little money if you book direct but for this - I just felt more comfortable doing it through the ship. :D

Edited May 23, 2016 by Jane2357

[CruiseNewby47]

We booked the heli/glacier/dog sled tour through the cruise line - Celebrity but it is TEMSCO. I think you can save a little money if you book direct but for this - I just felt more comfortable doing it through the ship. :D

 

Thank you! We're sailing on the Millie in late July and the glacier sled dog excursion is one I'd really like to do, too! Enjoy!

[notentirelynormal]

Jane2357, I really want to do the dogsledding tour on the glacier! Do you mind sharing who you booked with? I have seen a TEMSCO and Gold Rush Dog Tours offerings (who use TEMSCO for their helicopter transportation). I am trying to see what my options are, especially for the transpo. Thank you!

 

Check clearly to see if you will be happy with the dog sledding experience. It is not done on snow - it is done on dirt. It is like a reenactment. I am choosing Coastal Helicopters because they take you on top of the glacier and the sled dog experience is actually on snow/ice. To me that experience is like night and day. For me, being pulled along a dirt path is just not good enough for the money paid.

Edited May 24, 2016 by notentirelynormal