achimha wrote:
The cleaning staff take all the paper rolls and hand them out on a per sheet basis in return for an upfront tip. That is a highly successful strategy and most of the time they stand next to a sign “no tipping” in 5 languages
Your mistaking a tip for a purchase.
When you fly to the Caribbean, Central America, Over the North Atlantic bringing goodies is just a good friendly gesture.
A friend of mine brought Playboy Magazines along to help with the process. While one Customs official (female) was upset when she saw the art literature her superior (a male) came out of his office to see what the ruckus was about. He opened the mag viewed it and said, “I will have to confiscate this let them through”. They had half an engine in their plane which they were bringing to a buddy that was AOG. Very efficient use of the tipping system. 
I never refuel in EDMA, so i did not know. Most Avgas pumps in Germany are self-serve.
Your mistaking a tip for a purchase.
Indeed; the sale of 1m of toilet paper for €1 or so is standard, south of approximately Dubrovnik 
One might reflect that the 1m is too much for a #1 (especially for a male who generally only needs a tree) and too little for a #2 But maybe with the local food hygiene standards you can negotiate a volume discount
Wow! I didn’t realize that an airport management discussion could be so entertaining!
That’s all very interesting.
C210_Flyer wrote:
Alexis wrote:
There are no “linemen” in Germany,
Have you been to EDMA?
I believe there is a misunderstanding.
In the US a lineman works for the FBO and does all kinds of things starting with putting chocks to the wheels and including refuel service.
In Germany – and likely many other places – fuel is sold by one company and their people only do fuel-related things. They are not linemen, they draw a salary from the fuel company and would not do anything out of their regular job regardless of whether you tip them or not.
The US lineman may help you with baggage. The employee of the fuel company fills up, processes your payment and drives off. There may be something similar to a US style FBO but that’s another company with their own employee and their own employees. You may call that “handling company”.
I know a person in Egelsbach (Frankfurt) you wanted to expand his business from flight school to full-blown US-style FBO but these ideas were not seen positively by the local airport management as I was told by the very same person and thus never realized. So it continues to be a place with a self-service pump (slide your Air BP card) and no other services without prior request.
I do remember fondly the service I received at Key West in Florida when I landed there with a Cessna 150. I was told to park in front of the terminal, a guy showed up and asked “When do you want to depart? Full tanks?” and on the time of departure the C150 was standing in the first line with clean windows. I don’t recall paying for anything else but the fuel.
Stephan_Schwab wrote:
I know a person in Egelsbach (Frankfurt) you wanted to expand his business from flight school to full-blown US-style FBO but these ideas were not seen positively by the local airport management as I was told by the very same person and thus never realized. So it continues to be a place with a self-service pump (slide your Air BP card) and no other services without prior request.
Yup heaven forbid you bring a little variety into the lives of airport management. As in the US with certain govt jobs they are counting the years, months, weeks, days, and hours before retirement. Do you realize how much math skills and brainwork is required for those calculations and then to bring in something new like an FBO to think about? Unthinkable!
Stephan_Schwab wrote:
I don’t recall paying for anything else but the fuel.
If the windows were really clean without scratches you should have given him/her a tip.
Stephan_Schwab wrote:
In Germany – and likely many other places – fuel is sold by one company and their people only do fuel-related things. They are not linemen, they draw a salary from the fuel company and would not do anything out of their regular job regardless of whether you tip them or not.
I believe and I think Im right that the fueler is working for the airport authority at EDMA.
kwlf wrote:
Trump has advocated privatising US airports along European lines. Details seem sketchy, but I wonder what that would mean for GA in the USA?
Anything coming from Trump is sketchy. He has not expressed one clear thought since he took office.
C210_flyer:
He is reading from a script and most of his advisors are idiots. He is on the Titanic turning a ships wheel which is detached from the rudder. Time will prove me correct.
I think you are stating what everybody outside the US thinks, so no argument here.
Normally I would say there are only two things wrong with Trump; all he says, and all he does.
But you need to admit he is actually pretty good at reading from scripts. It is when he does not have a script, i.e. most of the time, that things go haywire.
Aviathor wrote:
Anything coming from Trump is sketchy. He has not expressed one clear thought since he took office.
Stop looking at Fake News and you will see what he says that he wants and what the Deep State allows are two different things.
