Just wondering if it is customary to tip helicopter pilots like tour guides?

Great question! We are leaving in 11 days and I hadn't even thought of that!

Sorry I do not have the answer, but would like to tack on to your question...Should we also tip the tour guides for horseback riding, atv tours, zip lines, dinner cruises, etc. We booked a lot of excursions and any help would be appreciated! If yes, what is the appropriate amount?

Hmmm...I'm sure the tips would be accepted, but they certainly are not the norm.

no tipping is necessary for the pilots or the boat captains, atv, zip lines etc.-they are making their money by the prices you pay, however the tour guides yeah, tip them ,if you want to, dinner cruises-no unless there's entertainment, then tip the dancers/singers directly. usually $5 is enough. If you get excellent service/guiding have a great time, tip who you want, everyone appreciates a little extra cash.

When we took a helicopter tour on Kauai a few years ago, we did not tip and neither did the other party on our tour. It did not even occur to me, as it did not seem to be expected or hinted at, at the time. It seems these days, if tips are expected, the guides hint at it toward the end or have some type of tip container visible.

The general pilot tipping rules are on this thread

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...=2&tid=1288831

We didn't tip our helicopter pilot. We did the leader of our Halekala bike trip (they did hint). We also gave a good tip to the two men that ran the outrigger canoe trip at the Four Seasons. It was complimentary through the resort, but we just loved the guys that ran in, and it was one of the highlights of our trip, so we tipped them.

OH NO YOU DID NOT FAINA!!!

You naughty girl.

Is this anything like cow tipping?

Please raise your hands. How many of us know what "cow tipping" is and have ever done it?

Is cow tipping sort of like outhouse tipping? My uncles use to tell me stories about that when I was little. They still thought it was funny, LOL.

OK, the real story is this... helicopter pilots are NOT paid like airline pilots.... nor have they ever been paid as such in the tour industry. For that, many of them are paid no more than what the minimum wager earns in the US. They do depend on tips in many cases, but you need to be the judge as to the amount. Sure the tour is expensive, but you get what you pay for. The tour pilot is not just a pilot, (s)he is there to give you an experience like non other and to show you what your there to see as well as provide some info and make you feel comfortable.

Don't let your booking agents tell you otherwise that tips are included with the price of a tour in the USA.... its not. It never has been. Unlike places within Europe where Gratuity is part of the cost of the trip, in the USA its is not.

Hope this helps.

Lol. You registered to bring up an 8+ year old thread just to tell us that we 'should' tip helicopter pilots?? Who wants to bet you are a pilot?

I'm waiting for him to post which company he flies for . . . so the moderators will nuke him

Do you tip more or not at all on a successful crash landing with no injuries?

Hoverlover,

Just curious. What does a helicopter pilot make and what does he receive in tips?