Shock horror gripped the tower as it was anounced that new management were going to cease providing staff with hot beverage flavoured drinks :eek:

Could all you Air traffickers around the world let me know what the tea and coffee situation is at your units, is free tea a standard or have we just been spoiled here?

It would be good to be forearmed with your opinions before I march against the oppressors with my burning torch held high and pitchfork at the ready.

Thanks all

Yours thirstilly

:cool:

Odds are that you earn twice as much as me and your giving out about having to buy your own tea and coffee??

As the Canadians round here are all Tim Hortons crazy, the stuff thats available in the lunchroom leaves loads to be desired (and is about 25 cents a cup) Too bad if you're a tea drinker)

We have to pay for our own ! :(

At LHR ATC it's an organised "tea swindle". Each Watch arranges in-house refreshments which are paid for by the staff when they use it. Works quite well - some Watches offer better catering than others! This is in addition to contractor-supplied vending machines supplied by the Mgmt.

Nothing is free at LHR - except stress!

This is in addition to contractor-supplied vending machines supplied by the Mgmt

Which is only a couple of points down the toxicity scale from Ricin.

CB

this is where the contractor makes the profit!!

Perhaps SERCO's "crumbling empire" is due to all the tea and coffee that is supplied FOC???????? :O :D :E

Jerricho

You've obviously been here and tried the hot chocolate then!

Not free here (West Drayton) - unless we have all been good boys and girls then we get a "Free Vend" (Which is an oxymoron in itself!). Doesn't ahppen often though. 16p otherwise

"I'd luv a white wivout!"

Am

ours might be free but ( there is always a but !)

We don't get the wages you guys do:(

Over a period of some 37 years, I've worked at 7 military (2 overseas), and 5 civil ATC units, and I don't recall any providing free tea and coffee.

The only possible exception was at one RAF airfield, where the local farmer kindly provided free milk - straight from the cow!! (so fresh, it was still warm!!). :p

Wages we guys get? you must be thinking of the ATCOs, maybe I could convince them to subsidise our tea breaks

We also 'run' a swindle and quite often I'm sure we have been:{

At LTN tea, coffee and milk supplied (but not sugar apparently).

One has to take in one's own Earl Grey tea bags. Standards are slipping. :(

White Hart, oh yes. Tis one of the few places round Blighty where people understand if a visitor is asked "Would you like a hot drink" and they give an adament "NO!!!" ;)

Not free. If you want coffee, you pay into the fund. Tea? Those of us drinking it must bring our own.

Swanwick charges 30p in the canteens for filter coffee, 40p for the "special" machine frothy stuff, and 16p for a tea bag. For that you get free milk and sugar. They also provide in the canteens sachets for those of us that like decaf coffee, and there is a wide selection of fruity and herbal teas, as well as a couple of Twinnings (Earl Grey certainly one of them :yuk: ). The vending machines charge between 13p and 18p for tea and coffee, price dependant on how many "extras" you have, ie milk and sugar. It doesn't taste that bad, or maybe I'm just getting too used to it! We also get the odd perk when we have behaved ourselves of free basic stuff, that normally lasts a week.

Don't think our new Starbucks will be in the pence bracket as and when they get here.............. :{

In the US the drinks you must pay for... Some places have a coffee or tea mess that is set up by the employees and some places have both that and a cafe at work. Either way, the employee coffee mess is always cheaper than the cafe.

regards

Scott

The only possible exception was at one RAF airfield, where the local farmer kindly provided free milk - straight from the cow!! (so fresh, it was still warm!!).

The cow was a multi tasker, she used to do wheel changes and half of the flight line..and that was before tea!

:p

I had no idea we were so lucky, I may have to just let this whole tea thing slide. I suppose the big S was good for something

:cool:

Come to Norway and have your tea or coffee for free!!
All twr`s I have been in over here we get our drinks for free. Except for the Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters, of course... :cool:

T

Nothing free here either, and never will be.
Coffee in the canteen is about Sfr2,50 (€1,60) and in the terminal building its Sfr4,50 (€2,90) expensive but good stuff.
At the vending machine you get a cup for Sfr0,90 (€0,60) cheap but tastes like battery acid.

BYO here, or use the staff cafe which is OK (Espresso Machine).

If drinking in the Ops area has to be in a spill-proof vessel - which have the habit of spilling 10 times more than a normal coffee cup.

But we persist with the charade. It keeps the morons happy.

Don't think our new Starbucks will be in the pence bracket as and when they get here..............

They've been doing Starbuck's in the TC canteen for a while now.

Most of the "Talls" are circa 60-80p IIRC.

WF.

One good thing about Skyguide - we get free coffee (although it's the "Nespresso" capsule type). Once heard a rumour that the boss pays - don't know if it's true.:ok:

No Oz ATC untis have tea and coffee supplied FOC to the troops.

Most units have either a "brew club" or ATCs BYO their own coffe/tea, milk and sugar.

In Brissie, we have our own canteen, so during the hours of 0630 to 1930 local, we have (for a modest price) all the skinny mugocinnos you can shake a stick at.

I visited the ACC at Aix-de-Provence a few years ago - the old one - and in the cafeteria they offered wine alongside coffee and tea. Not free, of course, and I was told it was "for after work." More civilized than trips to one's locker on the mid-shift, no? (Yes, I actually knew a controller who did that.)

Not only is our tea and coffee free, but management having gone through their HSE Safety Mangement Sysytem whatnot decided there was a risk of the controllers wilting in the hot sun and provided a free water cooler in the VCR. Now all we need is a pissoir up there because of all the water noises...

This begs the inevitable question:
To dunk or not to dunk????

mmmm the humble digestive.... :} :p