An American Airlines passenger made the holidays a bit brighter for the crew of his five hour Airbus A321neo flight when he brought gifts for the crew – an AirPods Max for each flight attendant and pilot. He was seated way back in row 37, and a passenger at the first class bulkhead was inspired to switch seats to honor him for the gesture – so he winds up in 1D, instead of in back by the lavatory. It’s going viral as others grab the video and repost it to their own accounts.
Most observers are warmed by the gesture,
“Nice to see someone appreciative of crew during holiday travel”
“small kindnesses matter”
On the other hand, this is an account that is doing this for content – it’s not a random candid moment. So some people see it as performative engagement-farming, and virtue-signaling with a camera on.
It’s also bribery-adjacent. You hear a flight attendant ask where he’s seated and say she’s going to take care of him. The “upgrade” he got was from another passenger, the implied bargain is still “gift crew and special treatment happens.
Some commenters in social media frame the event as ‘flirting because the flight attendants are attractive’ and that they’re benefiting from ‘pretty privilege.’ I don’t buy this angle because he clearly bought and brought the gifts without knowing who his crewmembers would be (and he’s gifting to the pilots, to, who he doesn’t even see – he gives those to a flight attendant to deliver to the cockpit).
Here’s the same person giving gifts to a Frontier Airlines crew several weeks ago.
People do give flight attendants gifts, but typically small and boring stuff like chocolates and thank you notes. AirPods Max for “the entire crew” is way outside the norm. In fact, airlines often restrict employees from accepting cash or valuable gifts (and some explicitly ban gift cards). There are also reports of crew getting in trouble when passengers frame gifts as bribery or special treatment.
- At American Airlines, airport customer service employees are allowed to accept “promotional items, complimentary tickets or perishable gifts (candy, fruit, etc)” that’s worth no more than $100. American tells employees to “share[..] with colleagues when practical.”
- However gifts worth over $100 must be returned.
- Employees are not allowed to accept “cash, gift cards, and gift certificates” regardless of amount. So no Starbucks gift cards.
At several airlines, customer tips, credit card signups, and duty free or meal purchases affect cabin crew compensation.
- Flight attendants at Frontier Airlines went viral before the pandemic because the airline had a policy of supplementing cabin crew wages with customer tips.
- On many airlines flight attendants earn a commission on credit cards passengers sign up for. If you want to ‘tip’ cabin crew, maybe the best way to do it is apply for a credit card using their referral code.
- At Ryanair they have an inflight sales quota, the opposite of a tip or commission, they’re disciplined if they’re not closing sales. On Ryanair, buy stuff from your crew.
Your airline also may give you employee recognition certificates, if you have status with them, and those can entitle them to entries in a drawing for big prizes or other benefits.
Of course I find the best way to get ‘special treatment’ is to just be nice, and if you don’t get what you want or need to just ask someone else (“hang up, call back“).
So I don’t know – what do we think about holiday gifts for crew? And does it matter if it’s modest Starbucks gift cards versus electronics?
“a passenger at the first class bulkhead was inspired to switch seats to honor him for the gesture”
WTF. This is just absurd. Just like giving up a seat for a cop or soldier.
How is this not a bribe?
Oh, cool. Bribes! Sorry, I mean, ‘gratuities.’ See Snyder v. United States, 603 U.S. 1 (2024).
If I am flying long-haul on a US or British carrier, regardless of class of service, I routinely will give the FAs a bag of mini-Toblerone or other assorted chocolates. It’s a nice thing to do and the FAs appreciate it. Costs very little to make someone’s day, and if the standard service I receive comes with a small extra smile, great, but that’s not the point. Chocolates may be boring, but it’s the sweet gesture (see what I did there?) sometimes that counts.
I would never do that on an Asian carrier of course, because I believe culturally they would be hesitant to accept a gratuity, and it would just lead to awkwardness. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe some folks wish that we tipped less in the US. C’est la vie.
As for handing out Airpods Max to an entire flight crew – I guess everyone wants to be Mr. Beast? I’m not sure it’s bribery-adjacent per se (and in an age of $26 upgrades, not sure this is the most cost effective way to be upgraded to first class), just performative. But if folks want to do performative things that can be written off for tax or estate planning or other corporate reasons (like handing out Airpods Max to a flight crew, or handing over $6.25b to children $250 at a time), and some folks get a tangible benefit (headphones or, you know, cash), great? I suppose this is the world we live in.
As we approach our semiquincentennial, I don’t think we’re all going to start following George Washington’s Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation, but perhaps we might all labor to keep alive that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.
“Pretty privilege”. Really? Obviously spoken by someone that isn’t. Get over it. Numerous studies have shown that attractive people, those that are in good shape and taller men are selected often over other candidates. That is just the way the world works so live with it and maybe try a little harder if you don’t fit this demographic.
@F gets it.
@Peter — Yeah, good call to not do this in E. Asia. And, good riddance to performative-hype (Mr. Beast, LOL.) Also, nice reference to the semiquincentennial and our first President’s supposed book of 110 maxims that he allegedly transcribed as a teenager… (technically, they were based on works originally written by French Jesuits in the late 16th century.)
His ‘Rules of Civility’ emphasized courtesy, respect, and self-control, yet these high standards of personal conduct existed simultaneously with the brutal, dehumanizing institution of slavery, so… Washington’s adherence to the Rules of Civility allowed him to become a respected gentleman and leader within his particular social sphere, but it did not compel him to see the enslaved people he owned as deserving of that same respect or freedom.
Or, ignore that… wouldn’t want anyone to ‘feel bad’ about our history. Better to just wash over it, probably. …’Yankee Doodle went to town, riding on a pony, stuck a feather in his cap, and called it macaroni.’
@Retired Gambler thanks for stating the obvious and showing your bias. Those of us who are not tall white men already know we have to work twice as hard and be twice as smart to get ahead. We also know when we do get ahead your fragile masculinity kicks in and you’ll do everything in your power to slap us back to where you think we belong.
You are a great example of “when people show you who they are, believe them.”
As for giving gifts to the crew, who the F cares? What do people think the crew is being bribed to do?
And of course people have to make this political and claim victim status. BTW I’m a white man and I’ve had few things easy in my life. I’ve worked my butt off so save me the pious talk.
We don’t know this person and therefore we don’t know his true motives. Maybe he was just a nice guy. And it was a passenger in first that offered to switch seats, not a flight attendant moving him up to an empty first class seat. So maybe not judge people and situations you don’t have specific knowledge about.
I assume AA will make the crew donate or return these airpods? Since they cost over $100, accepting them would be against corporate policy.
In this age of online performance art, the airlines need to remind crew of corporate gift policy. This is obviously not something that should be encouraged.
@1990 – History, like how to properly calculate cpp, is complicated? Something like that. Not like the British were really any better – Dunmore’s Proclamation to free Virginian slaves that went to fight for the British didn’t exactly have him turn the other cheek in subsequent years when he was Governor of the Bahamas for the next 10 years and presided over… more slavery. Opportunism is often the order of the day. As for our founding fathers being mortal and flawed men while also being heroic visionaries, dichotomy is fun!
@George Romey — You always do, too, so why not embrace it, instead of clutching pearls and crocodile tears…
@Peter — That’s all well and good; I just want more MCE on AA’s new a321XLR. *wink*
@George Romney yes, it’s clear your hard life has made you a bitter, angry man who wants to oppress anyone with whom you disagree.
I’m not whining about my life experience. I accept it for what it is. It motivates me to hustle as a way to remind people like you that we ain’t going anywhere. So, just take a seat, calm yourself down and learn the difference between being pious and standing up to hate.
@1990 – I would say that loyalty matters, although in the realm of Patriots versus Loyalists, Patrick Henry’s words perhaps signal that we should all instead be free agents – give me liberty or give me death!
Oh boy… there goes @George Romey again… talkin’ bout how he ‘works hard’ and no one else does… didn’t @Mike Hunt say something similar… ‘I actually work for a living…’ yeah, fellas, we get it, you’re special.
@Peter — Very pleased with our initial and subsequent defeats of the British (lest we forget 1812 to 1815). The irony is that we could’ve (and probably should’ve) taken Canada then… (these days, not so much).
@ 1990 Actually nope I’m not special. But someone in an up thread started banging on how the “white man” has it so easy. I’ve lived in a homeless shelter for five months. I know what it’s like to wonder tomorrow will I be on the street. But ultimately I fought back to a nice six figure salary and life. Can you say the same?
PS It’s why I have so much hate for The Homeless Industrial Complex and people like Gavin Newsom that benefit from it. Someone I’m sure you admire.
An interesting comment about being homeless and fighting back to later have a six figure salary. I pretty much did the same homeless thing but only for a month between renting places. I actually lived out of my car for a month while holding down a job. Saved a month’s worth of rent money. I had to plan a lot of things carefully such as where to park so as to not be disturbed while sleeping, where to shower in the morning along with getting dressed for work (dress clothes including a tie) and where to use the toilet when I had to go. Fortunately solo backpacking and camping had taught me some things. No money from the government and instead paid taxes like anyone else (maybe a bit more since a portion of rent couldn’t be taken off of state taxes). Mad respect for those who can be homeless and not let it tear them down and can later get their feet under themselves and transition back to a solid person in society.
“George Romey” Imagine how much harder your life would have been if you WERE a Black man.
Tips are bribes? Ok. I use tips whenever I think it will give me a good return on my investment. I don’t insist on giving the tip if they refuse it.
@Parker
You really suffer from white envy don’t you?
@WearyWatchdog
It’s literally just an oppression delusion.
Feel good stories are common, usually around the holidays, but a poke under the hood is warranted.
1. How did 1D pax know 37[A-F] gave a gift? Likely after seating as otherwise it’s blocking the aisle during boarding.
2. If 37[A-F] can afford 5+ sets of airpods (likely he brought his own) he certainly could afford to be in 1B, C, or D without the nobility of uknown 1D.
3. No gift too large to be rejected AND crowing about it on social media makes it the uber-bribe. Call it a tip if that’s how you color.
Speaking of color, that has nothing to do with this possible tale of magic goodness. It’s not all about color, race, or where in the back of the bus was a Christmas wish and where in the front was a “I’ll see your nice gesture to the crew and raise you one seat upgrade.”
@George Romey — One has not lived until they go from homelessness to Concierge Key.
@Walter Barry — So, are you a Fuentes or a mere Tucker?
They all had androids and now he can’t close the shade…
Everyone who commented on this is a loser with too much time on their hands. Read/watch and move on or better yet don’t watch. Hope that helps you reform your pathetic lives
It occurs rarely enough to be news worthy. Passengers that show appreciation for the crew. Last month I was working from San Diego to Dfw. An elderly Navy Veteran, already booked in F/C, came on with two bags of “jumbo jack” burgers for the entire crew. It was such a considerate and welcome gesture. This is one of those trips where the crew was working a full day with no ground time to grab a bite. We all had a chance to chat with him, and he was such a nice man.
I’m guessing the video guy knew who was in 1D (booked the ticket, in on it together) and that was the setup to get a viral story.
Hmm the seat swap looks more genuine than I thought
I stopped giving crew gifts (chocolates or cookies) on long haul flights a few years ago because despite my politeness it never made a difference in how I got treated.
What gift policy 25 years of flying I can’t remember how many gifts I received over the years. I always reported it to inflight and was never asked to return them.
@LS, ever consider that there might be something more to the issue than a box of chocolates can override?