American Airlines has started issuing scores to flight attendants. I noted in the details of how they would build the scores that credit card approvals are score “accelerators” in this new system. Aviation watchdog flags that JonNYC pitching credit cads onboard will affect performance metrics as well.
— JonNYC (@xJonNYC) April 22, 2026
American Airlines flight attendants will be scored and judged on their ability to sign passengers up for Citibank credit cards.
- Selling is still optional
- Jobs arent at risk from low scores
- But when called on and disciplined you want high scores!
So selling cards – and there are flight attendants earning six figures at airlines getting card approvals – also is something that can be prophylactic in case of job issues and customer complaints.
Flight attendants are there because the government requires them for safety, generally one per fifty seats. But their value add to an airline comes from:
- Customer service. They are one of the primary groups of employees interacting with passengers, creating a positive or negative experience, and therefore determining willingness of customers to pay a premium.
- Credit card sales. The highest margin revenue at scale for a legacy U.S. airline is selling miles to banks. The credit card business is the biggest profit driver. And onboard acquisitions is one of the strongest channels – customers who already have a likelihood to buy the product from the specific airline and focused time with fewer distractions when they’re primed to think about travel.
Inflight card pitches shouldn’t be done before 8 a.m., or on redeye flights. One good reason, by the way, for airline seat back entertainment is that the entertainment can be paused during flight attendant announcements. When people are using their own devices, they’re free to ignore card pitches. American Airlines should work with Citibank to sponsor a return of the screens.
I’ve even argued that American should increase the size of its lavatories and plaster them with credit card ads. That way a revenue stream would attach to the lavatory space, and American would no longer need to view the fact they have to provide lavs as a deadweight loss.
Only 14% of passengers on a given flight have an AAdvantage credit card. That’s a huge opportunity to grow the card portfolio. The people most likely to be interested in the American Airlines credit card are those already flying American Airlines.
They should get graded on how they interact with existing status members. Could you imagine being proactively greeted on AA and thanked for being an EP and offered a snack box? And make the reward certificates status members get digital so that FAs who do that can immediately be recognized. And make that recognition count meaningfully in the new scores.
No thanks to American or their trash credit card. Irritating they do this.
We are primarily here for your safety.
My god, wth is wrong with you? I do not want any damn credit card orvanymorherbsales pitch directed at me from any stewardess.!yeah, I will always that name for them. Just bring me my coffeee, snack and go about your business, ma’am. And also for a nice bonus, stay slim and wear a short skirt.!. Makes flying one hell of a lot more entertaining than some insepid seat back tv screen or WiFi garbage.
Ok Gary. And everyone reading this.
These metrics are for informations purposes only . They do not trigger any performance punitive action . Nor are they review on a yearly meeting or anything like that whatsoever.
@Eric – correct, but they exist and they will be used. what you write and what i write are consistent (in fact i addressed this in the post)
“We know it’s 3 AM at our arrival destination, and that we’ve already told you about this five times in the past 4 hours, but we want to reiterate a PHENOMENAL opportunity for you to earn valuable points that could earn you a free non-stop flight from Dallas to Oklahoma City!”
US airlines are approaching timeshare salesmen levels of credit card shilling…S
“We know it’s 3 AM at our arrival destination, and that we’ve already told you about this five times in the past 4 hours, but we want to reiterate a PHENOMENAL opportunity for you to earn valuable points that could earn you a free non-stop flight from Dallas to Oklahoma City!”
US airlines are approaching timeshare salesmen levels of credit card shilling…
Horrible idea.
Agreed with @Peter. Can’t believe those ‘RECOGNIZING OUTSTANDING SERVICE’ certificates are basically worth next to nothing. Sheesh.
@Brent, your Mommy and wife must be so proud. You sound like a real standup guy, in your twenties of course and to top it off I’m sure you look like Brad Pitt. Then I woke up and realized how Thankful I am to not know a man like you. Geesh!
American Airlines has been making *some* progress pushing for a more Premium product… but this feels like **tremendous** backsliding. Nothing premium about a loud, inescapable interruption – totally inconsistent with what they think they want to be. Do more signage / non-verbal advertising in the gates / jetways / planes if you really need awareness and signups.
When I read about the new idea for American to grade flight attendants I thought it was intensely stupid and impractical and there was no way they could make it worse. I was wrong. @Gary’s idea about the bathrooms is a good one.
“Only 14% of passengers on a given flight have an AAdvantage credit card”. The passengers know the airline that they are flying and refuse to support it. I would guess that many are on American because they live in AA hub cities where the airline has 70 or 80% of the outgoing flights and their only reasonable travel choices are AA, Frontier or Greyhound.
Interesting plans by AA.
They could have gone the United route and just penalized customers for NOT having the credit card…would have been more efficient.
“Don’t have our card….well, here’s half of your points. Embrace the suck.”
Devaluations will continue, until morale improves.
LOL….what a dumpster fire with these business models.