Business Class Passenger Stuffs Their Bag Full Stealing All The Inflight Amenities

Officially, you can take your business class amenity kit with you but not the bedding. People do it anyway, which shouldn’t be surprising since passengers at Delta Sky Clubs are dumping buffet items into their carry on bags and guests steal insane things from hotels.

Japanese airline ANA used to offer amenity bags to passengers in first class, and they would pass out items for you to take (they’d give you whatever you asked). Crew would then leave a basket with more amenities in the cabin for you to take. Some people loaded up.

Live and Let’s Fly passes along video of a woman in business class on a Turkish Airlines flight “stuffing her bag full of goodies” and one has to imagine that this is staged.

Live and Let’s Fly pleas with passengers not to do this, and I agree that you shouldn’t be piggish but taking souvenir soft goods can be great and benefit the marketing of the product greatly. Lufthansa’s First Class Terminal in Frankfurt even has a twitter account for the rubber ducks you can request if you wish to take a bath.

Everyone used to steal the salt and pepper shakers from Virgin Australia business class, back when they used to fly long haul. The pair made a Sydney Opera House.

When United introduced their new Polaris business class soft product, it was very good – a huge improvement, and too nice for United (which is why we’ve seen cutbacks since then). United has taken several steps to cut costs,

  • Reduced the number of flight attendants in the cabin, and meals now come pre-plated instead of being plated in the galley by crew.

  • Eliminated expressly offering things like cocktails on a drink cart and wine flights, which make it less likely passengers drink as much

  • Stop placing as many things at a passenger’s seat, making items on request only (they aren’t always requested)

  • Tell flight attendants to stop passengers from stealing the pillows and blankets

I might have certain airline blankets at home. Etihad first class blankets are among the softest and most comfortable I’ve ever felt. Whenever I see and feel an airline blanket, it brings me back to the experience and makes me want to get back on board. United doesn’t feel that extending their business class marketing into your home is a worthwhile investment.

I’ve been invited to take things on board, and if I want something I will generally ask. An American Airlines flight attendant invited me to take extra pajamas last summer on a Sydney flight. There’s so much stuff on an Emirates first class flight they give you a tote bag…

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. On my last trip to France, I nabbed a champagne, bucket and leather do not disturb hanger from my five star hotel in the 6th in Paris.

  2. It could have been staged but some people take anything not nailed down. To be sure, my seats never have that much room. Maybe it is something about paying a lot for a ticket. The plastic cups I get are not worth taking.

  3. OK – its not really that controversial here…..she takes the menu, blanket and slippers…..then the jam jar and wine glass…….

    SO WHAT!

    It looks staged anyway….

    Ive taken the menu, slippers and the jam jar before…..to FA even encouraged it and asked if i want to take some more jam home cuz i said i liked it. even got a full bottle of english champagne on BA for recommending restaurants for the FAs on layover in SF…..

    I have been offered VX wine glasses…..given wine in empty water bottles to take with me…..extra minis……all offered by FAs.

    Call me when she stuffs the full course plates and china……

  4. Staged – many posts on L&LF confirming that the OP (Anwar) creates comedy skits for youtube often featuring his mother

  5. One can debate whether this was staged, but no, stealing is not OK. Don’t steal. Period. If you think stealing from airlines is OK, then don’t complain when your stuff is stolen — be it from a hotel room, your back pocket/bag/suitcase, your parked car, or your home.

    Don’t steal. It’s that simple.

  6. @jns. I was going mention maybe people think because of the extra cost of the business ticket they are entitled to extra stuff. But if you can afford the price in the first place that kind of defeats your argument. In economy I have always left the blankets and pillows.

  7. @Carol Lewis, some people just seem to be built different. I have seen stinginess from people with a lot of money. When I was a kid and my parents got me a job doing yard work for a judge and his wife, the wife was the one who wanted every second accounted for. She was the most demanding person I ever worked for.

    Since I wrote, it has became more certain that this is a skit. That being said, some people in coach take things they shouldn’t and I am sure some people in the expensive seats do too. I wonder where more is lost per seat on average, among the different priced seats.

  8. Not surprised. Had one steal my Emirates amenity kit our pile of luggage while we were waiting to check in at our hotel in Dubai.

  9. Delta Air Lines used to pride itself on Pendleton Blankets aboard the entire aircraft. When the theft rate became intolerable, they finally had to switch to very cheap, thin blankets. If I open the amenity kit to use one thing, then I will take the kit with me when I leave. Otherwise, I leave it. Same thing with the little “one shot” salt and pepper shakers. If I open any of the amenities at the hotel, I’ll take the opened ones with me. Otherwise, I leave the unopened ones. Yeah, “I paid for them with my ticket/room rate” but I just don’t take things. My parents taught the four kids not to take what is not ours. When we were little, we sometimes learned the hard way NOT to steal!

  10. Sorry Gary, I paid $5 grand for business class from Atlanta to London, I am taking the pillow and blanket. Don’t see it as stealing, I see it as part of my ticket.

  11. My friend would take the Emirates blankets. I refused, thinking Emirates might sell them in an online shop. They don’t. After that attempt at honesty, let’s just say that Emirates may be short a couple blankets and utensil sets. I loved the older blankets; the newer ones not as much. Emirates had metal knives even as other airlines only offers a plastic sport if anything. And then a few years later some useless tiny plastic knife.

  12. I’ve walked off planes with bottles of Champagne, full dinner set ups, et al. F/As are the ones the gave them to me. I’m going to ask first however, unlike some third-world low rent schmuck.

  13. Yes, it was staged so nobody get their panties in a bunch. The problems are some flying basic economy who have lounge access from their credit card

    I’ve taken a couple packets of mouthwash and I always take pajamas as a souvenir unless I already own a pair. On an ANA first flight the FA gave me a new pair which was super sweet.

    I would never steal a blanket or pillow although I was tempted by the salt and pepper shakers on Turkish but common sense prevailed. They are cute but impracticable

  14. It’s pretty funny how the author justifies his stealing of blankets as marketing.

    I have a feeling he not taking THAT many people to his bedroom

  15. Why do you show a Muslin woman stealing?
    This is a racist portrayal.
    Please show some other race and not Muslim.

  16. I think you don’t need to steal anything, just ask to the FA, most of them they will help you with whatever you asked, a FA offered me an extra set of pajamas flying JAL first class from LAX -HND and during the flight I chose Japanese style menu, I also requested caviar and she gladly brought it to me.

  17. @Elderberryflowertraveler: I hate to break your nose ring, but there is no such thing any longer as a “middle class” . You must be from that upity high class snobbery class.

  18. I was given a bottle of wine, beautifully wrapped in a napkin, as I left a plane. I asked, “Why me?”
    The FAs said, “You were the only person on the entire plane who said, “Please” and “Thank you”.

  19. Knew someone who had several sets of silverware from many Concord flights. She had more money than morals..

  20. Dena: No, never did but never spent much time with her after seeing that and a couple other things she had done years ago.

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