A passenger flying United Airlines from Charleston, South Carolina to Newark on Tuesday reported that a first class passenger “in his mid to late 50s” had tossed back “six to eight” gin and tonics and “he kept handing the flight attendant a $5 every time he brought him another one.” But that’s not all,
He was also handing out free fist bumps to everyone who used the bathroom as well. That was pretty cool.
I have never nor have I seen anyone tip an FA before. Is he just a baller or am I just unaware of the FA tipping.
I’m not sure how a passenger can down half a dozen cocktails on a 629 mile flight, though it helps if you’re spiffing the flight attendants $5 for each (though one passenger suggests that surely the crewmember was watering down the drinks).
How common is something like this? Not super common. Some people like to give out chocolates to their flight crew, or to agents in the airline lounge. Others prefer to hand out small Starbucks gift cards. This isn’t expected. Most people do not even do this.
Most airlines don’t permit flight attendants to accept tips, and flight attendants themselves have mixed feelings on the subject – some are in favor because they want more money (although a tipping norm may ultimately mean lower salaries), while others worry the emphasis would then shift from safety to service.
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“).
this is why tipping should be made illegal at certain businesses. It’s like a bribe.
Tipping has gotten out of hand—please do not make this a new expectation. We should not have to ‘bribe’ our way to better service. Airlines should to pay their crews more.
On the employee appreciation certificates, I find it interesting how American and Delta do this, but not United (that I am aware of). I believe Delta sends them to Platinum and Diamond, and American to EPs, at least that’s been my experience. I try to give them out generously, especially when a crew member is going above and beyond. Not sure they get much out of them, but hopefully the thought counts. Do any other airlines do this?
If American Airlines flight attendants cannot accept AAdvantage miles as a tip for a job well done, you can gift your premium Delta Air Lines SkyMiles to American Airlines flight attendants.
a guy next to me finished 6 drinks on a morning DFW-MSY flight. But that FA was super attentive to everyone.
Tipping UA FA’s will get the FA terminated. Wrong for the employee to accept and wrong for the customer to offer.
It’s not a bribe, it’s an insult to the employee. The implication being that they have to subsist on handouts from customers rather than paid properly.
@ Gary, I’ve been flying with one of the big three for 23 years and tipping has always been there. The first time it is offered we were supposed to say “no thanks” but if the passengers continues to offer it we can take it. I’ve had $100 tips. However, I would never do so for an over-indulgence of alcohol. I just can’t believe you, after all these years flying have never seen anyone tip a flight attendant. Eyes rolling.
I’m not part of the Cluster Bs screaming to take away booze from flights from airports but constantly serving a passenger booze, tip or no tip, has the potential to cause a problem. Not just behavior but physical. Do you want the person next you hurling all over you because they drank too much?
@George N Romey – People who think eliminating alcohol or establishing an arbitrary limit such as “one drink per hour” vastly underestimate the determination of heavy drinkers, and the extent to which such prohibitions or restrictions are likely to exacerbate rather than mitigate drunkenness on board. Limit the number of drinks on board, or ban them altogether? Certain people will drink up way more in the terminal than they ever did before. Limit or prohibit drinks in the terminal? Those same folks will load up at home, at a nearby watering hole, or even in the airport parking lot. What’s worse, they will also figure out how to sneak booze on board. Where there’s a will there’s a way.
Instead, common sense should prevail exactly as it has for the past 50 years. Serving 4-5 drinks over the course of two hours to a 300-lb. male in his 40s whose demeanor remains calm, even, and polite is very rarely going to create a problem. Serving that same amount to a 100-lb. female who is loud and agitated is clearly not the same. It’s not a perfect system, and people will still abuse it. But in my estimation, it works out far better overall than inflexible prohibitions ever would.
@George N Romey
Go easy on the whole ‘Cluster B’ presumptions, Doc.