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.
The anti-union anti-employee bent of this website has never been very well hidden. It should come as no surprise that you expose a Flight Attendant to discipline by reporting on this but oddly, it does.
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.
when I take long hall flights I tend to give the attendants a nice box of chocolates or something similar. While I don’t expect anything in return it usually leads to more favorable service. I was in ANA business class last month and the attendant gave me a first class amenities kit.
New world order on US commercial aircraft: dress in Saturday-morning-cleaning-the-garage clothes and hand out $5 cash tips.
Hey, you got a problem with that?
Well said Mike Hunt
Flight attendants should not be expected to do calculations of weight and booze but use common sense and judgement. A 5th drink on a 629 mile flight should be the this is the final one from the flight attendant.
BTW, people usually don’t know in advance when they’re going to barf from excessive drinking. It just kind of comes on. Now if some of you look forward to a vomit smelling aircraft then let the booze flow.
@George N Romey
Yeah, you also donno how sleepy you’ll get either. Lightweight… one G&T… nap time. The trick is… espresso martini (Delta has some good ones). Those combine the stimulant and the depressant so you can really ‘fly’
Only in America…
How on earth @Ed you get anti-union out of this… geez
@Gary It appears @Ed is either a newbie, a fool, or a troll. I, for one, cannot say enough good things about unions, workers rights, and take every chance I get promote that crews deserve better pay. We may disagree sometimes on how best to get there, but VFTW is certainly not anti-union.
Please I have been coming on board with $5 Starbucks cards for years …
When I walk on I hand the “welcoming” FA the cards based upon staffing for the flight and say this is for you and your crew today
When upgrades don’t clear, its the easiest way to make sure I get asked first for things, or brought “extra” meal service from upfront.
Being nicer to the FA’s always means they are nicer and more attentive to you.
“BTW, people usually don’t know in advance when they’re going to barf from excessive drinking. It just kind of comes on.”
Some people may not know but I always knew. I would get a quickly passing chill and then puke about 15 minutes later. It didn’t work that way when I was sick, only when I had drank too much. With the forewarning I would position myself so I could puke without causing too much of a mess. On an airplane that would mean taking a puke bag or several to the toilet. Most people who puke on others could do better at getting prepared when they think that they may puke.
Update the title to reflect it’s a bribe.
@mikehunt Mike, Mike, Mike, what are we gonna do with you?
I always tip flight attendants with a thank you card containing a personal note and a $15 Starbucks card
I’ve done 4 on the PHX-LAS flight on AA. That 1st class FA hooked it up. He didn’t even know it was for a a squad meet up, just a very attentive guy.
I’ve gotten “gifts” before. Back in the 80’s the good ol boys used to buy us gifts from the duty free cart, they were the best!
I routinely give a FA a $10 USD Starbucks cards and explain that I recognize they are here for my safety, but I appreciate their hard work.
If the flight attendant was friendly, helpful, and offered good service I always give them a $10 Starbucks gift card as I walk past them leaving the plane. Just saying thank you as I hand it to them.
You can buy the cards in 4 packs at Staples stores.
On behalf of the crew members, we sincerely appreciate those Starbucks cards, they come handy after long flights.
When gifts are presented during boarding to the flight attendant in the front sometimes the crew in the back forget to find ur seat and say thank you. But normally we all come over and say thank u and if u need anything. We appreciate yall…
We give flight attendants and flight crew $5 Starbucks gift cards when we travel.
I just received “Thank You” cards again with my 1K renewal. I haven’t seen them since before Covid and happy to see them again. I remember a FA telling me they turn them in for internal employee perks of their choosing, AND it goes into their employment record as positive to customer/passenger engagement and service. Curious if that is still the process…
This sounds like the best solution to me! Just wish I had more of them as I have (with only one exception) found UA’s FAs to be very professional and helpful to me and frequently looking for the best way to say thank you.
@Tobias
Thank you for sharing. I had been 1K during the pandemic and never received the ‘Thank You’ cards. Glad UA is bringing them back—It’s the thought that counts.
Was it something they sent automatically or did you have to manually request them, like the bag tags? I still find that odd—who earns top tier status and doesn’t want bag tags. Like, DL and AA mail tags without having to request them.
For years we have given the crew (Alaska Airlines) a nice box of candy/chocolate with a thank you card when we board. They really enjoy it, and each crew member has come by our seat thanking us. I just want them to know we appreciate everything they do. In some small way I hope it makes up for the rude passengers.
@Claire
You’re a wonderful person to do that, and I am sure the crews did appreciate it. Thank you.
My husband almost died from end stage liver cirrhosis secondary to alcohol.
He got a liver transplant surgery and will be on anti-ejection and immunosuppressant medication for the rest of his life.(5 year survival rate 75%. 15 year 50%)
@L —That’s awful. Must have been and continue to be very challenging. Glad he is receiving treatment. Not sure if you were responding to anyone in particular, or just a general warning about the risks of alcohol, and either way thank you for sharing here.
I have given out SB’s gift cards to airline staff as well as gate agents.
Better value? The gate agents!
These hard working ppl take so much crap from almost everyone