Frontier trying to extort 'gratuities'
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 299
Frontier trying to extort 'gratuities'
Flying Denver to Reagan yesterday (after a great time at Telluride Bluegrass Festival) I bought a couple of beers. Gave my credit card to the stewardess, who inserted it in an iPad-like device and gave to me to authorise and sign.
All fine, all normal.
Until I saw that, as in bars, restaurants and taxis, it prompted me to leave a 'gratuity' and prompted various percentages! What? That wasn't the case on the outbound flight a week earlier.
Tipping is a scourge in the US, unlike anything anywhere else in the world. The notion that you have to help pay the waitress's wages because the employer won't is disgraceful. Nonetheless, I tip because it's part of the deal. And I genuinely do not want a waitress to be evicted. But part of the premise is that it applies to minimum (or sub-minimum) wage employees.
Stewardesses are not minimum wage employees. Serving drinks is part of their job, alongside ensuring a safe trip. The idea that I should tip them is anćthema to me. I've mentioned it to a few stewardesses I know (none in the USA). They all thought it extremely tacky, and would be severely embarrassed by it.
Needless to say, I did not tip on the flight.
All fine, all normal.
Until I saw that, as in bars, restaurants and taxis, it prompted me to leave a 'gratuity' and prompted various percentages! What? That wasn't the case on the outbound flight a week earlier.
Tipping is a scourge in the US, unlike anything anywhere else in the world. The notion that you have to help pay the waitress's wages because the employer won't is disgraceful. Nonetheless, I tip because it's part of the deal. And I genuinely do not want a waitress to be evicted. But part of the premise is that it applies to minimum (or sub-minimum) wage employees.
Stewardesses are not minimum wage employees. Serving drinks is part of their job, alongside ensuring a safe trip. The idea that I should tip them is anćthema to me. I've mentioned it to a few stewardesses I know (none in the USA). They all thought it extremely tacky, and would be severely embarrassed by it.
Needless to say, I did not tip on the flight.
#2
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 339
Agreed that corporate is definitely trying to extort tips with the new payment software, but I actually have to say the flight attendants do a good job of not making it uncomfortable not to tip them and clearly the crews themselves aren't exploiting it.
Every time I've flown them with the new option to tip the flight attendant hands me the device to sign and simply says "select an option" while they walk back to the cart or turn away to help another customer, and like you, I don't click the tip. I think they do a pretty good job of not pressing you to tip whatsoever
I've always found the crews on F9 to be quite friendly, it's the customer service on the ground that's the problem.
Every time I've flown them with the new option to tip the flight attendant hands me the device to sign and simply says "select an option" while they walk back to the cart or turn away to help another customer, and like you, I don't click the tip. I think they do a pretty good job of not pressing you to tip whatsoever
I've always found the crews on F9 to be quite friendly, it's the customer service on the ground that's the problem.
#4
Join Date: May 2002
Programs: WN F9 HA UA AA IHG HH MR
Posts: 3,305
Ensuring passenger safety is the primary duty of Cabin Crew... along with serving drinks.
I would not be surprised if Franke has cut employee pay to the point where they do need tips to make a living. Those low fares got to come from somewhere. Check to see if the pilots put a tip jar outside the flight deck. Just another symptom of the race to the bottom.
#6
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5,813
Discussing a former "stewardess" who wore her old Pan Am Uniform to a party complete with hat, bag and shoes. I was roundly attacked by one of my friends who is a "Flight Attendant" until I explained (several times) the proper term for that period was "Stewardess", she finally got it. Those uniforms were beautifully made.
#8
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: AS MVPG
Posts: 2,206
Also it sounds like they are just using off the shelf software, not trying to extort gratuities. It's possible that it just ignores whatever you put into the tip field anyway, and charges for only the base price.
Last edited by alphaeagle; Jun 29, 2016 at 2:48 pm
#11
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5,813
#12
Moderator: Manufactured Spending
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 6,580
Restaurants usually have a system set up to track tips and add them on to each employee's paycheck at the end of the pay period. I doubt Frontier has anything like that.
#14
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Minneapolis, MN (MSP)
Programs: DL DM, UA 1K MM, Subway Club Member
Posts: 1,988
That law applies to all companies, including those in California and other states that do not have a reduced minimum wage for tipped employees.
Restaurants usually have a system set up to track tips and add them on to each employee's paycheck at the end of the pay period. I doubt Frontier has anything like that.
Restaurants usually have a system set up to track tips and add them on to each employee's paycheck at the end of the pay period. I doubt Frontier has anything like that.
If you are tipping, do so in cash even if paying the bill by credit card.
#15
Moderator: Manufactured Spending
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 6,580
Many/most restaurants & bars deduct the CC fee processing from tips as well as other "processing fees". I worked weekends at a large bar as a bartender up until a few years ago and I got about $0.90 on the dollar for credit card tips. The tips were also subject to reversal in the event of a chargeback. My biggest tip ever was pulled back several months later when the ......... kid disputed the charge.
If you are tipping, do so in cash even if paying the bill by credit card.
If you are tipping, do so in cash even if paying the bill by credit card.
I don't typically tip in cash, because it can facilitate both tip pool fraud and tax fraud.