In case anyone is interested to see what the reaction of cabin crew receiving lai see was recently, here's my story. I was traveling SIN to HKG in J, and after settling into the seat and offered a welcome drink, I gave a couple of lai see to two of the cabin crew. Both of them were delighted and thrilled. I then gave another one to the ISM who was very happy to receive it. When I gave one to a SP about halfway through the flight, she declined graciously and said cabin crew were not allowed to accept any lai see. I said it was just a small token, and really, it is for good luck! Again she declined, saying that I could donate cash to the "Change For Good" program. I wished her a happy new year anyway, and she came by to my seat later to apologise for not accepting the lai see! Talk about being polite.
And for those who think it is bribery, each lai see contained less than $100 HKD.