Originally Posted by
Zeeb
It's perfectly reasonable for a company to limit which employees are allowed to accept tips. Tipping a bartender or valet is one thing, but gate agents taking tips, for example, would certainly open up, if nothing else, the appearance of them being bribed in exchange for upgrades/better seats/early boarding/etc. I would not want to fly on an airline where ticket agents or gate agents were able to accept tips.
How is that different from tipping a bar tender though? That's just as much a bribe in exchange for preferential treatment and/or larger servings of alcohol per drink as tipping an agent in exchange for the benefits you listed.