Spiff

I never said I'd stop flying if AA started a low-rent hawking of credit cards. (Though I will be over-stickering any seat-back advertisements in front of me... Mr. Zog's

Yes, duty free is acceptable, selling alcohol is repugnant (should all be free and high quality), and hawking credit cards is tacky and low-class. It's not why I fly. Speaking of slippery slopes, how about the opposite direction? Time-share pitches? (Talk about a captive audience!) AAirpass? Aeropr0n? Why stop at being tacky?

Fanjet

Yes. But they were put on a tray that had a linen cloth over it. That makes it classier. And OK.

Dr. HFH

Exactly, the slippery slope. I used to fly FD from time to time. (I use PG now on those routes because FD flies in/out of DMK, whereas PG flies in/out of BKK, -- much more convenient for me with regard to ground transportation options.) Anyway, FD has huge red and white stickers on the overhead bin doors advertising itself. Tacky? Probably. Does it matter to me? Not one bit. Why wouldn't they try to maximize the benefit they get from their assets? In this case, if AA can derive some additional revenue, why wouldn't they? I would imagine that that's what the shareholders, i.e., the people who actually own AA, expect.

cbn42

If a flight attendant tried to peddle a card to me by emphasizing the free first bag, I would loudly remind her and everyone within earshot that I could get a better benefit just by flying WN.

I know that's tasteless, but so is what she's doing.

nrr

For some liquor items particularly cognac, especially in the months when they were running an "extra" discount, the prices for the in-flight duty free sales were much better than the DF pricing in LHR, CDG or ZRH--this was your last chance to buy DF--I didn't find that sales pitch objectionable.

texmanufan

Indeed it is. My little sis is a US Airways FA. She got $50 for my application.

wetrat0

Exactly... $50 per app plus bonuses. Those who are good at it can double their salary. You really think that a flight attendant cares if it seems tacky? Plenty of people do FAR tackier things for far less money.

Spiff

Reality TV? Is that the flight experience we want?

cynicAAl

given the cash incentive to the FA, I'm confident that they don't care if its tacky to solicit the customers. But what the airline failed to consider was whether the customer thinks its tacky, and judging from the comments here, most people do think its tacky.

Next time I'm solicited on a plane, I guess I'll respond with " did you just solicit your customer ? Do you have any dignity or professionalism at all ?"

followed with:

"Now be a good waitress and go bring me a coke".

skunker

"We are primarily here for your safety....and to make extra money with credit applications."

lobo411

When I worked in retail one summer, they paid a token amount for getting people to sign up for store credit cards. I think it was literally $1 a card.

That was the carrot. The stick was that if you didn't get enough apps in a month, you got called into the supervisor's office and written up for "not performing up to company standards." They never said what happened if you got written up too much, but the implied threat was there.

Luckily I was just there for the summer, and I think I opened two accounts the whole time (one was my own!). I got written up, but I didn't give a durn since I was quitting anyway.

Hopefully, the FAs have a strong enough union to protect them against this "little carrot with a huge stick" approach. There was no union where I worked...and I still remember that the employee guide said "here at Mervyns, we're just one Big Happy Family. We don't need outside groups coming in and messing up our Big Happy Family, now do we?" Hah! The very first thing I've done at every job I've had since then, where there was a union, was to sign up.

JonNYC

God knows they've "protected them" from everything else.

GalleyWench

Right now we (US) only have the option of doing paper applications. Bonus is paid to the individual f/a whose app is approved
Anyone can choose to participate and when passing them out they are slotted so everyone gets a fair share.
I do participate in the program but always do it appropriately I never do it on early morning or late night flights when a lot of people are sleeping. I also don't do it on the very short flights where they cater express beverage service because if we don't have time to do a full service we shouldn't have time to do credit cards. On my last 3 day trip we did the credit card announcement one leg because of those reasons. I do it for personal reasons, 2 very sick parents and a lot of unexpected expenses the last couple of years where taking a second part time job isn't possible. There are a lot of reasons f/as participate (spouses have lost jobs, people are thrown into single parenthood, people still tryin to recover past paycuts). When I do it, we make one short announcement and one quick pass thru the cabin. I don't ask people individually and don't do any follow up announcements. I know some f/as are over the top with it and when I fly with them I won't participate. For those of you that think defacing the airplane or making condescending comments to the crew will make you feel better why don't you take a minute and think why they might need that little bit of extra income.

Spiff

I think over-stickering seat-back advertising will add to the plane's ambiance*; it's not to disparage the crew whom I like very much! I'm glad that if you are offering applications, you're being thoughtful and subtle about it.

*There should be no seat-back/bin advertising whatsoever. It's truly the epitome of "tacky".

JonNYC

Amen-- good for you for pointing this out.

Loud, boorish, cloddish pax: "CREDIT CARD APPLICATION?!?!? Don't you know who I am??"