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Can I give a tip or gift to a flight attendant?

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Old Jul 22, 2016, 12:12 pm
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Last edit by: JDiver
American Airlines' Employee Tip and Gifts Policy

AA employees
(contract employees not included) are not allowed to accept cash or gift cards.

American Airlines limits the value of gifts to employees to $25.


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Can I give a tip or gift to a flight attendant?

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Old Mar 8, 2018, 9:55 pm
  #106  
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Originally Posted by CityFlyerNYC
Just wondering is it ok to tip FAs (or acceptable)? Might help increase service quality. All the skycaps I meet curbside sure seem like the happiest guys at the airport!
If you want to set an inappropriate, tacky precedent, go ahead. But stop to consider whether the person at the receiving end actually wants your handout.
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Old Mar 8, 2018, 10:01 pm
  #107  
 
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Originally Posted by rjw242
Not sure why you think that's even remotely in the realm of possibility, let alone a "very legit concern"
There's a precedent for it in the service industry.
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Old Mar 9, 2018, 6:22 am
  #108  
 
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I saw a guy on a Express flight try to tip the FA $20. She didn't want it.
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Old Mar 9, 2018, 6:24 am
  #109  
 
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Funny - I usually buy some sweets for BA and VS crew.
But I've never felt that it would be welcomed by AA and DL. Am I wrong?
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Old Mar 9, 2018, 6:40 am
  #110  
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About 15 years ago I was on a flt from NYC to LAS on DL. Lots of groups go to bachelor/bachelorette parties in LAS. There was a group going to a bachelor party on my flt--they were buying rounds of drinks regularly...they were tipping the FA often.
I was once flying on AA from LAS to DFW, a woman sitting next to was very talkative--she told me her "life history"; she had been a FA (called stewardess in those days) for BRANIFF airlines, she was being paid so little that she qualified for FOOD STAMPS--I think she would have accepted tips.
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Old Mar 9, 2018, 7:32 am
  #111  
 
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Originally Posted by Sealink
Funny - I usually buy some sweets for BA and VS crew.
But I've never felt that it would be welcomed by AA and DL. Am I wrong?
A while back, my brother (who rarely flies) offered an AA FA a small box of chocolates on a whim. He enjoyed free drinks (in coach) on that flight. So I don't think they'd go unwelcomed.
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Old Mar 9, 2018, 9:19 am
  #112  
 
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Originally Posted by rjw242
A while back, my brother (who rarely flies) offered an AA FA a small box of chocolates on a whim. He enjoyed free drinks (in coach) on that flight. So I don't think they'd go unwelcomed.
Bribes rarely do.
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Old Mar 9, 2018, 7:15 pm
  #113  
 
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On a flight years ago (who know where or when), one passenger walked up and down the aisle, using a hat to collect money from the other passengers to reward the flight attendants for their excellent service. I don't know how it went down (how much did he collect, did he give them the money, did they accept it, if not, what did he do with it?). I do remember that many passengers contributed and it made for a "social hour" among the crowd.
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Old Mar 9, 2018, 7:42 pm
  #114  
 
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Originally Posted by kb9522
Bribes rarely do.
Wasn't a bribe, just a small gift that paid unexpected dividends.
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Old Mar 9, 2018, 10:01 pm
  #115  
 
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“TIPS FOLLOW THE RENDERING OF A SERVICE, WHEREAS BRIBES PRECEDE IT” -- Harvard Business School

(Forgive the caps, it was copy/pasted)
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Old Mar 10, 2018, 6:40 am
  #116  
 
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Originally Posted by Sealink
Funny - I usually buy some sweets for BA and VS crew.
But I've never felt that it would be welcomed by AA and DL. Am I wrong?
I gave a box of treats, along with a thank you note, to the FAs working the BC section on my most recent AA flight to NRT, as well on the return flight. I gave the box before the plane pushed back from the gate. On both flights, all of the FAs gave me a heartfelt thank you for thinking of them, "as most people don't". They really appreciated the snacks mid-flight. Beside feeling good about my gesture, and making friends, I had very good service - not that I need much on those flights as I try to sleep for most of it.
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Old Mar 10, 2018, 8:54 am
  #117  
 
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I have to laugh at this entire thread. On the one hand, anyone at FT who even passingly refers to the Flight Attendants as a "waitress" (or, gasp, a "Stewardess") is promptly thrown under the bus for archaic, dated, misogynistic thinking. But then we have a spirited discussion about whether tipping is an appropriate gesture. They're either in a service category or they're not by my way of thinking. I'll give 'em the benefit of the doubt and say that they are there for all of our safety and to assist in the event of an emergency... although I do admit that I'm curious about the recurrent training and whether standards must be met on a recurring basis. Don't get me wrong, it's a hard job and I wouldn't want it. But there definitely seems to be a leaning towards "tip those safety professionals!". I don't tip the local firemen, cops, or teachers. But maybe we should...
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Old Mar 10, 2018, 8:56 am
  #118  
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Originally Posted by 3Cforme
I used the Internet Archive on aa.com to see 738 configs of 2010, IIRC. They cited both 148 and 160 seat configs of that era. What other configs may have existed back to the original 1999 deliveries I didn't check.
This was a previously configured as 150 seat model, with one row removed and 4 middle seats blocked.
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Old Mar 10, 2018, 11:18 am
  #119  
 
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Originally Posted by danbrew
I have to laugh at this entire thread. On the one hand, anyone at FT who even passingly refers to the Flight Attendants as a "waitress" (or, gasp, a "Stewardess") is promptly thrown under the bus for archaic, dated, misogynistic thinking. But then we have a spirited discussion about whether tipping is an appropriate gesture. They're either in a service category or they're not by my way of thinking. I'll give 'em the benefit of the doubt and say that they are there for all of our safety and to assist in the event of an emergency... although I do admit that I'm curious about the recurrent training and whether standards must be met on a recurring basis. Don't get me wrong, it's a hard job and I wouldn't want it. But there definitely seems to be a leaning towards "tip those safety professionals!". I don't tip the local firemen, cops, or teachers. But maybe we should...
I was a travel agent and we were not tipped, however customers would bring us treats. Certainly wasn’t a tip and a bag of chocs isn’t tipping either.
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Old Mar 10, 2018, 5:43 pm
  #120  
 
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I once on an Lax -LIH flight that had engine trouble 2 hours into the flight, we had to divert to SFO. I bought 4 personal Pizza Hut pizzas for the flight crew, they were thrilled.

Chocolates or food is a kind gesture, tipping is not quite the same.
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