AAdamE

Looks like AA stepped up against RAMs (Random Acts of Marketing) on those lovely inflight CC Pitches. Some rules that stand out are:

• Only between 8AM and 9PM
• Read off the script only - no pressured tactics like we only have x number of apps left
• Presentation must be no more than one minute

Sounds like complaints and compliance issues were the catalyst. Either way it was just done in such poor taste.

More info here: https://onemileatatime.com/american-...-card-pitches/

wrp96

I vote for getting rid of the pitches altogether but at least limiting them will hopefully help reduce their obnoxiousness.

fotographer

I too vote for getting rid of any sales pitch on flights..
Why not hand out forms instead on the quality of the flight taken etc....

Glad to say.. my last 3 flights this month.. the pitch was vocal ... and no FA handled out forms

AAdamE

Even with the new rules the pitches are in VERY poor taste IMO. But I get why they do it. They are making it harder for non-biz to get elite and they want to create loyalty with leisure travelers picking the cheapest flight, so having a CC with a fee is the best way to do that, and this audience would most likely react to an inflight announcement as we're all not so savvy.

AA100k

I’m always amazed at all the complaining about the credit card pitch. It’s a small annoyance on a long list of highly irritating stuff about flying like the TSA, parking hassles, battle of the overhead bins, screaming children, delays, flight cancellations and on and on and on. I’ll take the obnoxious one minute sales pitch over all the other crap that happens in the course of a routine flight day.

JonNYC

turns out? Fake news. (REAL fake news )

AAdamE

Bummer!

Gig103

I'm amazed that people are so accustomed to the the barrage of advertisements that they would defend AA for it. I didn't hear one CC pitch on DL or Southwest this year, that's the sort of thing you get on Spirit, but AA is supposed to be a legacy carrier.

Besides, it isn't like you get to choose; you can't say "I'll take the CC pitch and no crying children on my next flight". So it just compounds with all those other highly irritating attributes of flying. Since AA is in the minority on this action, it becomes a specific criticism of the airline, as opposed to the travel experience. Oh and let's not ignore the fact that delays and flight cancellations, that you pointed out, are also worse than average with AA currently.

I have an idea for a rule -- all CC commissions are pooled among the entire flight attendant staffing as an annual bonus. Maybe that would keep the overly motivated FAs from grabbing the microphone if their individual reward was $0.0008. Even better is to get rid of the commission entirely, so that it becomes a workload change that the union could fight.

cmtlatitudes

That's like coal in my stocking.

AA100k

I didn’t defend this and a one minute CC sales pitch hardly qualifies as a “barrage of advertisements.”

Gig103

Depends on the flight attendant; as the original post indicates AA has to set "1 minute time limits" on the FAs, probably because of the overzealous ones who want their 50 bucks have been exceeding that in the past.

If you're an EXP qualifying on segments, 120 sales pitches is a barrage over the course of a year

gosha83

Between the obnoxious full volume "preview" of what's available on the IFE, the non-skippable ads before you gain access to the said IFE, the pre-roll ads before your selected show AND these credit card pitches, the entire flight feels like having all of Times Square shoved into your brain at once - except you paid several hundred/thousand dollars for the privilege. It's extremely annoying and I even as an advertising guy, I find the whole experience horrendous.

bse118

Well, let's see:

• TSA: not really within AA's control; also not actually an annoyance
• Parking Hassle: not at all within AA's control
• Battle of Overhead Bins: generally not a problem with status
• Screaming Children: Not in AA's control
• Delays/Cancellations: Annoying, yes, but a certain number are to be expected with frequent air travel; only partially within AA's control
• Credit Card Pitches: Entirely within AA's control

Of the items in your list, only the the credit card pitches are something AA has willingly, as a matter of policy, chosen to inflict on it's customers. So yes, they are entirely worth complaining about.

sassysan

Just don't use the IFE (it's not like AA gives you a choice on most planes anyways), and don't pay attention to the credit card pitch. I consume my own entertainment on my own devices with my own noise cancelling headphones and don't notice any of these annoyances.

fotographer

dont forget... on a plane you are in a captive market place... .. hey wait a second.. maybe AA could do like time share sales people do... listen
to some sales stuff for a bit.. and then you get a discount of some sort.
so , if passengers are subjected to ads.. during a flight that they paid for.. reward could be a free drink/snack etc

well.. ok.. maybe it times for me to make my coffee