worldtrav

So if they had taken it back they re sell it to someone else to keep the books balanced??

CloudGazer

I think there may be another solution. If non payment comes out of the cabin crew's wages then they could just pocket the cash from the punter without a card.

elitetraveler

On AA, DL and UA water, coffee, tea, milk, juices and sodas are free and often there is comp pretzels or something small - so quite unlike BA.

elitetraveler

Actually you have to be a real low life to think some little old lady having her coffee taken back is funny.

The pathetic part - aside from your comment - is the FA telling his/her colleague to take back the coffee. We all know fraud by senior citizen trying get free coffees by not having charge cards is a big problem.

To Fly, To Charge

missdimeaner

Ha! I'm not ready to be called an elderly lady yet (even if I do collect my bus pass this year ).

icegirl

Then again how did she manage to get a flight without a payment card as I didn't think you could just pay cash for a flight and board.

Secondly, I don't see what the CC has done in checking with his/her colleague with the correct process in such a situation. At the end of the day, you don't pay you don't get, simple.

rossmacd

You certainly can. Many ticket desks at airports (especially main hubs) will accept cash. Also many (all?) high street travel agents will also accept cash payments for flights.

corporate-wage-slave

Yes, it kind of works like that: On most (but not all) flights I've been on, the following process is adopted: You have two staff on the trolley, one operating the TourPOS and the other assembling the drinks. Tea and coffee require several things to be assembled (cups, milk, sugar, cap, the clear beaker, serviette, stir stick), so usually the transaction can be lined up on the POS, and then the POS is ready to process the card at about the same time as the drink is ready to serve. So generally speaking the customer hands over the card and the crew then hand over the drink in a swap manœuvre. In that circumstance this incident would not have happened: the drink isn't given over until after the customer has at least shown their card.

What sometimes happens is that given that TourPOS is so clunky the operating crew member is still processing the previous customer's transaction, and so the refreshments crew member takes it on his/herself to sort out the next customer to make use of the time.

Incidentally I don't think drinks handed out for without charge by accident are taken off wages, that would be illegal under the Truck Act. However it would dent commission in a minuscule way, and clearly there would be a potentially serious staff issue if sales and stock levels (belonging to a third party) were out of kilter.

DYKWIA

Or somebody else bought the ticket for her.

elitetraveler

First of all, she was willing to pay - she just didn't have a cc.

Awful -- I would never want to see your mother or grandmother treated this way over a cup of coffee.

It also reflects on management that the staff either don;t have the discretion to do the nice thing or if they do, they haven't been trained about it.

KARFA

Really? Are there many examples you can think of where if you can't pay you still get the service? Must try that next time I go shopping

elitetraveler

She paid for a ticket to get on an enclosed tube. She didn't go into some store looking for freebies. Chalk and cheese -

But so you have the facts as presented: An old lady - with money - willing to pay is on an airplane and the airline doesn't take the form of payment she has - the FAs don't feel they have the discretion to comp her the coffee already passed to her.

KARFA

And what's your point? Name another situation where if you don't have a valid payment menthod you will just get your stuff for free. Also why is there an assumption because she is an old lady somehow she would be incapable of having card payment methods or Apple Pay or a BAEC account to pay, or unable to understand the PA or read the menu where it states what the valid payment methods are?

everGLAdes

+1

The USA is about 10 years behind in all aspects of banking and payment systems.

missdimeaner

I don't think that payment by cash is only related to 'old ladies' - in fact both my Mother ( in her 80's) and I are both capable and possess cards that could be used for payments.
In my experience 'old men' are more intransigent and less likely to change ( my step father is an ideal example).
Regardless of age, gender or Uncle Tom Cobbly, there will always be a percentage of the population that won't be up to speed on things like this.