Airline Playing cards
 

I was just visiting my parents recently and my mom and I decided to play cards. She had a deck of ANA cards but no idea how she got them since they don't fly and certainly have never flown ANA. Maybe they got them at a garage sale or something.

So, my question is, do airlines still have playing cards? Or have the IFE systems supplanted them? How does one get them?

I see eBAY has a lot of old decks for sale as memorabilia...and some of them actually don't look quite that old. I was thinking it might be something fun to collect on my flights.

As a kid i remember getting a pack on an AC flight. Just the other year I was on SQ and the service director came around and handed out packs of cards to anyone that wanted them.

Yes. I flew ANA from PVG to NRT in March. There were only 6 passengers on board. We all received goody bags with ANA trinkets, including ANA playing cards, and a hand-written thank-you postcard from the cabin crew. It was the best service I've ever received from an airline, and means I will almost certainly choose ANA again next time I visit Japan.

Incidentally, it was also the fastest I've ever travelled relative to the earth. The highest ground speed seen on the IFE was 1220 km/h, 758 mph. For a 777, that means an incredible tailwind.

They're at my folks' place back east, but I believe I have a deck from Allegheny, which must be worth something?

NH used to be a lot more generous in terms of inflight souvenirs, other than playing cards, they also have postcards, pens, toys (blow up ANA plane, snap together 1:1000 plane models, story books) Last time I flew, they said those toys are for kids only.


Playing cards doesn't worth a lot no matter how old it was, maybe $5 tops if you are lucky, usually amenity kits or inflight china worth a lot more.