zombietooth

Sorry.
It was me!

But, of course, I really don't care about "form".

I do this every year around Christmas and have had nothing but praise from the FAs for doing it-several have said things e.g. "Thanks for paying it forward."

cur

does op realize those drink chits never expire (despite the dates)

op can also just give them away to us, that's fine form

bluedemon211

Yes I do realize that FA's will take them past the expiration date, but it just seems like a better use is to give them away. I would love to fund FT's drinking habits. Next flight wear a baseball cap or tee shirt with "Flyertalk" on it and the chits are yours

seanp7

I've done it for seatmates before (including one very agitated/nervous flyer who actually really appreciated a beer to calm down). Depending on how much you fly, that's a nice, discreet way of doing it and will churn through quite a few.

That said, like most of you, I still have 2015 chits I'm working through.

PV_Premier

I think OP's 'problem' is that as a GS, most/all of his seatmates are already seated in the pointy end.

MBS MillionMiler

I did this once on a CR2 jaunt to Chicago, sometime around the end of January a year or two ago. I approached the F/A--first onboard as the only one in group 1. Knowing the load was light on the flight and said to him, "I've got a bunch of drink certs expiring--20 of them (spouse is 1K too, and had a few expired ones from the year prior as well)...Can I buy a drink for anyone on the flight that wants one?" He was more than enthusiastic to help out. I said that I just want to do it quietly. I showed him that I indeed had a lot on certs, but to just come quietly see me (only one in the exit row 8 on that day) and I'll square up after the drink service.

I think maybe a dozen of the 25 people on board had a drink. At the end of the flight, one of the pax behind me noticed/figured out it was me thanked me. I gave him another half dozen, which all but depleted me. In more recent times, I just occasionally leave one wedged into the tray table--but only when I know the a/c is immediately being turned.

I think it's fun to do random, yet trivial things like this on occasion.

JBord

Totally agree, a drink on an airplane may still be a treat or a luxury to people who don't fly often. When I was 1K, the feeling I got from a random, anonymous or not, act of kindness like this was worth much more to me than a free drink.

tstauck

Same for me - I had someone sitting next to me on a flight back in the end of Jan (when they expire), and bought me a drink. The FA said "that's nice of you", and accepted the coupon no problem.

eng3

I would be curious what would happen if the first FA actually did "report" you. Would UA customer service sent you a stack of drink chits as compensation for the rude service?

PV_Premier

In today's UA your account might be canceled and miles forfeited for all we know.

srdshelly

Isn't the issue that they'd rather sell the drinks than give them away? I can see why they'd have a policy, even if not openly published, that FAs shouldn't be running around the cabin serving free drinks to otherwise paying customers. People with chits have earned them one way or another, and the airlines undoubtedly account for a certain amount of breakage in determining their policies for that.

eng3

No I think the issue is the FAs Yes, we can't sell/barter etc but we can give them away. Unfortunately, FA's sometimes don't want to deal with them or do extra work in general. I suppose it is a little strange giving out free drinks to pax, but its more strange for you to walk down the aisle yourself handing them out. Maybe the FA doesnt want to deal with a pax asking why he had to pay while the person next to them got a free drink.

I typically will just hand out my drink chits to friends and family throughout the year. Perhaps to the person next to me depending on how attractive and single she looks.