sugashane3

I will be flying clt - las in a few weeks in first and wondered if anyone has used the A&B certs to try and "bribe" the FC flight attendant for better service prior to depature? I am a silver elite who only travels domestically for pleasure and have never used the certs but was thinking if I slid one to the FA during the PDB it may lead to more attentive service during the flight. Thoughts? Also, how do people on here use the certs?

apeortdz

The A&B certs are to be used as a reward for excellent service, not to prompt such service. That being said, you can always try and see what happens. I am just wandering what type of upgraded service you are trying to induce. More drinks? First choice of a meal? Maybe a backrub!

02143

I used one when, on a transcon flight, a passenger in 2A drank too much and threw up all over the window and seat in front of him... fortunately there were 2 empty seats in FC that he and his neighbor could move to. The FA had to clean up the whole mess. It was pretty revolting, the front cabin smelled like vomit even after he was done.

chrisdenver1

I always give the cert as I'm leaving the plane. I'm a little uncomfortable with extra attention, plus I think its better to reward based on actual service and not bribery.

Cooper21

Preflight drinks in first class always warrant one from me.

Bighead1970

I do this all the time. Thanks for stealing my idea. I actually wait until I see the FA alone upfront. Then I slip it to her. My drink glass never goes empty.

sjpmurph01

So you reward the FA for just doing the standard requirements of their job? In that example, you should be doing the opposite, reporting an FA who doesn't fulfill that assigned duty (unless of course there are reasonable extenuating circumstances).

I hand these out selectively when I witness an employee who I can tell enjoys what they are doing, and passes that positive experience along to the passenger. Not when they meet the basic requirements of their job.

And they're not just for FA's. Now that I'm thinking of it, I may have rewarded almost every customer-facing type of employee. A GA who is patient and friendly in handling an onslaught of requests with rude pax during IRROPS; a check-in agent who helped me out with a complex rebooking more efficiently than I would have expected (I actually mailed hers in because I was in too much of a rush to write one out in the moment); an FA who builds some good humor into the monotony of the usual routine.

More often than not I'll give someone a cert when I witness them going out of their way for someone other than myself. Heck, my last 3 went to and FA, pilot & co-pilot on Piedmont who "went out of their way to do the right thing for a passenger (not me), despite the best efforts of a lazy ground crew employee."

I feel bad that USx employees can't enter these in the same raffle that mainline staff can. There have been a few where I've specifically said an FA "would work great in a team environment on mainline" just in case that's part of their career goal.

The fact that I can remember just about every situation which warranted an A&B cert speaks to how selective I am with them. When you walk away with a positive memory that sticks, that is the type of behavior that should be rewarded. If you want to hand these out to someone who only does what they're supposed to, or worse, as some sort of bribe for better treatment, then do everyone a favor and just tear them up. Because otherwise you're just promoting mediocre behavior and diluting the value of the A&B program for those that actually deserve it. </rant>

chrisdenver1

Well said...I couldn't agree more.