Should you tip flight attendants? Here are the airline rules — and what experts advise over the holidays
Crew members are well known for providing passengers with “flight tips,” but should you return the favor?
With Christmas zooming toward us, some frequent flyers have been wondering the same thing: should travelers tip their flight attendants?
Interestingly, while the cabin crew might seem like sky waiters — they serve food and drinks, after all — many flight experts believe that gratuities have no place on an airplane.
Some worry that the promise of extra cash could potentially result in flight attendants emphasizing service over safety — the latter being their No. 1 priority, according to View From the Wing.
Not to mention that big tippers could expect special favors, which could interfere with flight attendants’ work and therefore potentially jeopardize the safety of passengers and other crew members.
“Our jobs have historically been objectified and sexualized,” Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents 50,000 flight attendants at 19 airlines, told Travel and Leisure magazine in August. “Is it okay for someone to harass us if they hand us a tip? Obviously not. But it’s not a dynamic we can even entertain.”
Despite the potential dangers of inflight tips, not every airline discourages the practice.
While American Airlines, Delta and United maintain a staunch “anti-tip” stance, Frontier Airlines notably allows and even solicits gratuities for onboard purchases of food and drink.
However, while tips are in many cases not permissible in the otherwise friendly skies, passengers can show their appreciation by giving air hosts and hostesses non-cash gifts.
Former United Airlines flight attendant Sue Fogwell told Travel and Leisure she was given “a few gift cards” during the holidays.
“Gift cards are great, especially to eateries or chain coffee shops in airports,” she gushed. “Flight attendants always buy food and coffee in airports during layovers or long sits due to delays.”
Another option is edible gifts — of which there should be enough for the whole crew —- provided that the treats are properly packaged. As with cautious parents and Halloween candy, flight attendants won’t accept anything homemade or not sealed, according to Fogwell.
Or, rather, “We’ll accept it and throw it out,” she clarified.
There are also other indirect ways to tip flight attendants as well, including signing up for credit cards on flights that give crew members a commission on the sales.
Purchasing items is perhaps especially crucial on RyanAir. The budget carrier went viral six years ago after penalizing flight attendants who didn’t close sales like an airborne version of the 1992 drama “Glengarry Glen Ross.”
Airlines may provide their frequent flyers with employee recognition certificates, which crew members can enter in raffles and potentially win prizes and other perks.
It’s perhaps the least one can do given the unruly passengers and other in-flight nightmares crew members have put up with over the last year.
Unlike with restaurant staff and other terrestrial service members, one of the best ways to show flight attendants that they’re appreciated is with a simple verbal “thank you” or positive review.
Southwest Airlines even offers a “Commend an Employee” program, in which travelers can leave complimentary messages for airline staffers who went above and beyond, according to The Points Guy.
That earns passengers a lot more mileage than a dollar tip for a bloody mary mix on the rocks.
It should be noted that cash tips can be gifted to airport employees, who rely on gratuities to supplement their hourly wages.
Tipping isn’t just a contentious issue at 30,000 feet.
Recently, Gen Zers drew flack after it came out that their generation is least likely to give gratuities to service staff, especially at restaurants.
Meanwhile, many customers have voiced concern over the increasingly prevalent practice of “guilt tipping,” in which touch screens prompt patrons to leave tips of between 18% and 30% for fast-food restaurants — and even at self-checkout stations.
