Tipping Your Flight Attendant

Posted in Airlines | 10 comments

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The job description I answered when I first got hired as a flight attendant in 2005 made mention of “problem solving skills,” “attention to detail,” and “customer service oriented, ability to think ahead for the customer,” not to mention the need for 2 years prior heavy customer service job experience. The characteristics listed are all traits that the perfect flight attendant should have and most DO have.

There are those few flight attendants out there who have become jaded over the years and believe that because their company treats them badly they have a right to treat their passengers the same way. These flight attendants are not contractually signed to work for these airlines, so why don’t they just quit and leave the job to those who enjoy it and want to be there? But thats a whole other blog post.. my point is, in this day and age good customer service is a necessity to keeping your business alive, whether it be in the airline industry or not.

In other service related industry’s we reward good customer service. We tip our waiters at restaurants, bartenders at the bar, the movers, the folks who deliver oversize goods that don’t fit in our car’s, so why don’t we tip flight attendants?

I’m currently working for my third airline, and each airline has had a strict policy on accepting tips. My first two taught us in our initial brainwashing… I mean.. initial training..sorry.. that accepting tips was rude, we were making a livable wage and shouldn’t accept them. We were told that if someone offered us a tip we had to decline. My current airline initially told us accepting tips was okay, later instituted a “no tips” policy, but then changed their mind again, saying it was okay after declining the tip once; after that it was considered rude. No one I know declines a tip when offered.

A flight attendant, though primarily on board for your safety, is there for your comfort as well. We wait on you like a waiter or waitress would in a restaurant, mix your drinks, deliver your food and even haul it away. We don’t just do it for you, we do it for 149 other people at the same time. So if you’re impressed by the level of service provided by your flight attendant, or if they went above and beyond, or you notice they’re really working hard and still manage to keep a smile on their face…tip them! A dollar or two to you won’t break the bank, you already spent over a hundred on your airfare but it’ll make the day of your flight attendant knowing that their service has been recognized and appreciated. Not only that, remember your flight attendant is only paid once the main cabin door closes and stops getting paid when the door opens. They’re not making as much money as you may think. That $1 or $2 could really make a difference.

The irony in all of this is actually quite comical. Though we’re not “supposed” to take tips– when the hotel that the airline contracts to put up crew members on layovers sends their van driver, who is paid an hourly wage from the hotel, to the airport to pick up a flight crew and transport them to the hotel; the crew members are expected to tip them $1 for putting your bags in the van and driving you 10 minutes to the hotel. Oh yeah, and we’re supposed to tip him again on the way back to the airport. We worked and served you and 149 others for 5 hours on a transcontinental flight and you weren’t expected to tip us $1. How is that fair?

Obviously, I should be a van driver. Instead I choose to be a babysitter, usher, trash collector, waiter, doctor, fire fighter, counselor, mind reader, negotiator, security guard, tour guide, and my favorite..an actor.

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