Cashless Test on Select Flights

[s80dude]

I think it is nice that they try it, but let's be realistic. I was on a trip last week and we had the same plane for two days. One OSR was inop.... called numerous times to the OSR hotline, but they were not able to replace it. Then the batteries died and we called for those, but Cabin had no extras. By the beginning of day two, we had to take cash only because the OSR was completely drained.

If the company can do a better job of maintaining the devices and making sure we have functioning equipment I have no problem going cashless.

 

[jimntx]

Now there is the REAL barrier to the success of this test. I agree that the company is going to have to suck it up and make sure that there are spare OSRs and batteries in just about every station. One Saturday recently, I was on 4 different a/c in the course of the day, and I had to call the OSR hotline 4 times that day. Every a/c had at least one inop OSR.

 

[skibumbos]

I have absolutely no issue with using an OSR, it is a nice option for those that choose to put $2.00 on a credit card. The issue I have is denying someone a headset, drink, or snack simply because choose to use cash!

 

[jimntx]

However, as several people have already pointed out, other airlines in the U.S. have already gone to cashless flights with no evident ill effects. I have a friend who is a f/a at Frontier, and she LOVES not having to deal with cash, making change, doing liquor deposits at the end of the flight.

Side benefit: Management can't claim that f/as are stealing the liquor money, if there ain't any.

 

[mrman]

JMTX you are right on. I can tell you as a AA 2MM flyer that taking credit cards is the way to go. Who cares if I put $3 on the card, its not costing me money, its eaiser than carrying cash. Especially on International.

Most of the non-legacy are going away from cash. Frontier, Air-Tran, I believe Jet Blue etc.

As a flight attendent why would you not want to avoid cash?

Or is the real issue technology/change phobic

 

[FWAAA]

I have absolutely no issue with using an OSR, it is a nice option for those that choose to put $2.00 on a credit card. The issue I have is denying someone a headset, drink, or snack simply because choose to use cash!

Then this short-term test is the best way to find out if there are any significant numbers of cash-only customers who can't/won't pull out their plastic when told "No cash. Plastic only."

 

[eolesen]

When's the last time any of you used a typewriter or took film to the drugstore for processing?...

Wait. Don't answer that.... some things aren't worth knowing about.

I might use $20 to $40 in cash over the period of a month. Maybe. And most of that gets handed to my kids for lunch money.

If AA manages to push away 5% of their existing sales because they can't/won't use plastic, it's still likely to be a net gain financially. The cost of handling cash gets more expensive as more people use plastic. Things like auditing the cash deposits, paying for an armored car service, are all expenses that AA has no choice but to incur as long as they accept cash, and those costs exist whether or not AA accepts thousands of dollars a day or less than $100 from liquor deposits.

Perhaps this might be the precursor to something bigger, which is no longer accepting cash or checks at the ticket counters. We proposed doing that about ten years ago to decrease losses related to agent theft and check fraud. Just like people didn't want to use ATM's 30 years ago, nobody had the appetite at the time. But it also took two attempts (also about ten years apart) to get people to go to electronic ticketing and self-service machines at the airports. Now, people don't even think twice about using either.

 

[Coffee_Tea_Or_Me]

I heard from a CO flight attendant that when CO went to their coupon system years back their revenue from on-board sales jumped 25%. Apparently, they did have a theft problem and the cashless system resolved it. Anyone care to speculate if AA is doing this for a similar reason?

 

[jimntx]

There have always been sticky-fingered f/as. However, I don't think that is the primary (or even secondary) reason for going to the cashless system. As already mentioned, there is a lot of fixed expense associated with cash handling and accounting. The expense is there whether you have $1000 in sales or $10. I remember working a 3-leg turn where we sold almost $500 in liquor STL-DFW-SAN-STL. The following week, same flight, we sold $25.00. But, the fixed expense of someone to pick up the liquor envelope, record the sales, count & deposit the money, etc. was the same.

It eliminates a lot of f/a headaches as well. I had a situation where the liquor envelopes were stolen from my flight bag. Though I wasn't required to pay the money to the company, there was a ton of paperwork and talking to my supervisor involved. I had just as soon not have to go through that again. In fact, I keep a combination lock on my bag now just for those times when I fly #2--the position responsible for the cash envelope.

 

[Skymess]

There have always been sticky-fingered f/as. However, I don't think that is the primary (or even secondary) reason for going to the cashless system. As already mentioned, there is a lot of fixed expense associated with cash handling and accounting. The expense is there whether you have $1000 in sales or $10. I remember working a 3-leg turn where we sold almost $500 in liquor STL-DFW-SAN-STL. The following week, same flight, we sold $25.00. But, the fixed expense of someone to pick up the liquor envelope, record the sales, count & deposit the money, etc. was the same.

It eliminates a lot of f/a headaches as well. I had a situation where the liquor envelopes were stolen from my flight bag. Though I wasn't required to pay the money to the company, there was a ton of paperwork and talking to my supervisor involved. I had just as soon not have to go through that again. In fact, I keep a combination lock on my bag now just for those times when I fly #2--the position responsible for the cash envelope.

For a number of reasons I'd rather not get into, I also look forward to a cashless future on my flights.

I just don't see a possiblity of this happening when you fly to many countries where cash is the only currency they have. Try telling the Haitians and Dominicans that they can only use credit to pay for their bags or their whiskey. Not happening.

 

[Boomer]

No iron in this fire, but:

Just flew full fare BOS-MYR on Spirit.

No cash accepted, no hassles.

Asked the #1 about it on the MYR end- she stated that the vast majority of PAX appreciated the cashless environment.

Received the same report from a different #1 on the return.

I really hate to agree with some, but it is what it is.

 

[upsilon]

This 'test' is a pre-ordained 'success' from the start. It has already been tested and 'approved' in identical instances. So a few CC-less pax complain. The savings from a cashless flight far outstrip these 'lost' sales.

But I can even see a situation like occurs on buses in NYC - a tourist boards (frequently at an airport) without a farecard or $2 in coin. The driver suggests that maybe someone has coin or will use their farecard in exchange for $2. Almost always, someone does. We NewYawkers understand!

Thus I can easily anticipate a situation in which pax would use their CC in situations when those with US$ were unable to purchase something needed on a flight. I know I would.

 

[FWAAA]

On top of all the benefits (lower costs, as fully explained by others), I predict higher revenues aince most studies show that plastic users will typically spend more than cash buyers. If you can get them to pull out the plastic, it will be easier to sell them (and their whole family) more $3 Lays Stax and more $2 bottles of water and more $3 candy bars and even more $5 sandwiches. Revenue should climb substantially.

Upsilon makes a good point: For someone without a credit card, a fellow passenger is bound to come to the rescue. I'd do it. I'm sure others will.

 

[CynicalResAgent]

I know YX also does cashless transactions and it seems to work well for them.

 

[AC AA LA FA]

Is it legal to not accept US cash for services/debt...?

This was brought up today on my t/a by a passenger who filled out a feedback form re: "cashless"

He referred me to wording on the bill itself, (refer to your nearest dollar bill)

He filled out the feed back form and since I had no answer for him, requested he ask for a response from AA HDQ...

He did...

(I informed him there were other airlines who do not accept cash for services/debt other than AA)