AA to go cashless on domestic and Canada flights

FWAAA

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Jan 5, 2003
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No word on international flights.

American Airlines to Introduce Cashless Cabins Onboard U.S. Domestic and Canada Flights

Tuesday February 10, 11:00 am ET

FORT WORTH, Texas, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- American Airlines will begin this summer to transition to cashless cabins onboard flights within the United States and to and from Canada. On these flights, American, a founding member of the global oneworld® Alliance, will only accept major credit cards or debit cards for onboard purchases such as headsets, fresh light meals, snacks and alcoholic beverages.

"Moving to a cashless cabin allows us to streamline the inflight sales process for both our customers and flight attendants," said Lauri Curtis, American's Vice President - Onboard Service.

Flight attendants will use a hand-held Onboard Sales Recorder to charge credit and debit cards, eliminating the need to search for small bills or change. The airline has been using these user-friendly devices since May 2006. American Express® and other major credit and debit cards will be accepted. Receipts will be provided to passengers upon request.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/090210/da68737.html?.v=1
 
So lets say a customer does not want to use their credit card(for whatever reasons) but wants to purchase a snack non-the-less and pay by cash (some people simply will not use a credit card for an item that is a couple of dollars)...The Flight Attendant will tell them.."I cannot accept cash"...???
 
what exactly will we complain about? Maybe the fact that half the times the OSRs are inoperative, or missing, or won't transmit, or there is no paper for the printer, no battereies, dead batteries, etc. etc.

i am all for going cashless. it will make our jobs easier, but there needs to be a real committment from the company to make sure the OSRs are maintained, operative, and well provisioned. I cannot tell you how many times I have been on a plane that has overnighted or passed thru a hub and the inoperative OSR's just sat there.
 
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So lets say a customer does not want to use their credit card(for whatever reasons) but wants to purchase a snack non-the-less and pay by cash (some people simply will not use a credit card for an item that is a couple of dollars)...The Flight Attendant will tell them.."I cannot accept cash"...???

Easy enough for a neighboring passenger to agree to buy the item with their credit card and then sell the item to the cash-only passenger, perhaps at a premium. I'm sure the passengers can work it out.
 
So lets say a customer does not want to use their credit card(for whatever reasons) but wants to purchase a snack non-the-less and pay by cash (some people simply will not use a credit card for an item that is a couple of dollars)...The Flight Attendant will tell them.."I cannot accept cash"...???

It's what they do on Southwest, Virgin America, Frontier, JetBlue, and countless others.... The passengers will get used to it, or they will make their purchases in the terminal and bring it onboard.
 
I'm all for it if they could get a better machine than that slow piece of garbage we have now.

The OSR is like the commodore 64 like the PED is to War Games.
I am with another airline, I believe that is going to start for our purchases as well...

I think its a great way to offer another means of payment for onboard products...but to eliminate all cash sales?

Has it been working well? other than the fact the machine is slow?
 
Easy enough for a neighboring passenger to agree to buy the item with their credit card and then sell the item to the cash-only passenger, perhaps at a premium. I'm sure the passengers can work it out.
you are not serious? LOL (thats funny)

wouldnt it make sense to just accept the cash in the first place??
 
It's what they do on Southwest, Virgin America, Frontier, JetBlue, and countless others.... The passengers will get used to it, or they will make their purchases in the terminal and bring it onboard.
I am also thinking cost...a smaller airline it may work easier for limited items for purchases and number of devices...I wonder the cost associated with having those types of devices on board hundreds of aircraft for purchases on a much larger major airline...I wonder the cost associated to maintain and purchase all those devices going forward and the money spent on that program..actually justifies not accepting cash at all?

Do they put more than one on board for longer haul domestic that offers multiple items for sale(such as at least two)...if the machines are slow or broken as mentioned would that not slow service considering there may be hundreds in the main cabin and a significant majority want to make a purchase? I was also thinking in regard to shorter domestic flights of an hour(that still offer for-sale items) I wonder.. if these devices are that slow.. the Flight Attendant actually spends more time in the cabin dealing with that device?
 
I am also thinking cost...a smaller airline it may work easier for limited items for purchases and number of devices...I wonder the cost associated with having those types of devices on board hundreds of aircraft for purchases on a much larger major airline...I wonder the cost associated to maintain and purchase all those devices going forward and the money spent on that program..actually justifies not accepting cash at all?

Do they put more than one on board for longer haul domestic that offers multiple items for sale(such as at least two)...if the machines are slow or broken as mentioned would that not slow service considering there may be hundreds in the main cabin and a significant majority want to make a purchase? I was also thinking in regard to shorter domestic flights of an hour(that still offer for-sale items) I wonder.. if these devices are that slow.. the Flight Attendant actually spends more time in the cabin dealing with that device?
we have had these machines for a while amex pays for them and up keep of machines . bet they have a deal with aa thats why we are keeping them i think when the trial ran out with amex and ual they did not continue to use the machines. so much easier for fa no cash to worry about no deposit envelopes no wasting time making deposits after flt.... again :up: :up: :up: :up: :up: :up:
 
This isn't a big deal. I say it should have happened last year. If someone doesn't want to use a credit card, then so be it. They will figure out a way to get what they want. The OSR's work just fine, they aren't that slow. I haven't had an unusable machine for well over a year. ORD just recently has been in the field with special assignment F/A's checking the machines for operability, battery power and paper. Like I said, in my opinion, GREAT, can't wait. In my opinion the machine works fine, can it be better, sure, but it isn't that bad.
 
This isn't a big deal. I say it should have happened last year. If someone doesn't want to use a credit card, then so be it. They will figure out a way to get what they want. The OSR's work just fine, they aren't that slow. I haven't had an unusable machine for well over a year. ORD just recently has been in the field with special assignment F/A's checking the machines for operability, battery power and paper. Like I said, in my opinion, GREAT, can't wait. In my opinion the machine works fine, can it be better, sure, but it isn't that bad.
Hi IORFA,

That is actually good to read! as we are getting this at my airline.. for basically all purchases and some are questioning if this will delay service, having to keep up with a lot of receipts for deposits..ext.. the fact no running down to inflight to make a deposit after a flight(when you just want to go home)...well that works for me!
 

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