Cashless cabins in Domestic!

[jimntx]

The date is now official. June 1st, AA will no longer accept cash for onboard purchases on all U.S. domestic flights and flights to/from Canada. We've been asked to announce it onboard every flight.

It will be interesting to see if we have as easy a time as WN did a few months ago when they went cashless. I gather from conversations with several different WN f/as while commuting that they had no problems at all (with passenger acceptance). And, they didn't even have an interim period as we have where both cash and credit/debit cards were accepted. One day they were nothing but cash. The next day they were nothing but debit/credit cards.

 

[FA Mikey]

Oh No, they may want that change fund back now.

 

[kirkpatrick]

June 1st, AA will no longer accept cash for onboard purchases on all U.S. domestic flights

We'll need one functioning OSR per FA in coach to make this work smoothly. I have a feeling I'm going to be giving a lot of stuff away.

MK

 

[jimntx]

I don't understand, Mark. All coach f/as can be logged on to a single OSR and their sales will be recorded separately. Why do you need one per f/a? I just finished working #4 on a 3-day trip. The #2 and I used one OSR at a time for the whole 3 days. Worked beautifully, didn't take up much room on top of the cart, and the money balanced to the penny. We used it in the aisle at the point of sale, also. Didn't slow us down a bit. I understand that on the widebodies, one OSR per cart is going to be necessary, but on the S80 and the 73, you only have one cart; so, 1 working OSR is all you need.

I would caution you not to start giving stuff away on the excuse that the OSR is not working. It's been quite awhile since I was on an a/c that didn't have a single working unit. Also, I think everyone needs to get over the "that thing slows me down in the aisle. I just enter everything right before landing" attitude. The f/as I have seen doing this just make up what they sold which defeats the inventory control/marketing research purpose of the OSR. And, if they still can't make it come out right, I've seen more than one just keep any "overage". (Yes, I did the right thing and talked with Professional Standards. No one has bothered to speak with the f/a as yet. It's not an issue that interferes with the right of senior f/as to drop all their trips. Or, if they have, the f/a doesn't care that people know that she is a thief. She's still doing it.)

They are watching. Now, take it from someone who spent over 20 years in the computer field. They KNOW when someone enters all their sales at the end of the flight. The computer records every transaction with a time/date stamp--time entered, date entered, and by whom. If you work a 4-hour flight and there are no sales until 30 minutes before landing, they will notice. If they begin to suspect wholesale giveaways (or worse, f/as taking cash for product and then recording it as a comp), I think they are going to come down hard. Also, my "source" says that they are beginning to make note of the fact that f/as from some stations almost never have nonworking OSR problems while f/as from certain other stations always seem to have those problems.

Despite all the complaining from passengers about being gouged, nickled-and-dimed, etc, the Food for Sale program is a moneymaker. On this last 3-day the #2 and I sold about $150 worth of food and liquor just on 1 leg. In fact, the only leg where we sold nothing at all was the last leg from DFW to STL. It was a mid-afternoon flight that was a bit too early for cocktail hour.

Cashless is here to stay. It's working beautifully at other airlines. It will be in place at AA with or without certain f/as who say NEVER.

 

[FA Mikey]

I agree with you to a point Jim. But now with it being cashless, sharing a single OSR can slow things down when multiple people are buying drinks and snacks in a group of rows.

The old days of collecting 75 dollars in cash and recording in on a napkin, to enter in the OSR after the service, is over. I dont think anyone is going to let someone hold their credit or debit card and return it later.

The "cheaters" and the "they owe me something" people will forever be among us and using the system to steal. You will see shortly the F/A's who will be willing to take cash and say they will put it on their own card. But without actually entering a product or an amount. The smarter ones who will swipe their card backwards or upside down and pocket the cash, without having ever had the magnetic stripe recored. If you are a passenger and someone is doing that, ask for a receipt and watch their face fall.

 

[AC AA LA FA]

I'm dreading it.....

 

[jimntx]

I agree with you to a point Jim. But now with it being cashless, sharing a single OSR can slow things down when multiple people are buying drinks and snacks in a group of rows.

I don't agree at all unless one or more f/as are deliberately trying to slow down the process to "prove" something--OSRs don't work, take too much time, whatever. As I said, I just finished a 3-day where we sold something every leg, and on one leg we sold almost $150 worth of food and drinks in the first service on a S80. And we did it with one OSR. The service took about the same or even less time than normal, and most of the passengers used credit/debit cards. Only about $50 was cash. When you eliminate all that napkin notation, it frees up a lot of time.

 

[kirkpatrick]

I don't understand, Mark. All coach f/as can be logged on to a single OSR and their sales will be recorded separately.

Jim, I'm thinking more of the bigger planes. I have 3 767 transcons this month, and with a food cart followed by a beverage cart, there are lots of transactions going on at once. On my SFO the other day I sold almost every sandwich and snack we had, and was constantly on the OSR. Often I had to wait for the drink person to finish or she had to wait for me. And that was with over half of all sales in cash.

On a single aisle AC one functioning unit will probably be sufficient.

MK

 

[jimntx]

I understand that on the widebodies, one OSR per cart is going to be necessary, but on the S80 and the 73, you only have one cart; so, 1 working OSR is all you need.

Did I not say that in my original response to you? Or, are you becoming like others on here...rather than actually reading my post, you prefer to spend that time composing a rebuttal to what you have decided you think I said.

 

[FA Mikey]

I don't agree at all unless one or more f/as are deliberately trying to slow down the process to "prove" something--OSRs don't work, take too much time, whatever.

My point was if you have only 1 OSR and both FA's are trying to sell drinks and snacks at the same time off the BEV cart, it does slow the service. To keep the service running the person on the back side of the cart has to continue and skip over any person wanting a snack or a drink.

 

[s80dude]

Southwest had a bunch of flight attendants who go canned for taking cash for drinks after they had gone cashless. The company planted supervisors on the flights and observed the said stews taking cash sales. SW has no cash collection system anymore, so the money was going to a more "personal" fund.

 

[FWAAA]

Get out!

No way would WN do that to its employees; Southwest is the industry leader in getting along with its workers. Set up sting operations to fire thieves? I don't believe it.

 

[jimntx]

I agree. Not only do I commute on WN often and talk with the crew, I know several WN f/as here in Dallas. Not one word has any of them said that would suggest that anything remotely like that has happened.

In the first place, they've only been cashless for a few months. Considering how strong and effective the f/as' union is, I would highly doubt that the company could gather sufficient evidence by now to make a termination stick. And, there is no way a termination could have worked its way through the appeal and arbitration process already.

No f/a at any airline (with the possible exception of DAL since they are non-union) is going to be fired over a single incident of pocketing sales money. All they have to say is "I had planned to put the sale on my credit card as a favor to the passenger, and I got busy. I forgot I had the money in my pocket." No arbitrator would let the termination stand because there would be only "he said-she said" evidence. And, considering the high esteem in which WN f/as are held by their company, I don't believe the company would proceed if that is what the f/a said to them.

 

[jimntx]

My point was if you have only 1 OSR and both FA's are trying to sell drinks and snacks at the same time off the BEV cart, it does slow the service. To keep the service running the person on the back side of the cart has to continue and skip over any person wanting a snack or a drink.

Did you just read the sentences in my reply that you wanted to disagree with? Or, are you becoming one of those people whose minds are made up and see no reason to be confused by facts? For the 3rd and final time...I just worked a 3-day trip in coach. We sold product like crazy. The #2 and I used only 1 OSR. We both sold product. And, the service went just fine. In fact, the #2 kept commenting how could we have done that service and still have so much time left in the flight.

Since you are no longer with the company, are you thinking that the OSRs still require a logoff-logon procedure to change users as they did originally? They don't any longer. As many f/as as want can all be logged on at the same time. All you have to do is tap the displayed id number and it changes to the other f/a's id.

I know that f/as who are anxious to get back to their jumpseat and their sudoku puzzle do still insist that the OSR slows them down. I don't view my primary job function to be holding down the jumpseat.

 

[mrman]

The date is now official. June 1st, AA will no longer accept cash for onboard purchases on all U.S. domestic flights and flights to/from Canada. We've been asked to announce it onboard every flight.

It will be interesting to see if we have as easy a time as WN did a few months ago when they went cashless. I gather from conversations with several different WN f/as while commuting that they had no problems at all (with passenger acceptance). And, they didn't even have an interim period as we have where both cash and credit/debit cards were accepted. One day they were nothing but cash. The next day they were nothing but debit/credit cards.

Jim, the difference being on WN for their FF the cocktails in coach are free, thus not needing to "ringup' as many sales

Also, each FA has their own hand held that fits over their wrist or is "attached to their clipboard

Further WN FA's tend to be in the aisles more asking if you want another, rather than just at set times or services, thus requiring individual hand helds