If you’ve flown recently (especially on American Airlines), you’ve likely heard flight attendants get on the inflight PA to talk about the wonders and joys of the airline’s co-branded credit card. While as someone who is also (at least partially) in the credit card promotion biz, I do appreciate the hustle, I think it may be getting a bit out of control. And while I don’t have a problem just putting on my headphones or tuning them out, what irritates me is when they start saying things that are clearly lies (“This offer is ONLY available on THIS flight!!!”)
“I am tired of hearing the AAdvantage Credit Card offer spiel mid flight, multiple times”
The other day, I saw a post over on Reddit titled “I am tired of hearing the AAdvantage Credit Card offer spiel mid flight, multiple times“. The poster continues –
I get it.. The flight attendants make $50 on each approved applicant. They live in the same world I do and they need money.. But they are getting too aggressive.
Its one thing to mention that they have a credit card at the end of a safety spiel, but there is a fine line between “hey, we offer this card with X miles sign up bonus” to the 5-6 minute talk over the about what the card offers and all the potential vacations that many miles could get me to.
I have been tolerating this, but what pushed me over the edge recently was a redeye from LA to NYC, it was 5 in the morning and the flight attendant practically swallows the PA phone as she proceeds to wake up the entire aircraft and begin the 5 minute rant about why we need the card. I thought I was done… nope, as soon as we landed and were taxiing to the gate we get the rant a 2nd time. Followed by walking down the aisle waving the pamphlet in each aisle-seat passenger’s face – shaking it a little to really get our attention.
Promoting Credit Cards
Again, as I said before, I do appreciate the irony of a travel / credit card blog complaining about someone else pitching credit cards. I will say a few differences I see are a) Nobody forced you to click on this link (as opposed to being captive on a plane and having to listen to it) and b) I do attempt to do my best to always give truthful information. In fact, there are compliance people that regularly review my site and I can get in trouble if I am posting incorrect or inaccurate information.
Also c) I am not here “primarily for your safety” 😀
I Have To Agree
I have to agree with the original poster on the Reddit thread. I have been hearing these credit card pitches more frequently recently. I would say I don’t mind it if it’s done once on a flight and with correct information, and not done on a redeye or at a time when most of the flight is asleep. But when it’s done multiple times in a flight, or done at a time when most of the cabin is asleep, that is super annoying. Also, I don’t appreciate being lied to, like having someone talk about how this deal is ONLY available on THIS flight, or when FAs overstate what you can do with the miles.
The Bottom Line
Some passengers have noticed an uptick in flight attendants making pitches for credit card signups on the inflight PA, sometimes (often?) with incorrect or inaccurate information.
Have you had flight attendants relentlessly promote credit card applications on recent flights? Leave your experience in the comments below
Featured image from Flickr Via CC 2.0 license
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
Ask for the application form and then rip it into pieces either in front of the flight attendant or later. Second spiel, ask for the form again. If everyone on each plane did this AA would run out of the forms.
Oh come on….they only pitch credit cards on flights that have been “specially selected”!
FA’s are not there primarily for your safety. They are there primarily to sell credit cards. Passing out drinks is just a chore. We are the enemy some of them believe.
American is far and away the worst at this. Frontier is a close second… droning on and on about how their credit card was apparently rated the best airline card out there or something like that.
I used to work for an airline that had its crew follow a prescribed brief script because they got in trouble for making claims that weren’t true.
I had an American flight last month where the flight attendant said that the card can let you travel free to “over SIX THOUSAND destinations” worldwide.
I also had an American F/A across from me on the A321 exit row last week who didn’t like my side crack that “Your flight attendants are primarily here for your safety and credit rating.”