American Airlines’ flight attendants are being forced to undergo a training course on how to sell credit cards, and the union isn’t happy about this, claiming that the company is trying to redefine their jobs. Does the union have a point, or are they overreacting?
Union accuses American of “redefining” jobs with credit card training
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), which represents American’s more than 30,000 flight attendants, has issued an interesting memo, as reported by PYOK. As anyone who has been following the airline industry know, the major US carriers earn a large percentage of their profits (or at least reduce their losses) through their loyalty programs, which are extremely lucrative.
On American, we’ve long seen flight attendants have the opportunity to promote credit cards onboard, and they can earn a commission if their “sales” lead to successful applications. American is trying to improve its financial performance, and as part of that, the airline is trying to encourage flight attendants to be more consistent about onboard credit card pitches.
As part of this, the airline is now making it mandatory for flight attendants to complete an online training module about credit card sales. Failure to complete this module could lead to dismissal. So the issue here is that being trained on credit cards is no longer voluntary, but instead, is required. Still, actually promoting credit cards onboard isn’t required, but is up to the individual flight attendants.
The union is claiming this new training module violates the collective bargaining agreement with management, claiming “our Scope is one of our most important protections,” and “it is what prevents management from redefining what a Flight Attendant is and what they can be required to do on a whim.”
American is also rolling out a new flight attendant scoring system, which will be known as Me@Work. One of the factors intended to be displayed here will be the number of successful credit card applications attributed to each flight attendant.
Is American management right, or does the union have a point?
The union is of course within its rights to try to challenge anything that’s beyond the scope of the collective bargaining agreement. However, does this really fit into that category? Here’s how I see it:
- Management isn’t forcing any flight attendant to try to promote or sell credit cards, as that’s entirely voluntary
- American is just forcing flight attendants to be trained on what they need to do in the event that they do want to try to promote credit cards, and presumably also make them aware of the upside of promoting credit cards
- Historically one of the issues with flight attendant credit card pitches is that they’ve been highly inaccurate, and many flight attendants have taken quite some liberties; the credit card industry has a ton of rules around how products can and can’t be promoted, and that should extend to airline representatives promoting credit cards as well
Based on my understanding of the situation, I think the union is overreacting here. I would understand the frustration if flight attendants were being forced to promote credit cards, but simply requiring training on something that many flight attendants do choose to participate in doesn’t strike me as being unreasonable. But that’s just me.
I get the argument of “if they require this, then what else could they require in the future?” But let’s be honest, this is literally a massive part of the airline business model nowadays, and if it weren’t for AAdvantage, odds are that American would’ve lost money in recent years.
Bottom line
American flight attendants are being required to undergo training for promoting credit cards. This training is mandatory, regardless of whether or not flight attendants intend to actually promote credit cards (which they earn a commission for).
The union argues that this is beyond the scope of the collective bargaining agreement, and that management is crossing a line. Meanwhile I’d imagine the argument from management would be that flight attendants aren’t being forced to promote credit cards, they just have to be trained on it, so that in the event they do choose to promote credit cards, they understand the rules.
What do you make of this complaint from the American flight attendant union?
Sounds like something the workers and consumers can agree on: stop spamming us.
Honestly, I don't see this as a big deal as long as they are compensated for taking the training. But if AA wants to be the 'premiumest' airline in the US they should be more focused on improving employee moral rather than pushing credit cards inflight.
When possible I avoid AA as the FAs seem miserable which makes for a poor inflight experience. I'm not sure if AA tries to recruit surly FAs or...
Honestly, I don't see this as a big deal as long as they are compensated for taking the training. But if AA wants to be the 'premiumest' airline in the US they should be more focused on improving employee moral rather than pushing credit cards inflight.
When possible I avoid AA as the FAs seem miserable which makes for a poor inflight experience. I'm not sure if AA tries to recruit surly FAs or if they are unhappy working for a poorly managed airline but I'm guessing it's the latter.
Ivan, I was told they want to be the new ‘premier’ airline (presuming that was throwing-shade at United) and most ‘premium-ist’ (throwing different shade at Delta). Yes, they’d better get paid for this.
Sounds like something the management and stakeholders can agree on: start doing your job and make money for your employers.
My favorite part of any United flight is the 10 minute (sometimes 10 seconds, but feels like 10 minutes) credit card pitch after initial descent begins. Part of the reason I love having Starlink on Unites now. I can stream and not use the seat back entertainment. Ads during a flight - what are we even doing?
You know what? The union should be fine with it, so long as American gives some sort of...
My favorite part of any United flight is the 10 minute (sometimes 10 seconds, but feels like 10 minutes) credit card pitch after initial descent begins. Part of the reason I love having Starlink on Unites now. I can stream and not use the seat back entertainment. Ads during a flight - what are we even doing?
You know what? The union should be fine with it, so long as American gives some sort of profit sharing since the FAs are hocking something they otherwise couldn't care less about.
(Huh, I was told ‘their job’ was our safety and comfort, not credit card sales…)
Since when did safety = power trip?
Oh when unaccountable authoritarian dictatorship was formed.
Eskimo, I never said ‘power trip,’ you and others may suggest that, but it’s hyperbole and not the norm. Most flights, this and other carriers, have no issues, excellent crews, etc. Some of hate on here for frontline workers is unfounded.
1990 - Agree . +1 .
Doesn't matter which airline or flight, the poor FA's having to push credit cards look about as thrilled as someone getting a root canal. I don't blame them, having to peddle that shit.
If the union contract says FAs are only obligated to do things that are within a defined scope of service and credit card classes are not in the scope, then they shouldn't have to attend the classes. What's the limiting principle for what AA can insist the FAs must do? It can't just be some vague notion of what you might consider is reasonable.
Are you serious? They aren't forcing them to peddle it but their rating system is going to reflect their success in peddling so those who don't will be at a disadvantage for whatever benefits that rating leads to. Buy as long as they are not being forced to...
At some point in history men didn't force women employees to bend over for clients but those who did were rewarded. Ok, said the miles guy....
Are you serious? They aren't forcing them to peddle it but their rating system is going to reflect their success in peddling so those who don't will be at a disadvantage for whatever benefits that rating leads to. Buy as long as they are not being forced to...
At some point in history men didn't force women employees to bend over for clients but those who did were rewarded. Ok, said the miles guy. As long as they weren't forced to.
It is about coercion beyond job responsibilities male or female attendants.
“Management isn’t forcing any flight attendant to try to promote or sell credit cards, as that’s entirely voluntary”
“American is also rolling out a new flight attendant scoring system, which will be known as Me@Work. One of the factors intended to be displayed here will be the number of successful credit card applications attributed to each flight attendant.”
I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed some inconsistency here.
@ GV -- My post isn't about the rating system, and when I wrote about that in the past, I did express concern about how that works. That being said, keep in mind the rating system isn't actually of any consequence -- flight attendants get to bid on flights based on seniority, and even if you get bad "scores," it doesn't impact your job. It's just supposed to motivate people. Not that I'm agreeing with the system, but...
You know it isn't of any consequence how?
@ GV -- Due to the collective bargaining agreement! Management can't unilaterally decide that flight attendants have to sell X number of credit cards per month to keep their job. Both parties would agree that requires a new agreement.
How can the union be mad about the only income source that allows their senior members and pilots to be so overpaid
They should make an announcement that they're sorry, but this is the only way they can get paid so well.
@goheels We know how heavily the U.S. airlines depend on the co-branded credit card agreements. In a way, it can be viewed as AA as a subsidiary of Citi, DL as a subsidiary of AMEX, UA and WN as subsidiaries of Chase, B6 as a subsidiary of Barclays, and AS as a subsidiary of Bank of America. One wonders the financial shapes of these airlines if you take away their lucrative and exclusive credit card...
@goheels We know how heavily the U.S. airlines depend on the co-branded credit card agreements. In a way, it can be viewed as AA as a subsidiary of Citi, DL as a subsidiary of AMEX, UA and WN as subsidiaries of Chase, B6 as a subsidiary of Barclays, and AS as a subsidiary of Bank of America. One wonders the financial shapes of these airlines if you take away their lucrative and exclusive credit card agreements and how they would need to work harder with their hard and soft products especially on guest service. Imagine if the legacy carriers of the U.S. can provide those compared to the likes of SQ, QR, and EK then they may not need to push so hard for the credit card signups or possibly be in even stronger financial positions.
At this rate, AA is sadly doomed to fail if every move management wants to make is immediately rebuffed by the relevant union.
And by the way, I agree that the whole notion of pitching credit cards during flights is cheesy, to put it mildly, and reminds me of far less "premium" carriers doing the same thing, like Frontier and Spirit. In fact, it feels predatory to entice the general non-av-geek folks with sign-on bonuses,...
At this rate, AA is sadly doomed to fail if every move management wants to make is immediately rebuffed by the relevant union.
And by the way, I agree that the whole notion of pitching credit cards during flights is cheesy, to put it mildly, and reminds me of far less "premium" carriers doing the same thing, like Frontier and Spirit. In fact, it feels predatory to entice the general non-av-geek folks with sign-on bonuses, since a substantial portion of them won't pay off the balance in full and wind up in credit card debt.
On a related note, around 2010 Domino's Pizza admitted publicly that their pizza tasted bad and committed to fixing it. Maybe that's the kind of radical honesty AA needs to turn things around.
I guess this means we should expect an increase in sales pitches shortly...
Overreacting is the Union’s job!
"Unions bad!"
-Dirk
Unions are good.
The problems are the bad ones who hide behind the union.
-Uirk.
You can't complain about the lack of profits on the one hand and then refuse to participate in the profit center on the other. It's logically incongruous.
instead of this bs can they pls train FAs to do PDBs consistently
Personally, if I were being paid for the "training" time ("Indoctrination Into Coercion Best Practices" would be an honest name for the course), I would take it in a heartbeat, and then forget I ever took it.
That said, one can't blame the FAs for being pissed off that they are being required to sit through a coercion training module for something they'll never be required to do (force...er, "sell" people on the notion of...
Personally, if I were being paid for the "training" time ("Indoctrination Into Coercion Best Practices" would be an honest name for the course), I would take it in a heartbeat, and then forget I ever took it.
That said, one can't blame the FAs for being pissed off that they are being required to sit through a coercion training module for something they'll never be required to do (force...er, "sell" people on the notion of a credit card that will result in the passenger getting nothing but a debt accumulation tool that comes with an annual fee).
Willy - Agree . +1 .
Lots of jobs have online training modules. Most aren't testing for comprehension or memorization and you can just click through in a few minutes.
Is AA Platinum status the tier where you can opt out of credit card presentations onboard? Maybe AA can work out a deal with Starlink with who does and does not have to watch credit card ads.
As a Diamond OMAAT member you should see fewer ads on this site than us plebe non members. AA should consult with Ben to see how it’s done
Perhaps the FA's should take a look at the financial statements of the company that employs them. AA does not make a net profit on flying. It makes money on credit cards & its points program.
Either get with the program or find a new employer. AA is not a charity. Hell, they're barely an airline!
being trapped in an airplane and being forced to endure this forced commercialism is not legal. lets join and file a class action lawsuit to stop this
Everyone who works for a commercial enterprise needs to develop a commercial mindset, including customer retention and revenue maximisation. Do the training, and sell the product. It's your job. If you're unwilling or unable to do the job you're contracted to do, you can always move on. Times are changing, and they're not going back. Adapt or die.
The notion that AA flight attendants are actually familiar with the requirements of their job and what they’re supposed to do and not do is beyond hilarious to me.
Big cooperations have quite a lot of mandatory trainings and they are good to invent new ones every year. Cybersecurity. Workplace violence, harassment, etc. Most are really common sense and it’s usually quicker to complete them vs arguing against their usefulness.
I hate being bombarded with advertising everywhere I go. I typically fly on Delta and recently flew AA; the credit card pitch was very annoying.
I’m with the FAs here.
I think OMAAT also has the same vibes, ads everywhere and credit card pitches.
Are you annoyed to be here?
Sure American. Be a premier global airline based in the US by focusing on selling credit cards. Let's not focus on improve on the overall experience of flying at all.
Yes sirreeee. Come one! Come all! Get uour college degree snd come to AA and sell credit cards. They are a captive audience. And as a bonus if you make 3 sales every flight you can keep your job!
Yes sirreeee. Come one! Come all! Get your college degree and come to AA and sell credit cards. Passengers are a captive audience. You eill make big sales! And as a bonus if you make 3 sales every flight you can keep your job!
The college degree scam has been going on for decades.
They load you up with student debts in exchange for an almost useless degree but marketed as life changing opportunity.
Cost of education is inflated even worse than insurance or healthcare.
With your debt, they own you for life.
And you get a piece of paper certified that you've been scammed, if you even graduated.
Just do what the rest of us who have required online trainings do. Put the video on in the background while you do your actual job tasks, then guess or look up the answers to the quiz at the end. As long as you get above 70-75% on the questions it's fine, then just move on. Optional: complain to your colleagues about how stupid these trainings are.
Mandatory trainings in large corporate entities are a pain, there is so much nonsense. You learn ways to run them without paying attention. Just accept it and move on.
If I had to throw a hissy fit every time the gods of compliance came up with some new nonsense I had to take training on, I'd end up in permanent bad mood.
Honestly, like probably most people I hate the corny credit card announcements. Also watching the take-up, most people seem to have it, and the rest (myself included) aren’t interested. The credit card announcements are in the same ballpark as AA’s flight attendants are being forced to say that us passengers are the reason they fly, when really they work because they get paid. It’s just mind numbing this stuff that you can’t escape as a...
Honestly, like probably most people I hate the corny credit card announcements. Also watching the take-up, most people seem to have it, and the rest (myself included) aren’t interested. The credit card announcements are in the same ballpark as AA’s flight attendants are being forced to say that us passengers are the reason they fly, when really they work because they get paid. It’s just mind numbing this stuff that you can’t escape as a passenger. I have my noise cancelling headphones on whenever I can to avoid AA’s stream of irrelevant announcements.
We are herefor your safety brought to a new level
In any other way part of the world this would be considered disrespectful and an outrage. But in America it’s just business as usual. Most professions in America are just glorified sales people.
Just look at every Presidents and politicians.
They sell you the idea of America or freedom.
All they do is gerrymandering to keep their own power.
100% agree.
It’s tacky as
Do they get paid for it? Is it a self pace online? If so, take the money and ignore the course. Just let it play while you do other things. It's what I do with any DEI training.
I don't think the airline should be hawking credit cards or other products on a flight when you are a captive audience. Put up a sign at the gate or in the lounge sure, but it should be no more intrusive than that.
It's an online training module. I doubt any FA is actually gonna pay serious attention to it. They're just gonna do what 99% of us do when given the same task: click through until it's done. We can debate the principle of this to the ends of the earth, but the actual practical implications here seem negligible.
It seems like they should have incentivized, rather and force compliance. $X for doing the training and an extra bonus for the first few signups after doing it.
American is ridiculous! Sure, do the mandatory credit card training ONLY if the flight attendant signs up to be a representative onboard the plane to hock the card. But should not be mandatory for everyone. Waste of time. The Me@Work is a joke. Micromanaging. Don't see the executives getting a scoring for their horrible skills and mismanagement of the company. They should be fired! Stupid is as Stupid does. AA management is horrible.
Great customer service is pretty hard to find these days on ANY airline. That said, AA is just always so bad. At this point, I just avoid them simply because it’s always “something.” Just terrible. I can see the Union and FA’s pushing back on this simply because, it’s AA……
Simple--since all beverages, whether post-meal or pre-flight are NOT a part of "safety" and thus why flight attendants maintain it ain't part of their *scope*, just redefine credit cards as FAA-mandated safety regulations. Then see the attendants come up with their next excuse...
Simple--redefine credit-card applications as safety-related, whether or not the FAA disagrees. Then the flight attendants, if they are both consistent and logical, will pay fare more heed to hocking them than they do to post-meal or pre-flight beverages...
Ridiculous. Job responsibilities should be whatever the employer wants them to be, unless they are illegal, demeaning, etc. Since airlines make all their money on credit cards, it's no surprise they want employees incentivized to promote them.
ffs.
every job on the planet has stuff like this. "Other duties as assigned." Get paid for the training, take the training, and move on.
If the job changes and you now have to push some credit cards then they'll be ready to do it and move on.
My favorite part of any United flight is the 10 minute (sometimes 10 seconds, but feels like 10 minutes) credit card pitch after initial descent begins. Part of the reason I love having Starlink on Unites now. I can stream and not use the seat back entertainment. Ads during a flight - what are we even doing?
You know what? The union should be fine with it, so long as American gives some sort of...
My favorite part of any United flight is the 10 minute (sometimes 10 seconds, but feels like 10 minutes) credit card pitch after initial descent begins. Part of the reason I love having Starlink on Unites now. I can stream and not use the seat back entertainment. Ads during a flight - what are we even doing?
You know what? The union should be fine with it, so long as American gives some sort of profit sharing since the FAs are hocking something they otherwise couldn't care less about.