A longtime OMAAT reader shared a story with me regarding something that happened on a recent AirAsia flight, where he was asked for his passport after a strange credit card incident, where the lead flight attendant reportedly looked at his credit card for an exceedingly long time. He has asked for my take — I actually don’t have a good answer, so I’d like to open this up to y’all.
In this post:
Strange AirAsia inflight credit card & passport incident
This isn’t very long, so let me just share the experience an OMAAT reader (who asked to remain anonymous) shared with me:
I wanted to ask you about something and get your opinion if possible as I was perplexed by something that happened today onboard an AirAsia flight. I was asked for my passport after a confrontation at cruising altitude.
After hitting our cruising altitude on our flight to Jakarta, I had my meals already preordered but wanted to buy a Sprite. I knew they only accepted credit card so handed over my JP, and the purser on the flight turned it over and started examining the back for a full minute. I say JP, as all the card numbers are on the back. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t be concerned, but then it was contactless so I was a tad confused.
After it was somehow declined for whatever reason, not that it mattered anymore as I just wanted my card back, I asked what took so long. They said they were checking to see if it’s a credit or debit card, and that she was making coffee (which she wasn’t, so it got me even more confused). I told her she wasn’t and said she should review the cameras. Hmm, okay. I mentioned that I was concerned they were writing card numbers down as it happened to a friend of mine on AirAsia and wanted to write a report, just to have it noted in the off chance they were.
She then proceeded to demand my passport so she could make a claim back or something (which I don’t understand at all as I’ve never once heard of this from an airline), but then once I refused multiple times, she walked off saying “it doesn’t matter, I have you seat number and name anyways.”
Granted I’m not sure if she was skimming cards or not, I just am perplexed that I was asked for my passport at cruising altitude. Truly baffled. After landing I went to the staff and they were even as confused as me and gave the direct line to the admin email of AirAsia in Jakarta.
Any thoughts on how/why this happened? Has this happened to you? Much appreciated Ben!
Parts of this I can make sense of, parts I can’t…
What stands out to me here? First, I’m confused by the purser examining the credit card so closely. You’d think with contactless payments nowadays, the flight attendant would just hold out the card reader and have the passenger tap, and that would be the end of it.
Do the flight attendants have to process it differently based on whether it’s a debit card or credit card? If so, you’d think they’d ask the passenger about the card type, rather than examining it for an extended period of time, no? Does anyone know if this is the standard policy, or…? Admittedly JP is a bit niche when it comes to credit cards, but still, that doesn’t make much sense to me.
Now, regarding the passport question, I think that’s actually pretty straightforward. Presumably the purser felt she needed to file some sort of a report about the incident, even if it’s as simple as sharing the crew’s side of the story in the event the passenger complains to corporate. I suspect the intent in requesting the passport was to confirm that the person who was occupying the seat matched the person who was actually booked in the seat, since people do sometimes move seats.
I do think it’s interesting that this reader says a friend had credit card fraud on AirAsia. I’m curious just how isolated of an incident this is — I’d imagine it’s very rare, but who knows. Either way, in a situation where you’re making contactless payments, it is a little suspicious if someone spends an extended period of time examining your card.
Bottom line
A passenger traveling on AirAsia was surprised when the purser carefully examined his credit card for an extended period of time prior to processing it, despite contactless payment being the standard nowadays. He was a little worried that this was some sort of credit card fraud, and confronted her about it. She then demanded his passport.
I can’t explain why the purser studied the credit card so closely, though I think the request for the passport is a bit more straightforward. Presumably she intended to file a report about the incident out of fear of receiving a complaint, and wanted to make sure she was referencing the correct passenger.
What do you make of this AirAsia inflight incident?
Wow this long time reader needs more empathy and understanding instead of suspecting everything in life, otherwise very likely s/he would end up having a cancer or serious illness. First the reader needs to understand why s/he feels suspicious in this case, where this urge is coming from. Certainly not the cabin crew or his scenario, it is because of his/her past experience and trauma
I previously worked as an FA for a major Euro carrier and they implemented 'exceptional' procedures when selling inflight products from Duty Free on flights to one particular country.
This was not a knee-jerk reaction, it was based on the data the airline was obviously able to narrow down route by route. On flights to city in this particular country fraudulent credit cards and cash (we took cash in various currencies and obviously didn't know...
I previously worked as an FA for a major Euro carrier and they implemented 'exceptional' procedures when selling inflight products from Duty Free on flights to one particular country.
This was not a knee-jerk reaction, it was based on the data the airline was obviously able to narrow down route by route. On flights to city in this particular country fraudulent credit cards and cash (we took cash in various currencies and obviously didn't know what a 'fake' random currency might look like) were being used 220% more often than the next highest route for inflight sales fraud.
One of the mitigation was that on routes to this country passengers had to present both their credit card and passport.
Britain is a scumbag country, I can see why your airline did it.
My experience has been that they don't have well trained crew. I was told off for eating a muffin onboard that I brought with me. Meanwhile the infant sitting on the mother's lap in the row in front wouldn't wear a seatbelt for takeoff and the FA just shrugged and walked away when the parent said the child would cry if made to wear a seatbelt. So they seem to have odd priorities.
I have been told on an AirAsia flight that they do not accept debit cards. They also do not accept credit cards without tap function. So I had the strange experience where my credit card got rejected due to not having the tap function and my debit with tap function was rejected for not being a credit card. So I had to go thirsty on a 4 hour flight. Weirdest part is that I had...
I have been told on an AirAsia flight that they do not accept debit cards. They also do not accept credit cards without tap function. So I had the strange experience where my credit card got rejected due to not having the tap function and my debit with tap function was rejected for not being a credit card. So I had to go thirsty on a 4 hour flight. Weirdest part is that I had recently, prior to that experience, paid for F&B on AirAsia with a debit card. So it works in their system, but seems to be against their policy. That might explain why they are checking for so long on what the article calls a niche card. In general my impression is that AirAsia staff are under paid and poorly trained. It seems that they focus more on the crews looks than their competences. I try to avoid that airline and I would encourage all other travelers to do the same. I generally only use AirAsia, if there are no other options for that route.
How many times will it take for you to learn not to take unverified, biased first person accounts of events at face value? The events as described almost certainly did not happen. This person is paranoid and overly aggressive, even in his biased telling of events. It was probably 10-20 seconds while FA was juggling other requests. In the middle of a plane is not exactly where one would discretely copy CC info, and if...
How many times will it take for you to learn not to take unverified, biased first person accounts of events at face value? The events as described almost certainly did not happen. This person is paranoid and overly aggressive, even in his biased telling of events. It was probably 10-20 seconds while FA was juggling other requests. In the middle of a plane is not exactly where one would discretely copy CC info, and if they had rainman memorization ability they wouldn't be a FA.
I don't know why you amplify stupid shit like this and give it unearned credibility.
For clicks. It pays the rent.
Yo, Gary does this ALL-THE-FREAKIN-TIME, yet you never whine at VFTW… so…
I had 3 flights cancelled by AirAsia recently. Flew HongKong express instead and bought the Max fare and ordered food ahead of time and it was quite pleasurable.
@R.Lopaka and KV Air Asia is an LCC. They do charge for beverages including bottled water. They do not have complimentary meals, snacks or drinks. They charge for everything extra beyond your standard ticket. It is a no frills airline.
It is AirAsia. They are a pathetic unsafe airline with seriously underpaid flight attendants and pilots started and run by a incompetent money grubbing fool.
I have no idea why people not from southeast Asia think they are a viable airline to fly. Maybe because of the name AirAsia. Sounds like the airline of Asia just like American Airlines sounds like the airline of America.
I would have expected most people's first reaction would have been more like "oh there's a problem with this card so you have another" rather than obsess over the card and then ask for id. If the 2nd cc is also problematic or name doesn't match then yeah, some id would be reasonable. So yeah that would seem suspicious. However as done have said it sounds like they're was some attitude on either side not being mentioned so maybe it was just that.
Woah, Mr. Moneybags over here with more than one credit card…/s
Sorry am I missing something here? Because the crew of a foreign budget carrier took over 'one minute' to look at and process a card they hadn't seen before, and the card was declined, the passenger accuses them of lying and attempting to commit credit card fraud?
And then he is surprised when they ask him for ID? I think the passport request by the FA was unusual for sure, but honestly sounds like...
Sorry am I missing something here? Because the crew of a foreign budget carrier took over 'one minute' to look at and process a card they hadn't seen before, and the card was declined, the passenger accuses them of lying and attempting to commit credit card fraud?
And then he is surprised when they ask him for ID? I think the passport request by the FA was unusual for sure, but honestly sounds like this passenger was acting quite aggressive and paranoid, and escalating things rapidly. The crew probably panicked. Did he watch them writing down his card number (it doesn't seem like it in the quoted message). Was the card ever out of his sight? Seems entirely self-inflicted...
@Kerry Have you ever encountered a flight attendant or any sales employee looking at your credit or debit card for a whole minute? Whether domestically or internationally they just simply tap, insert or swipe the card. Even if they do need to take a look at it it would not take a full minute and even then they may ask you a question such as if it is a local or foreign credit card or...
@Kerry Have you ever encountered a flight attendant or any sales employee looking at your credit or debit card for a whole minute? Whether domestically or internationally they just simply tap, insert or swipe the card. Even if they do need to take a look at it it would not take a full minute and even then they may ask you a question such as if it is a local or foreign credit card or what type of card it is. Simply looking at the card without asking any questions about it or attempting to swipe it during that minute would make the OP feel a bit anxious or perplexed by it. It may have been declined for a number of reasons such as insufficient funds or because it was swiped internationally it was declined for security reasons in order to prevent fraud and he probably did not inform the bank ahead of time of his traveling plans.
When OP wrote JP card the reference may be the JP bank card issued by Japan Post Bank which is known as Yūcho Ginkō in Japanese. These cards can come in Visa, MasterCard or JCB.
I’ve only flown internationally a dozen or so times, but it strikes me as odd to have to relinquish a passport for any reason. Yes to real authorities on the ground but not to an FA midflight. Ben, that might be a good discussion topic on its own. What am I missing here?
Air Asia only accept cash or Credit Card for on board payments.
They only accept MasterCard or Visa but can accept conversions for your local currency.
I ran into this issue last year between HKG and KUL (I wanted to try their famous food and so picked them over MH) where I had a Debit card with MasterCard (not accepted) and an American Express Credit Card (also not accepted).
I'd used up...
Air Asia only accept cash or Credit Card for on board payments.
They only accept MasterCard or Visa but can accept conversions for your local currency.
I ran into this issue last year between HKG and KUL (I wanted to try their famous food and so picked them over MH) where I had a Debit card with MasterCard (not accepted) and an American Express Credit Card (also not accepted).
I'd used up all of my MYR expecting to not need it, though they did take a £20 note and provide change... Once the whole cabin had ordered as it was a while until they had enough cash. They were really confused at the concept that I didn't have smaller denominations mind..
Lucky, FYI…
“Japan quintuples visa fees in first price hike since 1978.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy8d5e5e805o
Eskimo is correct , therefore pay cash .
They CHARGE for a soda? What next, the Lav?!?!!? The name on the Credit card didn't match the PNR?
Anyone who refers to their Chase card as their “JP” is automatically a suspicious person full of themselves to me.
You had to pay for a soft drink?
That's happening nowadays on some airlines.
First of all, what is a JP?
The second and third paragraphs are borderline indecipherable, but from what I gather the F/A took the passenger's card elsewhere (into the galley?) and the passenger responded by accusing the F/A of copying the numbers. Strikes me as an unnecessary escalation to assume such bad faith after a decline.
At this point the F/A is probably on the defensive having been accused of skimming (plus the...
First of all, what is a JP?
The second and third paragraphs are borderline indecipherable, but from what I gather the F/A took the passenger's card elsewhere (into the galley?) and the passenger responded by accusing the F/A of copying the numbers. Strikes me as an unnecessary escalation to assume such bad faith after a decline.
At this point the F/A is probably on the defensive having been accused of skimming (plus the "you weren't making coffee" comment is pretty snarky), so was probably trying to protect herself from further accusations by documenting the situation with the passenger's details.
Frankly this sounds entirely self-inflicted on the passenger's part.
I see this happening more at check in, where, if the agent deems anything "unusual" about your request/situation, they will take a picture of your passport and itinerary with what appears to be their personal phone. I think they do it in case something goes wrong and they have to explain their account of the "incident" in question. When I say "unusual," I mean things that I would imagine are happening everyday in their line...
I see this happening more at check in, where, if the agent deems anything "unusual" about your request/situation, they will take a picture of your passport and itinerary with what appears to be their personal phone. I think they do it in case something goes wrong and they have to explain their account of the "incident" in question. When I say "unusual," I mean things that I would imagine are happening everyday in their line of work, like a passenger needing to be un-checked in from their flight by the operating carrier, so the ticketing carrier can re-take control of the ticket to rebook the passenger. Or, a passenger traveling on separate tickets wanting their check in luggage to be tagged all the way to the final destination. While I find it very unsettling that someone has taken down my personal information on their personal device without my consent, it is probably because they are afraid they will get in trouble --not that that justifies their behavior.
In this instance though, I can't imagine flight attendants are handling complex rebookings or through checking bags on their devices. If an onboard payment does not go through (on a U.S. carrier), I would imagine the flight attendant would just say "don't worry about it" and move on to the next passenger (as has been my experience many times). There is probably less leeway for flight attendants to do this on LCCs and in countries where the rules must always be followed. I think the paranoia of getting in trouble for a failed card transaction may have motivated the flight attendant into taking down as much information as possible, though the stakes seem much lower here and there's a good chance the transaction didn't go through because the payment device wasn't able to connect to to the system.
It an FA asks for your passport you give it. If she tells you she is making coffee you don't tell her to check the video. While I agree it sounds odd, it also sounds like there may have been a fair bit of attitude.
Asian cabin crews are not abusive power hungry hide behind union unaccountable authoritarian like in America.
Eskimo (real or impersonator)...My dude, US-based FAs and their unions (if applicable) are not authoritarian. That's absurd. Sure, maybe you treat them like sh*t, and hopefully they treat you how you treat others. Be sure to tell them how you really feel before meal service!
Needless diversion happens only in America.
A level 1 threat will be identified as a level 3 but handled like a level 4.
Only in America.
I treat FA and all other frontline employees with utmost respect.
Sadly many times, the respect is not mutual. And due to the nature of being an authoritarian and unaccountable, I can't safely and freely voice my feedbacks.
I don't want other passengers to waste time...
Needless diversion happens only in America.
A level 1 threat will be identified as a level 3 but handled like a level 4.
Only in America.
I treat FA and all other frontline employees with utmost respect.
Sadly many times, the respect is not mutual. And due to the nature of being an authoritarian and unaccountable, I can't safely and freely voice my feedbacks.
I don't want other passengers to waste time or inconvenience because the pilots decided to divert by believing only one side of the story.
Just like calling out some leaders. It's a no win.
... Oh person , if so . Eskimo is correct and you are incorrect .
Eskimo is correct , which is why I always address FAs as "Oh Person , if so" .
What are y’all smokin’ on here… *smh*
Unacceptable and totally uncalled for. I do not disseminate government issued ID to unknown parties. Shocking and VERY concerning. Is the company involved in under the table backwoods deals or something?
*outrage*
Under the rice-paddy deals ; not backwoods .
The passport request itself does not strike me as suspicious.
It is entirely consistent with a purser wanting to document an incident after being accused of mishandling a payment card.
I think the reference to "JP" may be saying it was a Japan-issued credit card which would likely be unfamiliar to the crew.
J.P. Morgan
There is also a Japanese credit card issuer that goes by "JP" as well.
Yet nobody writes Ben and simply "I used my JP Card" under either of those scenarios.
"Yet nobody writes Ben..."
You have no way to know this unless you read all of Ben's email.
Indonesia and Malaysia have absurdly high credit card skimming fraud.
I think FA is just doing loss prevention.
In Asia I pay cash ... no credit cards .
If contactless doesn’t work, you can still insert in the reader and enter your PIN.
At no point should anyone ever write a card number down as it’s not PCI DSS ( payment card industry data security standard ) compliant. If a business ever wants to copy your card or write the number down, it’s absolutely unlawful.
Most new cards seem to now have the number on the rear.
Violate payment provider contracts, very likely.
But unlawful?
What the hell is a "JP"? And who refers it to that without saying what it is? The whole thing sounds sus.
Possibly JP Morgan. It’s not really relevant though. The issue is that it was a debit or credit card. The process is identical
J.P. Morgan
Wouldn't that just be Chase? Who calls it a "JP Card"? Even the JP Morgan Reserve isn't just referred to as a "JP Card." I think OP's description is shady.
I asked ChatGPT and apparently a “JP” card is issued by Japan Post Bank.