American Cracks Down On Flight Attendants Profiting Off Trip Trading

American Cracks Down On Flight Attendants Profiting Off Trip Trading

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American Airlines has issued a new round of warnings to flight attendants, as some employees at the airline have clearly turned trip trading into a side hustle…

Why flight attendant trip trading has become problematic

Let’s start with a little bit of background. Flight attendants at virtually all US airlines are assigned their schedules based on seniority. They can bid on their schedule for each month, and then a computer system will assign them trips based on their preferences (and other metrics), in order of seniority.

As you’d expect, some trips are much more senior than others, as you’ll notice as a passenger when boarding certain flights. 😉 Like, the crew on a Philadelphia to Rome flight is generally going to be more senior than the crew on a Philadelphia to Charlotte flight. It’s about the number of flight hours they can rack up in a trip, how desirable the destination is, etc.

Once flight attendants are issued their schedules, they’re able to trade trips, again, within certain parameters. The idea is that as long as all flights are covered, it doesn’t matter who works what flight. Fair enough, right?

Well, this is where the issue comes into play. Some senior flight attendants have turned their lucrative seniority into a side hustle. Essentially, they’ll bid on lucrative trips that they have no intention of flying, just to be able to sell them to more junior flight attendants. Yes, essentially some senior flight attendants are looking to get paid not to fly.

The idea is that it’s a win-win. A junior flight attendant can often get a lot of flight hours on these long haul trips, and then part of that pay goes back to the senior flight attendant.

It’s worth emphasizing that this practice is strictly prohibited, and it’s something that both management and unions agree on. After all, it undermines the whole point of the seniority system, and it’s unfair to those playing by the rules.

I guess the flight attendants trading trips were just taking business advice from former American Chief Commercial Vasu Raja, who always said that “the schedule is the product.” 😉

Trip trading is fine, but not if it’s for profit

American issues stern warning on trip trading hustle

PYOK reports how American has sent out a memo to flight attendants, once again warning them that they’re not allowed to buy, sell, or barter their trips. Per the memo:

“Trips are assigned by the company and are not personal property. They cannot be bought, sold or brokered. You may not offer or accept money or other items of value – directly or through coded language – to broker, buy, sell or trade trips with other flight attendants. When someone tries to inappropriately profit by picking up a trip or through selling or trading, it violates the intent and integrity of our bidding systems and our standards of business conduct.”

Here’s an interesting angle, though. Flight attendants will often post trip trades in American’s internal system for other flight attendants to see, and the airline has figured out that flight attendants are using certain code words to indicate that they’re looking to trade their trips for money.

So just as someone might put a “rose” emoji on Grindr (or did back in the day?) to indicate that they’re looking for money, American flight attendants are reportedly using code words like “cookies,” “hugs,” “kisses,” and “thanks.”

It’s perfectly fair that both management and the union would crack down on this, because it really undermines the whole point of the seniority system. What a sad state of affairs when junior flight attendants essentially have to pay their colleagues for semi-desirable trips.

The airline is threatening that anyone found to be abusing the system could have their schedule bidding revoked, meaning they’d basically be in the same position as a new hire flight attendant, and would just be assigned a schedule. I’m curious if any flight attendants have actually been punished in this way so far.

American is warning flight attendants about this practice

Bottom line

American is warning flight attendants not to trade their trips for money. While trip trading between flight attendants is fine, both management and the union take issue with flight attendants selling their trips to one another, since it undermines the purpose of the seniority system.

It’s interesting how the airline has apparently identified the code words that are frequently being used for this practice.

What do you make of this trip trading for money phenomenon?

Conversations (48)
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  1. Judy judge Guest

    It’s unfair practice by the seniors, they need to do a sweeping round up of culprits. How greedy can they get, top pay is astronomical plus they want cash on top of it

  2. G.H. Guest

    Trip trading is no different than shift changing i.e. 8am to 4pm. So long as it don't compromise services, scheduling and safety of the aircraft and that of the plane.

  3. Clay Guest

    This is absurd. Who cares, as long as the trip is covered, and one day Ms/Mr Junior will become senior then they can do the same thing.

    1. Benny Guest

      I care! I would rather see younger FA than older ones on international flights. Now, all the older FA take all these flights just to sell. Let everyone have a chance.

  4. Bob Guest

    It’s called cheating. And a corrupt practice.

    1. Mary Guest

      LOL. If you have to ask, you're perfect for the current crop of people in Washington!

  5. SkyMan65 Guest

    You are right about seniors "selling" their more desirable flights is problematic, but you are mistaken about the process and have confused the coded language on the trade board. That is when an FA (typically a junior) is trying to give up their trip by offering to pay another FA to take it, because the trip is often undesirable and may conflict with a personal obligation, especially since juniors control over their schedules are very...

    You are right about seniors "selling" their more desirable flights is problematic, but you are mistaken about the process and have confused the coded language on the trade board. That is when an FA (typically a junior) is trying to give up their trip by offering to pay another FA to take it, because the trip is often undesirable and may conflict with a personal obligation, especially since juniors control over their schedules are very limited. They rather pay $$ for an FA to take take their trip then call out sick and incur an attendance point. Not unlike when I was a server at a restaurant and I had to offer extra cash to a co-worker for them to cover my shift.

    The selling of flight attendants desirable sequences is by seniors are done off of official AA systems.

  6. Joe Guest

    I'm confused, you mention they get paid for not flying. Surely if they're trading they have to fly some other route? And surely if they trade position for a junior FA then the airline pays the junior rate and not the senior rate?

    1. Clay Browne Guest

      He meant they are getting paid by someone paying them for their trip. They don’t get paid to not fly that trip that was given away. If they don’t need a regular income they could give their whole schedule away.

    2. Parnel Member

      End the stupidity of such unfair ability to bid for trips. Senior FAs are already paid so much more than JR and they both do the same work.
      Perhaps only let serior FA bid for 25% of work and let AA give out rest of the flights on efficiency.
      Next contract no increase for top FA and put all that money into lower wages.

  7. Kateat42kfeet Guest

    At my airline we were not-so-subtle, but definitely not taking a full page add. We would often advertise se a trip and depending on the holiday, it amount of money would be listed as “candy canes, Easter eggs or in my case I’d offer up a heard of screaming goats or wombats…with new technology, comes new ways of sidelining this kind of thing. Two things you should kmow about your flight crews are that we...

    At my airline we were not-so-subtle, but definitely not taking a full page add. We would often advertise se a trip and depending on the holiday, it amount of money would be listed as “candy canes, Easter eggs or in my case I’d offer up a heard of screaming goats or wombats…with new technology, comes new ways of sidelining this kind of thing. Two things you should kmow about your flight crews are that we Steven Hawkingbrilliant at solving problems with nothing more than a gum rapper and a hair pin. The second is, give us a rule and we will ind away to circumvent it. We are better than an Eagle Scout AND we carry cork screws

  8. Miami305 Diamond

    Pretty simple to solve -
    1. Internally they know the most desirable trips. The ones bid quickest/most.
    2. If you bid and get a top 25% route, then subsequently trade it, no problem.
    3. Do it more than X times within any 3 rolling months, you are barred from the top 25% of routes for Y months. (Or something appropriate.)
    4. Do it more than Z in a given time period,...

    Pretty simple to solve -
    1. Internally they know the most desirable trips. The ones bid quickest/most.
    2. If you bid and get a top 25% route, then subsequently trade it, no problem.
    3. Do it more than X times within any 3 rolling months, you are barred from the top 25% of routes for Y months. (Or something appropriate.)
    4. Do it more than Z in a given time period, and you can only bid on the bottom 50% of routes for 6 months or a year. (Or something appropriate.)
    5. Get caught selling a route one time and you get #4 punishment automatically.

    Simple. Problem solved.

    1. Judy judge Guest

      I literally wanna write the code to this wow, maybe I should then send it to they’re IT dep

  9. AA FA Guest

    The problem you reference is EXCEPTIONALLY rare. In 10 years flying, I’ve actually never seen or heard of a real life situation where a senior FA is selling a desirable trip. Most times that “hugs” are offered is the opposite situation: junior flight attendants offering a cash incentive for someone to take their trash trip.

    When you can’t get a trip to improve or drop on days you absolutely have to have off, adding...

    The problem you reference is EXCEPTIONALLY rare. In 10 years flying, I’ve actually never seen or heard of a real life situation where a senior FA is selling a desirable trip. Most times that “hugs” are offered is the opposite situation: junior flight attendants offering a cash incentive for someone to take their trash trip.

    When you can’t get a trip to improve or drop on days you absolutely have to have off, adding some cash usually got someone to accept the trip. FA’s will now just call out sick and AA will be on the hook for covering it on their own. Enforcing this policy harms AA and FAs equally.

    1. Valeria Guest

      I never heard of a flight attendant selling trips for personal profit. This is an exaggeration. The inability to get a single trip trade or drop because the existing trading system is very restrictive and limits the flight attendants’ trading. This issue could be resolved with unlimited trades.

    2. Stew777 Guest

      I have been flying a number of years and have never sold or taken money from anyone who has offered Hugs, Candy, Prayers etc. I usually use the TTS system or offer my trip to someone who is qualified on the aircraft and needs the time. Buying trips is something new to those of us who have flown for years. We have a great job and it only takes a few people to ruin it for everyone.

  10. Alan Guest

    Your seniority gives you a tangible value.
    If you can allow a new employee a better route with more hours, who loses if you sell your “spot”?
    The airline pays a lower pay scale to junior flight attendant.
    Junior flight gets more hours.

    Oh, the UNION loses control.

    1. Eskimo Guest

      I thought the union have your back not your wallet.

      I guess that propaganda still works.

      Union reps seems to be hogs and members are pigs, but in most cases the pigs get slaughtered.

    2. Annonymous Guest

      The biggest no no is when a senior FA bids the best trips with no intention of working many of them and drops the trip to a junior person they have already promised a trip to. This means that the last person who could have held that trip doesn’t get it but then sees the junior person on it over and over again. This is unfair to the person who would have held it if...

      The biggest no no is when a senior FA bids the best trips with no intention of working many of them and drops the trip to a junior person they have already promised a trip to. This means that the last person who could have held that trip doesn’t get it but then sees the junior person on it over and over again. This is unfair to the person who would have held it if the senior person would not have bid it in the first place only to intentionally drop it to someone junior

  11. frrp Diamond

    Anyone doing that should be immediately demoted to the lowest level of seniority. But then they shouldnt use seniority in the first place. Give the long flights to the cabin crews that are actually good rather than the ones who bugger off immidiately after meal has been issued and who dont reappear until 90 mins before landing.

  12. Don Guest

    My ex is a flight attendant with American! She worked a total of 30 days then went on disability. After 25 years she still has flight benefits????

    1. Constance Fiske Guest

      That has nothing to do with this post about getting compensation for bartering trips … I was a International Purser with an American Flagship Airline for 44 years and I actually questioned several other Seniors for giving trips away for favors …. It has been happening for years ….

  13. JC Guest

    It’s terrible, why can’t it be merit based? Seniority doesn’t mean good service. That’s why US lags behind ME and Asian airlines.

    1. Rob Guest

      Because unions don't believe in merit. They believe the longer you're at a firm, the better you are, even if you are average at best. Unions had their time. They are more of a hindering presence now. Too bod. Im an ex union worker and I will say I've always been treated well by my company now that I work for a non union firm

    2. Timo Diamond

      All unions do NOT & will NEVER allow a merit based system. It's strictly chronological. And stoopid.

  14. R B Guest

    JFK-CDG & return is always staffed with “very” senior crews.

  15. George Romey Guest

    This is too lucrative (and tax free) for flight attendants to give up. They will just become creative on how to communicate a trip is for sale.

  16. NedsKid Diamond

    Butters was just selling kisses.

  17. Andrew H. Guest

    It's an IRS issue as people are being paid to work/not work, in cash, which is considered unreported income.

    AA can be held accountable by the IRS for ignoring it.

    1. Sel, D. Guest

      Lol no they can’t. They’re not being paid by AA, nor is AA facilitating the payment.

    2. Sel, D. Guest

      So many solutions here, which are often used in the hospitality industry. Why can’t they just put the flight up for grabs (especially desirable ones)? Why should they decide who gets it? Even if they do, why not max it at 1 a quarter? Seems like a dumb and avoidable problem - but expected since union is involved.

    3. Timo Diamond

      Wrong. The tax payer is solely responsible for reporting all earned income whether or not it was reported on a W2, 1099-NEC, 1099-K, etc. Since these trip trade cash payments are occurring outside AA, it is between two private individuals. AA, or any employer, is not responsible to the IRS for $ exchanged privately by an employee for any reason. AA responsibility is to report what they pay an employee & nothing else. Think about...

      Wrong. The tax payer is solely responsible for reporting all earned income whether or not it was reported on a W2, 1099-NEC, 1099-K, etc. Since these trip trade cash payments are occurring outside AA, it is between two private individuals. AA, or any employer, is not responsible to the IRS for $ exchanged privately by an employee for any reason. AA responsibility is to report what they pay an employee & nothing else. Think about it using your simplisticly flawed logic... if an FA sold a car to another person, FA or not, and made a profit then it's the employee who is on the hook for reporting that income not their employer. Most people are wildly ignorant of how tax regs work.

    4. Andrew H. Guest

      AA FA's are using AA company systems to facilitate undeclared cash payments for work performed on behalf of AA.

      If AA and their FA's could do 20% of their hourly rate off the books why wouldn't they?

      Because that's what it is.

  18. Larry C Guest

    Good their focused on something - it certainly isn't customer service.

  19. MatthiasW New Member

    Interesting, anyone who knows how much money allegedly is being offered for a route swap?

    1. Timo Diamond

      Not much. I've heard anywhere between $25 to $100+

  20. Brody Guest

    Junior FAs make much less than their Senior counterparts so you’d think the company would rather pay a junior FA versus a senior one.

    1. Larry C Guest

      That won't fly with the FA's union. Oldest FA's get highest pay AND best routes.

    2. Eskimo Guest

      Now you're blaming the union for this?

  21. Trevor Guest

    There is a flip side to this which will be a big negative for all flight attendants. Sometimes FAs will offer money for another FA to work a trip. For example if they have an event and can't get a trip to trade or drop then offering money will help. It's not profiting from a schedule, in fact just the opposite but this seems to be banned as well.

    1. Larry C Guest

      Has to be banned both ways - think about it.

  22. Arps Diamond

    it violates ... our standards of business conduct

    AA's standards of business conduct, at least at their Joint Premium Lounges at JFK, most certainly do not require any semblance of hospitality or professionalism at reception. This was a problem when there was only a Flagship Lounge at JFK, and it's still a problem. I'm frustrated and can't believe it. How hard can it be to instruct your receptionists to do literally two things: 1. say...

    it violates ... our standards of business conduct

    AA's standards of business conduct, at least at their Joint Premium Lounges at JFK, most certainly do not require any semblance of hospitality or professionalism at reception. This was a problem when there was only a Flagship Lounge at JFK, and it's still a problem. I'm frustrated and can't believe it. How hard can it be to instruct your receptionists to do literally two things: 1. say hi 2. smile. I'll even accept just one of those two things. Currently you get neither.

    Oddly, the JFK Admirals Club is perfectly polite. I saw a receptionist patiently and politely explain to a (non-)guest that the Priority Pass card does not confer access to Admirals Clubs.

    1. Larry C Guest

      You ask a lot. It's like asking FA's to do more than 2 drink passes on a 6 hr flight. There are more important things like route swaps to be accomplished.

      But they have a lot of airplanes, a lot if destinations, and fares are usually among the lowest. So they are providing a service.

    2. Timo Diamond

      And many AA Frontline are equally rude/unhelpful to fellow employees. I've witnessed it. Miami has the most 'tude

    3. David Guest

      Strong agree.

      AA MIA - unbelievably and rude to passengers - in a completely unnecessary way. Even F ones!

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

Sel, D. Guest

Lol no they can’t. They’re not being paid by AA, nor is AA facilitating the payment.

2
Never In Doubt Guest

I'd like to know too!

2
Andrew H. Guest

It's an IRS issue as people are being paid to work/not work, in cash, which is considered unreported income. AA can be held accountable by the IRS for ignoring it.

2
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