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…
In this post:
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.” 😉
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.
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?
Also, junior flight attendants want to get rid of a horrible trip abd they offer money for anyone to pick up. It is all wrong or all ok.
This airline is in shambles
Not only is it unfair to junior flight attendants but it cheats State Governments out of Sales Taxes on $100,000s of tax revenue that Airlines should have been collecting, which is tax fraud.
Surely you mean income tax, which would be federal as well as most states. Services rendered between private individuals, such as mowing lawns, babysitting, or picking up shifts, are typically not subject to sales tax of any sort.
In fact only four states—Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, and West Virginia—impose a tax on services by default, while five—Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon do not impose a general statewide sales tax on either goods...
Surely you mean income tax, which would be federal as well as most states. Services rendered between private individuals, such as mowing lawns, babysitting, or picking up shifts, are typically not subject to sales tax of any sort.
In fact only four states—Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, and West Virginia—impose a tax on services by default, while five—Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon do not impose a general statewide sales tax on either goods or services.
Also, this is not Germany—you do not capitalise common nouns like sales, taxes, or airlines.
All in all, not so smart, Susan.
What makes you think people are going to stop because a notice was given....People will still find a way.
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
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.
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.
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.
Think that through, Benny. If you'd like to see younger flight attendants on international flights, then you *want* those shifts to be sold by the senior FA's. As your reasoning is already disappointing I'm not prepared to explore your motives.
It’s called cheating. And a corrupt practice.
Why?
LOL. If you have to ask, you're perfect for the current crop of people in Washington!
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.
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?
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.
This actually happened. Until companies caught on that some employees were working other jobs while giving away or selling their work but keeping their benefits but never putting any time.
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.
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
Hahaha funny post
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.
I literally wanna write the code to this wow, maybe I should then send it to they’re IT dep
How’s your COBOL?
The only thing I could think of that might be an issue would be their union contract. I would not be surprised if the current system is spelled out to the letter and then the airline would need to work with the union to change the system, which could be quite the undertaking, if not impossible.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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????
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 ….
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.
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
All unions do NOT & will NEVER allow a merit based system. It's strictly chronological. And stoopid.
JFK-CDG & return is always staffed with “very” senior crews.
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.
Butters was just selling kisses.
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.
Lol no they can’t. They’re not being paid by AA, nor is AA facilitating the payment.
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.
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.
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.
Good their focused on something - it certainly isn't customer service.
Interesting, anyone who knows how much money allegedly is being offered for a route swap?
I'd like to know too!
Not much. I've heard anywhere between $25 to $100+
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.
That won't fly with the FA's union. Oldest FA's get highest pay AND best routes.
Now you're blaming the union for this?
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.
Has to be banned both ways - think about it.
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...
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.
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.
And many AA Frontline are equally rude/unhelpful to fellow employees. I've witnessed it. Miami has the most 'tude
Strong agree.
AA MIA - unbelievably and rude to passengers - in a completely unnecessary way. Even F ones!