Prior to boarding a flight I always make sure I have extra cash on hand. I use the money to purchase food or drinks for family members who decide the snacks I packed for them are not up to par with the cookies and chips they can get in the snack boxes offered on the plane. (Which means I end up spending $5 for an entire snack box just to have them dig out the little Oreo package that contains all of four cookies.)
And, yes, there have been times when I have forgotten to bring smaller bills. This, of course, means I’ve had to wait for change as the flight attendant rounds up money from the other in-flight bankers (I mean flight crew members). I don’t mind waiting for my change (I’m at 35,000-feet—-where am I going to go). However, I’m sure the last thing a flight attendant wants to do is dash around the plane looking for change for the passenger in 32A who ordered a $5 drink and has nothing smaller than a $100 bill.
This dilemma has encouraged some airlines to go cashless.
For example, Frontier Airlines went cashless last month. It now joins carriers like AirTran Airways and Allegiant Air in accepting credit and debit cards in mid-air. Meanwhile, carriers such as Hawaiian Airlines stopped accepting cash on its trans-Pacific flights two summers ago and just a few months ago expanded the policy to its inter-island flights.
So far none of the country’s largest airlines has gone cash free, however, I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before they too join the growing number of smaller airlines that are embracing plastic at higher altitudes.
Executives at Delta say they are testing a cashless system and hopes to introduce it on their flights by the end of the year. In addition, US Airways executives say their new in-flight Internet and entertainment system may include a built-in electronic payment system that would allow passengers to pay for other items, such as food and cocktails, with a credit card.
Currently, Frontier uses battery-operated handheld devices to make credit card sales. In the month that the airline stopped accepting cash, Frontier executives say they’ve had just a single passenger complaint. What’s more, the airline reports that sales of its in-flight cocktails are up since the carrier began accepting credit and debit cards.
It makes sense. After all, if you are flying without cash (or you are saving it for your cab ride), but you have a credit card, you’re likely more apt to imbibe a bit more. In addition, I’m sure flight attendants are happier going cashless since it does away with the hassle of getting change. I imagine it also cuts down on theft.
Personally, I’m not looking forward to the day that the airlines make the switch to all plastic. I like that now I can tell my daughter that Mommy doesn’t have enough cash to buy her cookies and that she will just have to make do without them.
Then again, I may have to have a back-up plan in place if airlines get their way. Some in the industry would like to eliminate in-flight monetary transactions all together. One airline executive wants to institute a system that would allow passengers to preorder and pay for drinks, food, movies and other items when they buy their tickets.
What do you think of that idea?
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