We’re tipping on airplanes now. Tipping has now entered the skies due to a new policy by budget airline Frontier—and it’s certain to increase consumers ever-growing “tip fatigue.”
A post in the r/EndTipping Reddit by EffectiveRole7325 calls attention to the new practice. The Redditor claims the now-ubiquitous tip request screen blindsided them after paying for drinks and snacks during their flight.
Is it excessive? Currently, Frontier is the only airline exercising this practice. But can U.S. travelers expect tipping their flight attendants to become the new norm?
EffectiveRole7325 posted his Reddit “rant” on Tuesday. Currently, the post has 36 comments and has been shared 41 times.
Tipping on airplanes
The original poster explained that this recent flight with Frontier was their first experience with the company. They weren’t expecting perks on the budget flight.
They opted to pay for food and drink out of pocket. However, they were not expecting a “select tip” screen to appear after they paid for them.
“This was a first to me- flying on Frontier. No complimentary drinks or snacks so I paid for both and when I ran my card it asked me to select the tip amount,” they said.
They claim that the experience left them blindsided and they did elect to pay for a tip. But afterward, they had thoughts.
“Admittedly I froze and clicked one, but afterward (and still now) I am annoyed. Has anyone else seen this? At what point are companies going to quit with this nonsense? This has got to stop,” the Redditor shared.
As the forum’s name, “r/EndTipping” implies, EffectiveRole7325 used the post to express yet another example of the so-called “tip fatigue” many Americans experience as they are asked to dig deeper into their pockets when paying for services.
Frontier and their tipping policy
Frontier began its practice of accepting individual tips for service as early as 2016. On Jan. 1, 2019, the company’s attendants were required to pool tips collectively.
Per an article by the Chicago Tribune, Frontier spokesman Jonathan Freed stated, “We appreciate the great work of our flight attendants and know that our customers do as well, so [the payment system] gives passengers the option to tip.”
The payment tablet screen offers options of 15%, 20%, or 25%, “custom gratuity” and “I prefer not to leave a gratuity.” per CBS News.
The Los Angeles Times reported in 2019, “Industry experts say no other U.S. carrier gives passengers the ability to tip flight attendants, and they don’t expect other airlines to follow Frontier’s lead.”
Tipping on airplanes or not—what’s best for flight attendants?
This may seem like a win for Frontier’s attendants. However, the practice actually lacks support from a sizable faction.
“The Association of Flight Attendants International, a union that represents 50,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines including Frontier, opposes the tipping policy, saying attendants should instead be paid higher wages,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
Per a 2019 Time article, “the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), which represents 50,000 employees at 20 airlines, is not happy with the policy.”
They argue that compensation for attendants should not be variable.
AFA President Sara Nelson told The Chicago Tribune, “Management moved forward with a tipping option for passengers in hopes it would dissuade flight attendants from standing together for a fair contract — and in an effort to shift additional costs to passengers.”
The 2019 median pay for attendants was approximately $50,000 per Time.
In 2024, Yahoo Finance reported, “As of now, tipping your flight attendant hasn’t gained traction as an expected part of the flight. When a tip may have safety implications, the better option would be to forgo the gesture.”
And in 2023, Sara Nelson, the president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), told Fodor’s, “We’re safety professionals. Our job is to keep you safe and secure. Tipping has no place in our work,” she says. “Should we act with more urgency to get the medical kit, oxygen, or a defibrillator in a medical emergency because a patient or their loved one gives us a wad of cash?”
The Daily Dot reached out to Frontier via email for a statement.
Reddit responds
Echoing the common sentiment “If you can’t afford to tip, you can’t afford to eat out,” one Redditor commented, “If you can’t afford to tip, you can’t afford to fly.”
Another reader, u/L0LTHED0G, likened the policy to a slippery slope.
“You just explained why it won’t go away,” they shared.
Another added, “You tipped when presented with the opportunity. You didn’t push back, you didn’t say no, you didn’t refrain from purchase and tell Frontier.”
Another user wrote, “Next the pilot will ask for a tip when you get on the plane hoping people will feel obligated because they want to get to their destination safely.”
“Corporate greed will never stop. They found a new moneymaker. So pay up,” another added.
The Daily Dot reached out to EffectiveRole7325 via Reddit comment and direct message for further comment.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
