George S. May Business Blog

American Airlines to stop accepting cash on-board

Following in the footsteps of competing airlines, American Airlines announced Wednesday that they will no longer be accepting cash for purchases on board their flights. The change will come Monday and attendants will now carry hand held devices to record all on board purchases. “By moving to a cashless cabin, the transaction process is more convenient for both our customers and flight attendants,” said Lauri Curtis, American’s vice president of Onboard Service.

According to the LA Times segment “More for Your Money” American Airlines has been testing the no-cash approach since JetBlue Airways began their card-only system in late 2007.

Apparently, American Airlines flight attendants have mixed reactions “to ringing up sales with a hand-held device that is twice the size of an iPhone and features a touch screen, card reader and printer,” according to a Denver Post report.

Regardless of what consumers or attendants think, history has proved that such a move is by far better for any airline’s bottom line. According to a JetBlue spokesperson, the airlines onboard revenue almost doubled after the first week the  airline instated the program. 

Though the aforementioned American Airlines routes will be moving to this cash-only mode, affiliates American Eagle and AmericanConnection will not be implementing the new system. For your confusion, these flights will continue to accept only cash.

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