Some might cringe and call it a bribe. Some might call it a witty and cunning plan. And some will simply say that a good attitude towards people always more than pays off. And, probably, the second and especially the third statements will be the closest to the truth.
A while back, the TikToker @mr_selling915 suggested a clever hack to improve your flight experience - just give the flight attendants some Starbucks gift cards and they'll start treating you better. And recently, travel blogger Jeremy McLellan (@x_travels) decided to test this hack in action. The result was more than 3.1M views, almost 260K likes - and just a wonderful relationship with the cabin crew of the New York - Abu Dhabi flight.
A smart passenger once decided to give away several Starbucks gift cards to the cabin crew - and thus check a fresh life hack as well
Image credits: 401(K) 2012 (not the actual photo)
"I tried that travel hack where you give your flight attendants some Starbucks gift cards and see what happens"
"So I tried that travel hack where you give your flight attendants some Starbucks gift cards and see what happens. And this is what happened. So I had a 12 and a half hour flight from Boston to Abu Dhabi, sorry, New York to Abu Dhabi. And yeah, that's the long, long flight. I didn't want to deal with that.
And I looked up online, and there was still a business class seat available on this flight. And it was $12,000. I didn't want to pay that. So I went and I got a $15 Starbucks gift card. So like, 130 bucks, I don't know, around there.
And, you know, the time came, I got on the plane, there were two flight attendants. This is a big plane, really big plane. I said, 'How many flight attendants around this plane?' They said, a lot, probably like 12. 'Ah, like, why did you get us a gift?' I was like, 'Yeah, I got some Starbucks gift cards for you guys, but only have eight of them.' Like, oh, well, thank you very much. We'll spread them as best as we can, I guess."
Image credits: x_travels
"She was already planted in my seat, shoes and socks off"
"And so they said, they said, 'Are you a flight attendant for another airline?' I said, 'No, I just thought I'd, you know, show the love, spread the appreciation, you know, the long flight and appreciate you guys.'
And then when I found my seat in the very back of the plane, and there was already an Indian woman who had stolen my seat. I purposely picked the window seat ahead of time, she was already planted in my seat, shoes and socks off. And she sees me and she's like, 'Is this your seat?' And I'm like, yeah. So she moved over, left her f**king shoes on the floor. What the hell, come on, man."
Image credits: x_travels
"It was a completely full row to myself with unlimited legroom"
"So the manager or the supervisor walked down the aisle with one of my gift cards in her hand. She walked around and then she comes up to me. She says 'Excuse me, Mr. David' (not my name by the way). She was kind of like, 'Could I speak to you for a moment?' I said, 'sure.'
So she pulls me in the very back of the plane like, and I was already in the back, like the very back, back, like, up against the wall in the back of the plane. And she gets like an inch away from my face. She goes 'Thank you.' And like, I couldn't really understand her. She's like, 'Do you want to take the exit row? Let's see, but you get some extra legroom,' and I was like, yeah, she's like: 'We really appreciate what you did, that was very nice.' I was like, 'No problem. I appreciate you guys.' And so they moved me to the exit row which is like, further up, but it was a completely full row to myself with unlimited legroom."
Image credits: x_travels
"This is just a life lesson. Be kind to people, show appreciation, show respect to people that you don't normally know"
"I think it was worth 130 bucks. Wasn't business class, didn't get a fully down flat seat. But I think it was worth the gift cards to get a hold of myself. And they were so nice to me the whole flight like, I took a nap for a bit. And when I woke up there was a bag, like a little goodie bag, like a mom-packed lunch from the seat next to me, but like a water bottle, sandwich and some snacks.
They kept asking if I want anything to drink, if I wanted anything. They were super nice to me. I think it was worth it. But this is just a life lesson. Be kind to people, show appreciation, show respect to people that you don't normally know. Just be nice to people. That goes a long way."
Image credits: x_travels
The life hack paid off completely but the life lesson the author of the video got was really priceless
So, Jeremy recently happened to fly from New York to Abu Dhabi, and after a brief search on the internet, he found out that an over 12-hour flight in business class would cost him around a thousand bucks for each hour of flight. To put it mildly, a tad bit expensive, so the blogger remembered a fresh life hack with Starbucks gift cards.
A bunch of cards cost the author of the video $130, and he willingly gave them away to the cabin crew members, honestly admitting that he just wanted to show them some respect. The act justified itself a few minutes later, when the man discovered that some woman had already taken his booked place near the window, and moreover, she had already laid out all her things there. And she took her socks off as well...
And while Jeremy just stood in thought about what he should do in this situation, the decision was found by itself. A cabin crew rep approached him and whispered that they had the opportunity to arrange a whole empty row of seats - so the grateful passenger was even able to take a good nap. And when he woke up, there were additional food and drinks next to him, carefully provided by the flight attendants.
In general, in addition to the fact that the experiment was completely justified, Jeremy also received an invaluable life lesson. "I think it was worth it. Be kind to people, show appreciation, show respect to people that you don't normally know. Just be nice to people. That goes a long way," the author of the video ends his story like this.
If you check the cost of random direct flights from New York to Abu Dhabi (and the author of the original video flew non-stop, judging by the flight time), then an economy class ticket will cost from $972 to $1,304. In turn, a first-class ticket on the same terms will cost at least $13,895. In other words, the savings, including 130 bucks on gift cards, was nearly $12.5K. But the life lesson the original poster learned is truly priceless.
By the way, several flight attendants showed up in the comments to the original video and honestly admitted that the gift is, of course, wonderful, but much more important and valuable is the attention and kind attitude towards the cabin crew. And it is this attitude that can work miracles. “Sounds like it was definitely worth it. Plus you made some people happy,” some of the commenters honestly admitted.
Perhaps it would be worth turning this idea into a rule on various flights, and it would certainly help avoid lots of problematic situations. As, for example, was described in this story of ours about an insidious couple who once tried to outwit another passenger, only to expose themselves to ridicule. By the way, if you have also had a chance to make nice, small gifts for the flight attendants, please feel free to tell us how it all went, in the comments below this post.
People in the comments praised the author, adding that he just made some people happy - and that's incredibly great
