Cashless flights ready to take off

American Airlines is launching a trial program to test the feasibility of flights where only plastic is accepted. Starting today and lasting until September 30^th, over 700 scheduled commercial flights leaving from San Francisco will be operating on a cashless basis. Even onboard, snacks, drinks, headsets and other typical in-flight wares will only be payable with plastic.

By plastic, American Airlines means not only major credit cards like American Express, MasterCard and Visa, but debit cards will also be accepted. American Airlines vice president of onboard service Lauri Curtis explains, “These days, consumers are more frequently paying for items electronically with credit cards and debit cards. With this test, we are seeking feedback from passengers and from our flight attendants to determine if this consumer behavior also works with the purchase of onboard items.”

The airline began accepting credit cards as well as cash during its flights last year, and this new test series will give the airline a greater idea of whether cashless flights could work in the future.

Curtis continues, “We chose San Francisco because our departures from there cover an excellent cross-section of distances. From there, we operate service to Los Angeles, Dallas/Fort Worth, Honolulu and New York, among other destinations.”

www.aa.com