When US Airways announced that they would no longer be offering complimentary beverages in coach, we wondered how long it would take before other airlines ditched the free stuff. So far, none have, and the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), has denounced the move, calling US Airways planes “flying vending machines.”

The flight attendants say that not only does this “nickel and dime” approach turn flight attendants into “cashiers,” it could cause an already irritated traveling public to become enraged:

“In the current industry of customer frustration, the last thing flight attendants want to do is add fuel to the fire,” said a spokesperson in a press release.

Bloomberg reports that US Airways is trying to calm fears of a violent uprising by instituting a policy of non-confrontation with potential insurgents.

“We’re trained to keep order on an airplane and defuse confrontation,” Mike Flores, president of US Airways’ A.F.A. chapter, said in an interview Thursday. “If it takes giving a free beverage to somebody to do that, so be it. I expect there will be flight attendants who just give everything away.”

No Free Coffee on US Airways (Unless, of Course, You Insist) [NYT]
US Airways Aircraft Turn Into Flying Vending Machines (Press Release) [Portfolio]
US Airways’ air-rage incentive [Economist]
(Photo: Jenna Belle )

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