When Skift interviewed Luc Bondar, the new vice president of loyalty at United last month, we pressed him on whether United would follow American's path in pushing its new Chase Explorer credit card in flight — a profitable and yet somewhat distracting move for passengers.
Bondar demurred, and we now know why. According to leaked internal documents, United plans to make in-flight credit card pitches mandatory as of September 1. Flight attendants, who will haul in an increased commission of $100 per sale on board (currently the obligation to pitch is optional for $50 commission), will go through mandatory training to get their pitches in line.
"The United Explorer Card relationship is a valuable tool to help grow the population of United loyalists, especially those who are infrequent travelers," the airline shared in a later communication to flight crews. "The competition for these travelers is intense, and it is also the reason that our major competitors are promoting their own cards through the in-flight channel. The purchases customers make using these cards also generate significant revenue for the company, which in turn increases your profit sharing."
Some frequent travelers, believe it or not, make their entire purchase decision based on the in-flight credit card pitch. For the rest of us with less flexibility, however, the in-flight interruption is here to stay.
