Trapped’ at 30,000 feet with nonstop ads? American Airlines passengers are fed up

Travelers compare flights to timeshare pitches

Some American Airlines passengers say the selling starts the moment the cabin door closes.

From repeated credit card announcements to upgrade offers and buy-on-board promotions, travelers say the pitches never seem to stop.

Some have compared the experience to sitting through a timeshare presentation at 30,000 feet.

The complaints have picked up steam on social media and travel forums in recent months, and they point to a bigger shift in how airlines make money.

The sales pitch follows a script

Flight attendants make PA announcements pushing co-branded credit cards, sometimes more than once per flight. The pitches can run several minutes and may cut into in-flight entertainment or wake up sleeping passengers.

American Airlines says crew members follow a script, but travelers have widely reported that some flight attendants go off-book. A few have even made inaccurate claims about card benefits during the announcements.

For passengers just trying to relax, it adds up fast.

Flight attendants earn commissions on signups

There’s a reason the pitches keep coming. Flight attendants earn commissions on every approved credit card application.

The airline kept the commission program as part of a 2025 labor deal that also gave crew members a 20% pay raise.

Some flight attendants have told passengers that card promotions are one of the best ways to add to their paychecks.

At a May 2024 federal hearing, the Association of Flight Attendants said about 80% of its members have to make rewards program announcements.

Credit cards now outpace ticket sales

American Airlines pulled in about $6.1 billion from co-branded credit cards and loyalty partnerships in 2024, up roughly 17% from the year before.

Industry analysts have pointed out that the airline now earns more profit from its loyalty program than from actually flying people.

In December 2024, American signed an exclusive 10-year deal with Citi to become the sole issuer of its co-branded cards starting in 2026. The money is too big to ignore.

Other airlines push cards too

American isn’t alone here. United and Delta also run onboard credit card programs, and United requires card announcements on every domestic and international flight.

But travelers and industry watchers have widely described American as the most aggressive of the major carriers.

The reason is simple: at most big U.S. airlines, the cost of actually flying planes now exceeds what they bring in from ticket sales. Credit card and cargo revenue make up the gap.

Loyal flyers say service took a backseat

Some longtime elite-status passengers say the constant selling has replaced what used to be a focus on service. Frequent flyers report that upgrades have gotten harder to come by and perks feel watered down.

Several travelers say they’re shifting their loyalty to United or Delta as a result. For these passengers, the nonstop pitches signal something deeper: a shift in what the airline values most.

The federal government opened a probe

In September 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) launched a formal investigation into the loyalty programs of the four largest U.S. airlines.

The probe looked at how fair, transparent, and competitive these rewards programs really are. The DOT asked for detailed records on how airlines value miles, set fees, and change their programs.

All four airlines turned over the requested data by December 2024.

The investigation may have stalled out

The probe started under the Biden administration, but its future is unclear. The current DOT has moved to soften enforcement of airline consumer protections across the board.

In 2025, the Trump administration rolled back proposed rules that would have required airlines to pay passengers for certain flight delays.

No public update on the loyalty program investigation has come out since the airlines submitted their data.

American says it is improving the experience

American Airlines points to several customer upgrades in the works for 2025 and 2026. The airline is rolling out free high-speed Wi-Fi for AAdvantage members, with AT&T as the sponsor.

Close to 300 planes are getting updated cabins with new power outlets and cleaner designs. The airline also created a new Customer Experience division led by a former hospitality executive.

AAdvantage enrollments grew about 7% in 2025 compared to the year before.

Safety experts raise a different concern

The tension at the core of this issue is whether airlines can sell and serve at the same time. Flight attendants train primarily as safety professionals, but airlines also expect them to act as salespeople.

Travel experts have warned that too many marketing announcements in the cabin could cause passengers to tune out safety instructions along with the sales pitches.

The more airlines treat the cabin like a sales floor, the more trust between crew and passengers could wear down.

Passengers have a few options

Already holding an AA credit card? That won’t spare you from the pitches.

Noise-canceling headphones have become a go-to defense for frequent flyers tired of the announcements.

Travelers who feel an airline’s practices cross the line can also file complaints with the DOT through its online consumer complaint portal.

It won’t stop the next announcement, but enough complaints can put pressure on regulators to act.

Card revenue is only set to grow

With the new Citi deal locked in, American has made clear that credit card revenue will play an even bigger role going forward.

The airline projects co-branded card income to grow roughly 10% a year under the new agreement.

Only about 14% of passengers on a given AA flight currently carry an AAdvantage credit card, so the airline sees plenty of room to push harder.

Whether passenger frustration changes anything may come down to whether travelers switch airlines.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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