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A few months ago, a passenger with Delta Diamond Medallion status got herself into a heap of hot water when she boasted about complaining to Delta Air Lines every time she saw a flight attendant do something she thought was inappropriate.

Her Modus operandi was to write to the airline, telling them she saw a flight attendant doing “X thing,” sometimes with a photo she had surreptitiously taken of the offending employee. Their response was to send her Delta Sky Miles as compensation. And then she’d write on a Facebook group she was in about what they sent her “this time.”

One of her most popular complaints in an attempt to get “Skypesos” was when she’d “catch” a flight attendant looking at their personal cell phone – an action that’s against Delta’s (and every other airline’s) rules.

Regardless of what anyone thinks of Dr. Angela Peery being a tattletale, or whether or not flight attendants should be looking at their personal devices while on duty, the topic did bring up an interesting point. Several airlines issue phones (or tablets) to their staff for work-related activities – what’s on those little phones, and what do flight attendants know about their passengers because of them?

What’s on their phones?

Each airline has its own system. This is what the legacy airlines use:

American Airlines

American Airlines has embraced electronic devices for its staff since at least 2013. It replaced all of its current mobile devices for frontline employees, including flight attendants and maintenance staff, with new iPhone and iPad models, in early 2022.

The apps American FAs use are to “improve customer and crew experiences and streamline onboard passenger service.”

Delta Air Lines

Although they used different hardware earlier, Delta most recently rolled out 19,000 iPhone 12s, equipped with 5G technology, to its FAs in 2021. They introduced Tap to Pay technology earlier this year.

United Airlines

United has had their FAs use company iPhones since at least 2006. Their goal is to deliver, “personalized customer service to passengers and communicate with other employees about flight issues.”

But what can flight attendants SEE about us?

Although each airline uses its own system, they’re all similar and are most apt to show flight attendants:

• The plane’s manifest (names, seat number, pre-ordered meals, connections, status, any failures [i.e., missed connections, cancellations, the crew didn’t provide the correct preordered meal, etc.] in the last 6 months)
• Your name
• Your seat number (so if they have to refund you, they can click on the correct seat number)
• If you have a credit card on file
• If you’re over/under 21 (needed if you want to order alcohol)
• If you’re a member of their loyalty program
• Your frequent flyer mile balance
• Whether or not you have status (and what tier)
• If you have a disability
• Connections to your next flight (if it’s on the same airline)
• If you’re traveling with other PAX on that flight
• Any other notes that are relevant to the flight (i.e., it’s your birthday that day or other info like nut allergies)

They can also see non-personal stuff, such as:

• Inventory levels
• Locate catering items
• Staffing
• Immersive training modules to help FAs perform critical tasks (i.e., official operating procedures, safety checks and passenger assistance)

We’ve also pinned down some specifics from a couple of specific airlines:

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines began using an app called Ditto in early 2023. It’s loaded onto flight attendants’ company-issued phones, and yes, it allows them to easily share passengers’ personal details.

Delta Air Lines

I have a friendly acquaintance who’s an FA on Delta, so, of course, I went to the source, LOL! They said their app has a LOT of features, but the ones they specifically mentioned that weren’t mentioned above were:

• Email (specifically work email)
• Text “crew assist”
• Communication with gate agents and control towers
• Medlink for medical emergencies

They also specified that they could only use approved apps on their Delta-issued devices (no Candy Crush or Insta, y’all!). And even then, the airline knows when they’re in the air, and some apps are blocked during flight (they used the example of, “I can’t search for open trips to swap onto while in the air because that’s not flight related work.“)

So there you go. It’s not everything, but it’s a start. Not surprisingly, flight attendants’ company-issued phones allow them to do pretty much what you’d expect in this technology age.

*** As always, many thanks to “Jamie” for their help 🙂

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