Mira Nabulsi on a WestJet flight. Right: WestJet seat.
This Opinion article is part of a Narcity Media series. The views expressed are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
I flew with WestJet from Toronto to the Grand Cayman and while scrolling through TikTok, discovered that flight attendants love it when people show appreciation for their work.
TikTokers have been sharing a hack that involves the passenger gifting their flight attendants during their journey and documenting what happens next.
In a recent interview with Narcity, a Toronto pilot told us that it would benefit both the passenger and flight attendants to give a gift when boarding an aircraft.
The pilot said that gifting your flight attendant before a flight does, typically, result in better experiences.
"If you get chocolates for the crew and give it to them before a flight, you can guarantee to get A plus service," the Toronto pilot said.
So knowing that I was getting on a flight soon after discovering this TikTok hack and conducting an interview to confirm the theory, I knew I had to try this out for myself and man, oh, man, did it change my flying experience.
Before getting on the plane
KitKat from Pearson Airport's Duty-Free
Once I passed the check-in counter and security screening at Pearson International Airport, I headed straight to the Duty-Free to find a gift I could buy for the flight attendants that they could enjoy during the 4-hour flight.
The Duty-Free store in the airport is notorious for offering flyers a whole range of chocolates to choose from, so I spent quite some time looking through the confectionery section.
I wanted to find chocolate that was individually wrapped because I felt it would be easier to share among crew members and enough for them to have more than one. So I opted for a bag of mini KitKats because who doesn't love the chocolate-covered waver bites?
The mini KitKat bag cost me $11.
Getting on board
Mira sitting in the emergency exit row on a WestJet flight.
I chose to sit in the emergency exit row because it was the same price as the others and I love the little extra legroom.
Once I sat in my seat, the flight attendant came over to explain the safety procedures in case of an emergency. After he was done, I told him I had a gift for him and the crew members as a thank you gesture. I then handed over the bag of chocolates.
At this point, he genuinely thanked me and said, "Always treat your flight attendants well." He then asked if I was travelling alone, and I wasn't, so I told him who I was on the plane with, and he then said, "We will take care of you today."
I didn't know what that meant, nor was I to take advantage of something I didn't think I could do. So we just sat quietly waiting to see what happens next.
During the flight
The snacks we got for free on the plane.
When the on-flight services had begun, the flight attendant to who I had given the chocolate came over to us with the cart and asked us what we would like.
If you've ever been on low-cost airlines, you'll know the snacks and beverages don't come cheap. But on this particular trip, I ate and drank everything for free... well, technically, for $11 because it was the cost of the KitKats.
It was great! My girlfriends and I were having a blast, and getting A-plus services was a lot of fun.
But the best part about it all was the love that the crew members showed. Other people I hadn't spoken to or interacted with during the flight had come up to me to say "Thank you" and share how much they appreciated the gesture. That, to me, was worth it - alone.
Final thoughts
WestJet plane from the outside.
I would totally do this again. It was such a simple and small gesture, but it made all the difference in the world to both myself and the flight attendants. And honestly, more than anything, it felt good to make other people happy.
But if you don't believe me, give it a try, and let me know how it goes!
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