A flight attendant has revealed a top insider tip for securing special treatment on your next flight.

Mum and social media influencer Cierra Mist, who boasts over three million followers on TikTok, shared her secret in a video titled “flight attendant travel hack that works every time,” detailing how passengers can win over the cabin crew.

According to Cierra, showing appreciation to flight attendants—who often deal with challenging or intoxicated passengers—can lead to perks such as upgrades or complimentary drinks.

In her viral clip, she advises travellers to gift the crew with a gift card, stating: “If you want the special treatment, bring us a gift card. Doesn’t matter if its a five dollar, ten dollar, hundred dollar or even one dollar gift card, we’re not going to find out on that flight anyway. Just bring us a gift card.”

She justifies this by highlighting that many flight attendants are underpaid and appreciate any gesture of kindness.

She added: “The things that we do for passengers who bring us the silliest little gifts and quirky s**t. Anything that gives us a sliver of joy in our lives, because we are peasants… scavenging peasants.”

She also humorously anticipates backlash from overly diligent colleagues, saying: “I know there’s some little pesky employee who takes his job way too seriously that’s probably gonna send this to HR as an example of what people shouldn’t do.”, reports the Daily Record.

“Don’t claim any of those tips,” she says, mimicking the imaginary, finger-wagging jobsworth employee, “Don’t listen to her! ” “Hey guess what, nobody likes you,” she continues. “Not even your own company likes you… I digress. Anyway, give your flight attendant a gift or a gift card and then watch the magic strings that she’ll pull for you.”

The gift card video has had thousands of views and nearly 300 comments so far, with many people suggesting the best gifts to offer your flight attendant. One woman wrote: “I usually bring pastries from Boston’s North End.”

Another regular flyer said: “I buy $10 Starbucks gift cards and hand them out on the way onboard. They love it! ” One particularly selfless passenger said: “I do this no upgrades required. I just know how hard it can be for them.”

However, others commented that they’ve never brought gifts for flight attendants as they thought it was against the rules.

This isn’t the only piece of advice from Cierra that has gone viral lately.

She previously divulged “flight attendant secrets you need to know,” so you can sidestep blunders during your journey. In it, the first thing she strongly advises against is “using the toilet paper” when you visit the loo on an aircraft.

Are passengers allowed to tip cabin crew?

It’s a well-known fact that cabin crew typically aren’t inclined to accept cash tips from their passengers. The ongoing debate over the appropriateness of gratuities for flight attendants continues with no resolution in sight.

Although there’s technically no prohibition against tipping, many carriers discourage it.

“Tipping is not part of a flight attendant’s compensation for serving as aviation’s first responders,” Sara Nelson, Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) international president, declared in a statement released in August.

Speaking to Travel and Leisure Magazine, she expressed concerns that accepting cash could give rise to expectations that top-notch service requires additional payment, which might jeopardize the integrity of a flight attendant’s primary role as a safety professional.

By avoiding tips, they maintain objectivity, prioritising the security and comfort of all on board.

Nelson advises passengers who wish to show their appreciation to opt for small tokens of gratitude such as sealed candies or modest-value Starbucks gift cards instead of cash.

According to her, these gestures are a modest price for potentially scoring an upgraded seat, or maybe a few complimentary beverages.

Moreover, it offers a gracious and straightforward means of conveying thanks to these diligent individuals, without any anticipation of reciprocation.