Is it impolite to ask for an in-flight catalogue with no intention of buying?
Sometimes when I go on a short 1 hour flight, I usually just like to watch the take-off, have a drink and read the in-flight catalogue (just out of interest) and watch the landing.
In some airlines, for example Ryanair, you have to ask for the in-flight catalogue.
Is it impolite to do so if I have no intention of purchasing an item?
Do these flights usually have quite a few catalogues, as I don’t want to deprive the people who want to buy?
Best Answer
Put it this way. You ask for a catalog, you just don't disclose that you already have no intention to buy, because you don't have to, then start reading it.
After you finish, you return it to the attendants.
You simply didn't find anything interesting/worth to buy
No one is obligated to buy anything. How often... have you entered a shop, looked and walked away? ... browsed Amazon/eBay looking for something and ordered nothing? ... asked for the drink list at a cocktail bar and walked away because they are too expensive?
Of course, you are preventing someone else who is interested in buying staff from reading the catalogue if they run out of stock.
But again, put it like this: it's airline choice how many copies to print. And the airline is the one making money. You have paid your ticket and owe them nothing else.
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Answer 2
No it isn't impolite to kindly ask for an in-flight catalogue, irrespective if your intention to buy or not. The flight attendants would be more than happy to give you a catalogue.
Answer 3
No because the main transaction is your payment for the flight
Everything else is incidental or supports it.
The comparison you may be thinking of is 'person walks into a bar, looks at drinks menu, buys none, hangs out for an hour and then leaves. Bartender sees them leaving and thinks 'how rude'.
However that is NOT the situation with an airline seat. It's more akin to 'person walks into a bar, pays bartender $300 tip to sit down for a bit. Person leaves after an hour. Bartender tells story of most polite customer ever :)
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