Kaley Cuoco sparks debate after suggesting flight attendants should be tipped

‘I vote we eliminate tipping and organisations pay their staff better,’ one critic responded

Kaley Cuoco has sparked a debate after expressing her belief that flight attendants should receive tips.

The actor, who plays a flight attendant in the HBO Max TV seriesThe Flight Attendant, made the suggestion while speaking to a TMZ reporter in the airport ahead of a recent flight.

Cuoco was asked whether she has an “added appreciation for flight attendants after playing one,” to which she said: “Yes, actually.”

She was then asked whether she shows the airline employees a “bit of love,” prompting her to reply: “Yes, for sure. They deserve tips.”

The statement prompted the reporter to ask whether “we should all tip our flight attendants,” to which The Big Bang Theory star added: “Yes. Tip your flight attendant!”

As for whether she had to “study flight attendants” before playing one in the TV series, Cuoco told the reporter that she hadn’t needed to, as she “takes enough flights”.

On social media, Cuoco’s claim that flight attendants should receive tips was met with mixed reactions. Some agreed with the actor, while others claimed that airlines should instead pay them more.

“Or the airlines should pay them more,” one person wrote, while another said: “Lol no the general public already pays enough for those flights. Airlines need to pay better.”

“I vote we eliminate tipping and organisations pay their staff better,” someone else suggested.

The suggestion also prompted a response from one individual who claimed that Cuoco should follow her own advice if she’s “financially able and willing to do it,” but that she should also speak for herself.

The critic also questioned whether flight attendants should receive tips while nurses, who perform “life-saving/sustaining jobs” do not.

“People should learn to speak for themselves. If she’s financially able and willing to do it, go for it. How about tipping nurses who care for your relatives and friends? That’s a life saving/sustaining job,” they wrote.

While many were critical of Cuoco’s suggestion, others said they were on board with the idea in certain circumstances. “Sure, I’ll tip the flight attendant if they hook it up with some mini bottles,” one person wrote, while another praised Cuoco for advocating on behalf of the airline employees. “Sis said imma stand up for my fellow flight attendants,” they wrote.

Interestingly, many airlines do not allow tips, according to a former flight attendant that spoke to USAToday in 2017. “Flight attendants should not be tipped,” Jo Jo Harder said, adding that she understands guests “feel compelled to tip” for good service, but that it was “not allowed” in her career.

The outlet noted that airlines such as Southwest Airlines allow tips if a passenger insists.

As for the average salary flight attendants receive, Indeed reports that flight attendants in the US receive about $33,325 a year.

Cuoco’s comments come after she recently revealed she and boyfriend Tom Pelphrey are expecting their first child together.