Delta Airlines under fire for giving workers fake money as bonus

A Delta Air Lines spokesperson claims employees received $1,250 paid via direct deposit

A TikToker accused Delta Air Lines of using fake money as a bonus for their employees. Delta said that all employees received a direct deposit of $1,250 in their accounts (TikTok/@highthai)

A TikToker on Monday claimed that Delta Air Lines gave their employees fake money as a bonus.

The video went viral and on Tuesday evening it had garnered over 416,000 views.

A user who goes by the handle @highthai says that the airlines gave the fake money to congratulate the staff and to appreciate their hard work.

The TikToker’s mother works with Delta Air Lines.

The user says: “Y’all the way I would fight. My mom, they have a bonus or whatever at her job and they gave them fake money. This is fake.”

In the video, the user then zooms into the fake money which was some $50 and $100 bills and the bills read: “Motion Picture Use.”

On social media, Delta Airlines faced massive criticism after @highthai posted the video.

One said: “Delta has no shame.” Another said: “WHAT?!?!? Excuse me?!?! I’m suing for emotional damage.”

The reactions to the TikTok varied as users were shocked to find that Delta Airlines had used prop money.

One user commented: “Their bonus would have been me shoving that money where it belongs.”

In a follow-up, @highthai explained the chronology of the events. She said that she was visiting home before going back to school and spotted the stack of cash on the dresser, and asked her mom what it was about.

She says that her mother told her that “the company made more money” and so they wanted to congratulate their employees for their hard work and “they handed the fake ass money because it’s for an office party to appreciate them, I guess so they can use it to win games or prizes.”

People called out Delta and said that the move with fake money was “crazy.”

Meanwhile, a Delta Air Lines spokesperson was quoted as saying by the Daily Dot that the prop money as a bonus “appears to be a one-off.”

The spokesperson added: “This is in the context of Delta’s global Employee Appreciation Day and special profit-sharing payment. Delta employees received $1,250 paid via direct deposit yesterday and employees across the world at our hundreds of airport locations took a few minutes during the day to celebrate.”

On TikTok, several people pointed out that using fake money was illegal. Others pointed out that it was not illegal to possess fake/prop money but it was a criminal offence to use it.

In the comments, @highthai said Delta Airlines did give a real bonus to employees. She however said that the money was added to their paycheques and that “they did [pay] already and only gave them 400 dollars.”

It was not clear whether her mother had received the full $1,250 as the Delta spokesperson had claimed.