Imagine thinking that your coworker who’s trying to buy you a beverage or some crappy layover dinner is trying to control you… what a bizarre way to think, then again I forget from time to time I’m a Delta pilot.

 

are we talking about dating here?

 

Imagine getting put off that someone doesn't want you to buy them drinks or meals and/or refusing to let someone return the favor if the original offer was accepted.

 

Soft, but respectful, disagree here. It’s not a co-equal partnership. Sorry, it’s just not. Especially with the more historic slope of upgrades.

I’m not going to refuse your return gesture, though I will put up a tacit defense at least once. 😉. Just like my kids occasionally wanting to pick up dinner. I appreciate they are trying to demonstrate their ability to ‘adult’. But it’s not equal. I won’t allow a 50/50 split over time when my ability to pay is so much greater. But I fully agree it would be rude for them not to be allowed to sometimes. Maybe that will change someday, when I’m old and they are changing my diaper… 😂

 

Holy crap, the things people worry about. I just learned that there is a group of people that think it's disrespectful to ask "so what do you do" (for work), in conversation when meeting someone new. I just see it as a nice conversation starter that usually leads to family, hobbies, etc... All it showed me is that people get worked up over the dumbest stuff. If a Captain offers to buy, take them up on it, they're not doing it to extract anything. If the FO offers a coffee, take them up on it as well. It all works itself out in the end and it's just beyond ridiculous to worry about these things. I guess you can add this to the list of reasons I much prefer to just do turns and never overnight lol.

Post written after a good friend/squadron mate/Deltoid/APC dweller showed up to my house unannounced with a six pack that has now been downed. He's even an FO, so I guess I shouldn't have let him buy the beers we drank.

 

Sometimes it boggles my mind the things people think about. I always insist on buying but I’ll relent if I get some firm pushback. Maybe I’m pulling some unconscious Freudian powerplay lmao.

I see it as tribute to the airline gods who saw fit to put me in a specific seat 10+ years earlier than I had envisioned when starting the career.

 

For the record, I'm not offended people offer to buy. I just don't want you to on most occasions. As I said, buying the occasional drink is fine. It's a nice gesture. But please don't make it awkward when I politely refuse

 

I would also add don’t make it awkward if the other pilot would rather do their own thing either.

I remember flying with a CA when I was new who was legitimately ****ed off after I politely declined going out for a drink on a 10 hour layover.

 

Oh man. I had a guy who said he wanted to go get drinks after we landed during the first leg of the trip. It was a mess of a day with hours of delays, we didn't get to the hotel until after midnight but even with a later show the next day, I was whooped. After check in, he's like, "you want to meet down here in like 10?" I'm like, dude, I'm exhausted. I think I'm just going to call it. He lifted up his phone, closed his maps app, and just said, "whatever."

 

Are you late to the convo? You missed an important point.