I can’t believe I heard those words in this country.  I was actually told this by a United Airlines flight attendant.

The fabulous staff of United Airlines were providing me with the opportunity to fly on 3 of their airplanes, all in the same day.  I had to traipse across 4 different airports and didn’t have much discretionary time.  No time to really eat a luxurious airport meal.  Knowing that the can of “free” soda was not going to be  enough to satiate my hunger, I decided that I wanted…no…needed a $6.00 snack box filled with thousands of grams of sodium, hundreds of grams of fat and uber-caloric savory treats, especially since the bags of pretzels or peanuts disappeared with the terrorists.

I was actually going to consume crackers and cheese along with dried fruit and a cookie.  Everything in the “Mini-Meal” was somewhat appetizing, well except the beef salami.  Not a fan of beef.

I reached into my wallet and grabbed exact change.  I was prepared to exchange a Lincoln and a Washington for my mini meal.  I figured this would be plenty of energy to get me through my trek around the country.  I went north, south and east just to go west, but some kibble would help the journey.

Well I was quite shocked when it was my turn to provide my beverage choice (Apple Cran or Giner Ale) and make my snack selection.  Oh, my cup was filled with a beverage but my gullet remained empty.  I was taken aback when the flight attendant refused my USD…cash money in exact change.  She said…well…the title of this post is what she said.  “You don’t take cash?” I said, dumbfounded.  “Major credit card only.”, she retorted.  My usual quick wit and playful tongue couldn’t respond.  I simply waved her on and sipped my ice filled splash of soda.  I couldn’t believe it.

Why not take cash, especially exact change?  Is the airline afraid of being robbed by passengers or the crew?  Really, who is going to think about stealing $6 when there is a copy of Hemisphere magazine for entertainment?