Airlines Would Prefer Passengers Stop Stealing Their Bedding
Skift Take
On the one hand, airlines are improving the flying experience — at least for business class — so much that passengers want to take a piece home with them. On the other, blanket theft is bad for the bottom line. We're pretty sure carriers don't have this problem in coach.
Next time you try to stuff that business class blanket or pillow into your carry-on, just know someone's probably watching.
This is what I learned while reporting a story recently about how customers are increasingly stealing — and yes, it's theft — bedding from airplanes. It's a problem, I have discovered, that has increased as more airlines have upgraded their pillows, blankets, and duvet, often in partnership with name brands like Saks Fifth Avenue, The White Company, and Casper.
"People go, 'Oh my god, this White Company bedding is lovely,' and they take it off the plane with them, which they’re not really meant to do,” one insider told me. It's enough of a problem some airlines need to order extra pieces to replace stolen items.
Now for the good news — if you want to call it that. Airlines will send their corporate security teams to investigate passengers who repeatedly flout fare rules, but they'll almost look the other way if you take their bedding, preferring not to create drama over
