If the airlines are going to charge for meals, drinks, headphones, and what-not, then it’s high time they made it easier to pay for the stuff, rather than having the flight attendants state that “exact change is appreciated.” Finally, in a country where everyone seems to use credit cards for everything, onboard use of credit cards is finally hitting the airline mainstream. American Airlines began accepting plastic on board many of its planes this week, with a promise to accept cards on all flights by June.

While credit cards have been accepted on international flights for some time (for duty free purchases), domestic U.S. flights have been oddly credit-card-free.

American Express Co. will provide the airline with portable electronic terminals. We’ve seen similar machines before — if memory serves correctly, United had them briefly a few years ago, but they were unreliable and were pulled after a few weeks. Alternatively, Continental has made it possible to buy “Continental Currency” using credit or debit cards at the self-check-in kiosks. These certificates could be exchanged onboard for alcoholic beverages or headsets. A good start, but still an additional layer of planning for the customer.

Making it easier to buy stuff onboard is in the interest of both the airlines and the flying public. For business travelers on an expense account, having a receipt or charging it to the company card reduces hassle tremendously.

Of course, I’d rather not have to pay for every little thing in the first place, but if I am shelling out the cash, I’d like the option of using my card. Which earns me more frequent flyer miles, after all…

(Update: ATA has also begun accepting credit cards in flight, but goes a step further: not accepting cash. Via USAT.)