Connections waiting for tourists, not for Plats

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Jun 16, 2017, 12:55 pm

Justinus

Original Poster

Join Date: Oct 2009

Location: Asia

Programs: AY Gold (OWS), SK Gold (*A Gold), airBaltic VIP, Hilton Gold, PP

Posts: 377

Connections waiting for tourists, not for Plats

For the third time within a few months I missed my connection to TMP (AY 646 arrived on June 16th 1,40 minutes late from ARN, with no explanation offered for the major delay).

What pisses me off is that the connecting flight could not wait 15 minutes for the several pax arriving from ARN. In fact, the AY connecting flights have NEVER awaited me - a Plat member travelling in J.

Several times I have witnessed how the same flights have awaited obvious occasional tourists arriving from some random flight. Recently, I witnessed how two persons got a private transportation to the plane, because they flight had arrived late.

AY - set your priorities and start valuing your premium customers!

Jun 16, 2017, 1:57 pm

Courmisch

Join Date: May 2014

Location: HEL

Programs: AY+Plat, ALL Plat, Scandic L2

Posts: 3,620

I assume that the expected disruption is a bigger factor than customer status. Missing a flight to TMP is very annoying, but not quite as much as missing a flight to Asia.

Jun 16, 2017, 4:27 pm

Justinus

Original Poster

Join Date: Oct 2009

Location: Asia

Programs: AY Gold (OWS), SK Gold (*A Gold), airBaltic VIP, Hilton Gold, PP

Posts: 377

When that AY flight turns back to HEL, the only connections are Singapore and Yekaterinburg more than 90 min later.

Last edited by Justinus; Jun 17, 2017 at 6:27 am

Jun 17, 2017, 1:01 am

heatsink

Join Date: Jul 2014

Programs: AY Platinum

Posts: 287

Have you considered that these people might have taken twice as long to get to the next gate compared to you? So even if you notice them getting there at a similar time, their flight may have been much less delayed than your flight from another day.

Jun 17, 2017, 3:59 am

Justinus

Original Poster

Join Date: Oct 2009

Location: Asia

Programs: AY Gold (OWS), SK Gold (*A Gold), airBaltic VIP, Hilton Gold, PP

Posts: 377

Lufthansa i a has a total different approach in treating its premium pax in exceptional situations. AY just does not care. All it wants is our money.

In my/our (we were several pax connecting to TMP) case, the connecting flight departed from the next gate.

The late TMP flight did not have any difficulty in waiting "for the last luggage" for 20 extra minutes at midnight. I guess those pieces did not belong to the premium pax...

Jun 17, 2017, 10:21 am

miamiflyer8

Join Date: May 2015

Location: ATL/MCO

Programs: Costco Executive, RaceTrac Sultan of Soda, Chick-fil-A Red

Posts: 5,660

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justinus

Lufthansa i a has a total different approach in treating its premium pax in exceptional situations. AY just does not care. All it wants is our money.

+1

LH has always had a representative waiting for First Class and HON Circle pax regardless of late connections.

Jun 18, 2017, 12:17 am

miikka

Join Date: Oct 2004

Location: Finland

Programs: AY Platinum,Marriott Gold,HH Diamond,Sixt Platinum,Hertz PC,AMEX Platinum

Posts: 1,946

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justinus

TMP flight is often a problematic unless you take the last flight of the day which will always collect all the people from various connections and only then fly to TMP. Earlier flights are flying much more according to the schedule because they also need to be on time for their return flight to HEL.

The good point is that it is easy to shop around and switch airlines if someone is offering better service. From TMP, it is easy to get to ARN and then to FRA/MUC to catch LH or then just to take the train to HEL and continue with LH.

I assume you didn't take the Platinum taxi to TMP but waited for the later flight or took the bus?

Jun 18, 2017, 12:21 am

Ed Size

Join Date: Feb 2007

Location: try to stay home

Programs: AY, M&M, BAEC ...and don t care of status anymore

Posts: 2,041

Quote:

Originally Posted by miamiflyer8

+1

LH has always had a representative waiting for First Class and HON Circle pax regardless of late connections.

For sure, but there is a difference between a Plat traveling on AY (J class) and a HON traveling on LH (F class).

For the price of one LH F class ticket you can become a Plat on AY - and of course AY don t even offer F class.

Don t try to compare apples to oranges, it´s just not working

Jun 18, 2017, 4:07 am

WilcoRoger

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Jan 2008

Location: HEL

Programs: lots of shiny metal cards

Posts: 14,105

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed Size

Of course AY has an F bucket - it's just not First

But yeah, one should rather compare AY Plat to LH SEN, not to LH HON.

It used to be nice during my SEN years, though, upgrading to LX First, etc, but when they cut earnings in the cheaper C tix (P, Z) it became impossible to maintain. That was one of my reason to come back to OW (BAEC) and when BAEC "improved" the GGL rules I knew it's back to AY+ and direct flights to Asia

Jun 18, 2017, 4:22 am

#10

aapee

Join Date: Apr 2014

Location: TMP

Programs: AY+ Plat, SK Gold, BT VIP, Radisson Premium, Accor Platinum

Posts: 794

Quote:

Originally Posted by miikka

TMP flight is often a problematic unless you take the last flight of the day which will always collect all the people from various connections and only then fly to TMP.

I take the last flight to TMP almost every week - most of the time the plane waits (AY834 seems to be slightly late pretty often). Not guaranteed tho, have taken a taxi home a couple of times.

The taxi varies - sometimes they give me a personal ride even if there are other PAX, sometimes need to wait for others picking up their luggage for a shared taxi.

Jun 18, 2017, 5:19 am

#11

amnicoll

Join Date: Sep 2014

Location: UK

Programs: Etihad Gold, Qatar Gold, flying Blue, Falcon, Lufthansa, Eva

Posts: 1,428

I have to say that IF making a connection is important then I would allow more than minimum connection times when booking. Airlines get heavily penalised when late taking off and it may not be just the one flight that could be affected. Also do not forget your luggage may not make it even if you do.

here I am on the side of the airline although if they are able to do something for their most valued customers great but it should not be expected

Jun 18, 2017, 6:06 am

#12

aama

Join Date: Nov 2015

Location: HEL

Programs: AY GOLD, HH GOLD

Posts: 411

How arrogant approach for the "tourist" vs. Plat.&J.

What makes you think those late "tourists" weren't Plats or OWEs?

This whole thread is ridiculous and the OP should get off of his Ivo... I mean Platinum Tower.

Jun 18, 2017, 6:30 am

#13

Courmisch

Join Date: May 2014

Location: HEL

Programs: AY+Plat, ALL Plat, Scandic L2

Posts: 3,620

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justinus

When that AY flight turns back to HEL, the only connections are Singapore and Yekaterinburg more than 90 min later.

Or Hong-Kong (and previously Samara also). But that ws exactly my point. Missing the flight to Tampere sets you back a couple of hours by ground transportation. Worst case, one night in Helsinki, and morning flight to Tampere.

Missing the flight to Singapore would nominally set a passenger 48h back - and/or require a reroute.

Jun 18, 2017, 11:24 am

#14

TTL

Join Date: Aug 2007

Location: KUO

Programs: HH Diam, AY/AX/KQ/IHG/VISA Plat, SK/Bonvoy/Melia/Strawberry Gold, Radisson Prem, PP Prest

Posts: 2,264

Quote:

Originally Posted by aapee

I use 834 a lot and have missed KUO 23:40 4 times during last year. Once got flown to JOE and taking bus to KUO. Claimed EU 261 compensations seem to help gradually and the plane has waited lately. Even checked in luggage has made it. There are plans to delay the departure of KUO flight but not certain when that happens.