Time for my quarterly PE vent.

My wife flew JFK-AMS last night (DL80) and, rather than be recognized as PE on the empty flight, she said it was the rudest FC she'd ever encountered.

So far this year my wife is 0/2 on TATL op-ups on DL metal, no surprise there, and 3 for 6 on domestic upgrades this year.

I'm 0/6 on TATL op-ups on DL metal this year, but 2/2 on domestic. My total TATL segments on SkyTeam this year = 13 and the one segment in First was a €216 KLM upgrade special offered at check-in.

After about a year as PE, we are seeing the lounge access on international flights as the only real tangible benefit aside from the approx. 62% chance of upgrade on domestic flights. Yes, there is the 40,000 mile bonus that we selected as our choice benefit, but we've also noticed that award ticket prices have jumped up by about the same.

I know, I'm a whiner, and I should be grateful that there is a carrier that serves my route and scheduling needs at LUT prices that I can barely afford.

Thank you for letting me vent.