Alright, I'm going to rant a bit so bear with me...
I flew BCN-PMI round-trip this weekend on AB. I booked it on Priceline (for cashback) as a retail ticket, and nowhere in the confirmations on the website or email did it say what booking code it was booked into apart from 'economy.' I popped on over to the AB website, and just finding the link to look up my booking was ridiculously challenging (figured out it was 'optional extras' under 'booking') and learned it was 'Z' class, their new and glamorous 'JustFly' category. Ok, fine, it was dirt cheap so I expected that. But a poor kettle would not have known this until showing up to the airport.
Still, their website makes no reference to whether or not OW Emeralds get the Gold, or Platinum equivalent benefits they list, which is frustrating.
I was connecting from an AA flight on the outbound so I interlined my bag and didn't have to pay anything. I even used the lounge in BCN with no issues as an EXP. The boarding gate agent about had a heart attack when she saw my AA-stock boarding pass issued for the AB flight. She had not a clue what it was... That was funny to watch all three of the AB boarding agents looking it over like it was some new animal specimen! All in all, outbound was fine.
Now the return from PMI was a comedic to say the least. I had prepaid one checked baggage for 15 Euros on their website per the rules of the fare. I also did mobile checkin to be safe. At check in the priority line was closed off and the economy line was huge. I flashed the Emerald card to the guy monitoring the line and he waived me through to the makeshift priority/bag drop line. Great, +1 for AB! When I get to the check-in the lady prints out my bagtag and starts yelling 'JustFly, JustFly, you must pay for zie bag!' I said I did pay for the bag online. She was then very puzzled and had to call over two other employees to guide her through the process. She kept claiming I did not pay for the bag, and this went back and forth for a while (of course I never got the 'invoice' from the AB website it claimed I would receive in 24 hours) until her colleague figured it out.
Settled, I then asked about the lounge. She said no, JustFly do not get lounge access. I started to push back on that one but didn't want to cause a scene. I then politely asked if I could have a paper boarding pass, as I collect them. She stated I would have to pay for it. Even though I knew this was a restriction of the JustFly category, I still had to give it a
for the Ryanair-like cheapness.
Still, I went to the lounge and was able to get admission with my AA card just fine as a Oneworld Emerald.
I remember flying AB about 10 years ago and really enjoyed the experience. This time, it left me feeling like they are a hot mess of an airline. They really need to figure out what they are; a network carrier worthy of being in a global alliance, or a cheap Ryanair copycat.