Several flights so far, regional and intercont, in First (intercont and regional) and Business (regional).

The experience ranged between no "recognition" (in the widest possible sense of the term) on half the flights to "you must be Mr. Gottardo", but not more than that. Things where I would have thought they'd try to make it possible didn't happen: "I could not take a newspaper at the entrance door, are the any papers on board?"; or "Someone has taken my seat, is there anything you can do about it?" - "Sorry Sir, but I'll just find you another seat" - which was then much further in the back and not the window seat that I had specifically requested (to their credit I am not sure how much they could do about that person that had taken my seat. She refused to sit across the aisle from her brother/son/husband next to a strange man and therefore just took my seat next to her brother/son/husband. Since I had only obtained that seat at the gate there would have been an opportunity for them before to make up their minds and choose seats together rather than just take them. I fully respect their wishes not to seat next to whomever if that makes them feel uncomfortable but I would expect that they also respect the mechanisms of seat assignments and get seat assignments together rather than just occupy other people's seats. But that is another debate, nothing to do with Plat)

Thus, other than the F lounge on departure which I obviously welcome there was no difference to the Gold days before.