Originally Posted by eternaltransit

I think that's the danger of getting jaded with so much flying - you get used to the routine and systems and they become the expectation (especially as we all have that one flights which is absolutely memorable for all the right reasons and use that as the example to strive towards), but as a frequent flier who is being marketed at as being recognised and "elite", having your expectations being met is never enough as the point of being singled out as "special", whether that's the cursory "can I do anything for you" or fast-track cards or meal choices first, or special food/drink, is to have your expectations exceeded and to be positively surprised, which is increasingly difficult to do if you start to know what the system is. So if you aren't careful you start to build a state of mind where things can only go wrong or aren't good enough for you, and you get a self-fulfilling state of constant bad flights (that is, flights where you weren't happy).

Which really goes to show that how you approach and what expectations you set for yourself are probably going to have much more of an effect on how much you enjoy your travel time (and yes, I think that you can enjoy travel, even in Y all the time, if you re-wire your brain) rather than anything airlines and their staff can do.