Personal greetings are a big discussion point on here and reactions are very mixed, when I greet someone I also find very mixed reaction on board.
Some people struggle to remove their headset, and often clearly are not interested and others love it and want to chat which can also be a problem.
As a CSL on Worldwide Fleet I always try and take some of the pressure off my CSD and deliver the greetings in my cabin, which often also includes a message about the Exec club or a welcome to a higher tier. I often work in Traveller and World Traveller Plus so try also to offer a bottle of water as a gesture as well.
As a CSL on most aircraft I am also expected to be on a trolley offering normal cabin service so whenever I try and greet before the service this inevitably delays the start of the service. If I try and do it before take off I am rushing around trying to solve seating/hand baggage issues etc and I must look very rushed and stressed.
On some routes it is a delight, and there may be only one or two to speak to and then I enjoy it and I am sure it must seem very genuine. On other routes you would be surprised how many Golds and GGL we actually have, Sometimes on an A380 there might be 30-50 in the WT and WTP cabins which makes it very hard to do without looking a bit rushed. Sometimes i might manage a few before take off and then by the time I get another chance to say hello might be mid flight and often people are sleeping or watching movies etc.If there are more than a few to do it is almost impossible.
Needless to say on some routes virtually everyone in the Premium Cabins is a Gold or higher which obviously makes it virtually impossible to do, though that doesn't mean we do not value you.
Sometimes I just do not get the opportunity to do it and I have to accept defeat. Often there are things going on that you might not know about such as customer complaints/birthdays/honeymoons/broken seats or IFE, catering issues, medical issues or a combination of the above.
It mostly is not because we cannot be bothered it is more that we just are pushed to the limits with minimum crew and a service for nearly 500 customers to complete.