Originally Posted by
NWplatinum
This. Way back when I was 13 or so (I’m 30 now), When my parents got divorced I traveled between them every month cross country. I was accused of using my fathers elite card three times over a span of about 4 years. Also the looks I got on op-ups on the plane from a guy in a 3 piece suit were priceless!
It got to the point where I wrote into WorldPerks and requested they send me a written letter I could present to agents explaining I was the actual elite member and this was not my fathers card so I could avoid these confrontations.
I completely understand and agree with the OP and don’t doubt for a minute that what is happening, is happening. So don’t think you’re crazy. You’re not, and it’s really sad that US carriers have such horrible FA’s. Unfortunately it’s a real problem, and there isn’t much you can do about it. Especially on all the US-3 carriers. I’ve never had a problem traveling in J or F on a Gulf carrier or an Asian carrier.
When I book J/F on an American carrier I actually expect to be treated differently and sort of just go with the flow because there really isn’t much you can do from passive aggressive behavior towards you on an airplane. I just set my bar so low that nothing bothers me.
Let me assure you as a female I am usually treated as a second class citizen on Asian and Middle Eastern carriers. As a general rule I am treated much better on UA (there has been the odd exception but is is very much the exception and not the norm). There is a reason I choose UA for most of my flights.
As others have suggested OP should fly other carriers for the better service for a male but his wife will likely receive a lower level of service on those other carriers. The pecking order seems to be any man, white females and then other females (based on my OAL flying experiences).