Originally Posted by
lost_in_translation
Indeed. My interpretation is it’s not just about an emotional connection, there is often also a logical angle relating to the amount of money / effort invested in earning status which clearly rankles when someone is told their baby might be ugly. This is not a QR exclusive (or even mainly QR) point I’m making, to be clear. It drives me up the wall how many otherwise intelligent and worldy people on FT become unable to make a rational assessment when someone criticises their airline or hotel chain of choice and are willing to defend even the most illogical decision.
I don't disagree. I would also say that in my experience there have also been variations, inconsistencies and outright failures throughout the 15+ years I've flown with them. But that's all pretty normal, everywhere. There wasn't a time when somehow everything was great. More to my tastes, certainly. But perfect, no.
I also think there's an element of Marketing doing an excellent sales job recently that has perhaps contributed to a divergence of perceptions from experiences. That is not helped by a tiresome overuse of hyperbole, both by the airline and also very much in the way some people choose to complain.
And then there are the problems caused by trying to resource over-rapid expansion amid everything else that has been going on in the world for the past 3 or 4 years.
It's an airline from a different continent and culture from many of its passengers, crewed by people from yet more continents and cultures. It should hopefully feel like a home away from home when you are there, but in our big wide world it is never going to be just like home. Great means different things in different continents, and countries. That's actually a good thing, otherwise why leave home?
A chunk of what is complained about on here often turns out to stem from the passenger not reading the T&Cs. Some complain about robotic crew but are then outraged when there is any failure or deviation from robot level consistency, or if those crew exhibit some of their own cultures.
And then there is the chunk who accuse anything that might vary or change or go wrong as being some sort of premeditated scam or conspiracy by a calculating corporation only out to get you.
Don't get me wrong, the food is less appealing to my tastes, the prepacked wet wipes are awful, and the first class lounge has been very much declassified since it ceased to be the preserve only of first class passengers (amongst other things). Whether this is all growing pains remains to be seen, possibly not until several years from now. Being boutique and consistently fab is much easier with 50 aircraft than over 200.
Most of us have a line though, and if or when that's breached we'll be looking elsewhere.