Thanks for the responses! I flew to Abu Dhabi on economy a couple of days ago and it was a mixed bag. As per usual, I was personally greeted with a well rehearsed script. During the flight I actually got my meal served early, which (as a regular meal) I can't remember happening before in economy. But it meant I wasn't served a drink until the beverage trolley came around 15 minutes later for everyone else.

EDIT: Just to complete the picture, on my return flight back a couple of days ago, I wasn't given any recognition as a Gold member.