Homey,

I agree with your sentiments. Too often people believe that people will respect them purely because of the color of their card that they wave under the noses of the staff with whom they deal. The problem is that for many frequent travellers, they feel they have the right to a two way relationship. They give large sums of money to one company over another, and feel they should receive some recognition for it.

A flight attendant wrote a letter to a business travel magazine a few years ago and said, 'You get what you pay for. If you go to a car dealer and buy a little hatch back, when you go to collect it you shouldn't expect to get a big six-cylinder'. This is certainly true. But what if it was less clear cut than this. What if you had bought a hatch back each year at the same dealership for the last ten years. This is not as fanciful as it sounds. A friend of my grandfathers bought a brand new car, of the same make, every year at the same dealership for thirty years. Now in this circumstance, it might be reasonable to expect that while the car delivered would be of the same make, it would have a higher trade-in value, or be given a set of mag wheels for free. The traveller - service provider relationship is where the travller scratches the back of the service provider and in return the service provider scratches theirs. Airlines in particular realised the nature of this two way relationship and therefore instituted systematic and less arbitrary upgrade systems etc.

Where the line should be drawn is the demanding of services and offers which are clearly beyond the realms of possibility. Many travellers are guilty of this. What reassures me is that like the Continental airlines example mentioned above, some flyers do have compassion and are able to stick up for the staff who are bound by rules of politness and deference. Mind you, I do not quite know why the CSD or whoever was being complained to simply did not say, 'Sir, we would love to seat you together, but as you can see the flight is full and this was the best we could do. I apologise if it inconveniences you, but unfortunately this was the best that was possible under the circumstances. We are aware you have gold status, and it was the recognition of this status that got you seated in the positions you are in now.'

Homey, this site needs voices of conscience like yours. I agree with your views. The clothes certainly do not maketh the man.