Originally Posted by
entropy
I flew EWR-ZRH in J last night.
The gray-coated BF concierge hopped around the cabin for a while. In each case where she stopped to talk to a passenger, she was asking them if they were a OP member or if she could sign them up. In the row in front of mine, the passenger said they weren't and the concierge asked if they had status on any other airlines.
In no case did she say "welcome back MR. or Mrs. bla bla" to ANYONE that she wasn't trying to sign up. I'd expect a "welcome aboard Mr. entropy, we appreciate your business, is there anything we can help you with [shower, etc]".
Is the purpose of these concierges to provide service or poach high rev travelers?
I am surprised that a concierge wouldn't know if the passenger was a member of the OP program.
I have found that they always say hello to people by name; they offer to explain how the video system works, etc. My issue is that they seldom greet flights in EWR. I think that the FA's need to stop announcing that they will.
FWIW, the best concierge service I have received were at the following airports: BFS, BRS, DUB and STN. The service at Stansted (now discontinued) was really excellent. I find the best concierge service is to be found at smaller airports. I guess it's easier when you have only one flight and sixteen passengers!