Originally Posted by
crunchie
I don't disagree it is important but I rarely need anything from the ground crew beyond check-in and the lounge.
Consider yourself blessed. The "ground services" that are most important to me are:
1) the lines of communication between the operations, the airline reps I deal with on the phone and at the airport, and myself
2) handling of delays and cancelations
IMO and IME, Chinese airlines are REALLY BAD with respect to both of these issues. Here's what a typical PEK-XYZ trip entails:
1. buy ticket on 4p flight
2. call airline at 230p inquiring about flight (this is a meaningless step
because the news is always good, but I do it out of habit)
3. show up at check-in counter 45 mins before scheduled departure
4. get BP and ask about flight status: "All is good. Go to the gate."
5. Arrive at gate to discover that inbound aircraft is stuck in Shanghai and delayed at least 3 hours
6. Walk back out to check-in lobby (it really irks me that airside changes are all but impossible), get endorsement stamp from original airline, wait in reissue line at new airline's ticket window, and repeat above starting with step #4
Sitting in a cramped space in an aluminum tube for several hours with grumpy FAs or invisible ones is taxing for me.
By the time the plane actually leaves the ground, I'm usually so overtaken by the euphoria of success that I'm oblivious to anything that happens onboard (although I suppose it helps that I have a knack for getting good seats and upgrades).