FlyingUsedToBeFun

IME Cathy is one of the nicest, pleasant and helpful concierges out there.

dirkster

I have been SE for a few months now, not sure if I will make it again due to reduced travel this year, but I have yet to meet a concierge. I guess I should consider myself lucky that my travels are routine and don't require special assistance or rebooking. I see these folks in black blazers, assume they are concierges, but how would they recognize me or even care? So what I am saying is that I am amazed that people have so much interaction with the concierges that they know them by name, know where their offices are etc.
Just curious, of all the SEs out there, what percentage are using the services of Concierge?

yqtyyz

I'm like you - simple direct flights from A-B-A. I don't interact with concierges, and can't even tell them apart from the lounge greeter other than the fact that they have different jackets.

On a recent trip YYZ-ZRH-YYZ, I was the only SE on-board and she wanted to accompany me from the midfield terminal to the B gates at ZRH before heading back to assist with the ZRH-YYZ return flight.

Concierges in the lounges have also helped me with upgrade problems with respect to IT glitches.

One example saw me waitlisted even after online check-in, and then kicked off the waitlist. They would send me to the gate, be on the phone to the support team and simultaneously instruct the GA to get me my upgrade bp printed out even before I reached the gate. ^

canadiancow

Some of my flights were not "simple". Others were simple non-stops (YUL-YYZ, YYZ-YOW, SFO-YYZ).

Every time I've been to YYZ, there has been a line at the SE check-in, and the concierge office (literally 20 feet away) has been empty, with the concierges just chatting. So obviously I'm going to go there, rather than stand in line.

I've been directed to the concierge office in YOW by baggage services when my bags had been delayed (so far) by about 18 hours ("I can offer you $50, but if you go to the concierge office, they can probably give you more.")

I was met in ZRH and escorted to the Swiss lounge to wait for my connection.

I've emailed them to be put on standby, I've emailed them to put someone on an X fare on an upgrade list, and I've called them when I've had various issues (flight cancelled when I'm in transit, upgrade issues, customer service agent took my BP for a connecting flight and offloaded me and told me to deal with the GA, GA told me she'd try to sort it out, but I wasn't confident she would - in that case I was met at the gate when I landed with by a concierge with my BP).

I think my most frequent phone call is "Hi, I just landed on 123 from XYZ, I'm connecting to ABC on 789, and I was wondering if I could get there earlier on 456." I call while on the plane, because sometimes I need to run, but I can get home 4 hours early.

Heck, a concierge at YYZ said I could wait outside the MLL for my friend in case he hadn't received my message to meet there, and (s)he went to the back to get me a paper cup so I could take my wine out with me. I certainly didn't ask for it, but (s)he offered, after I had asked where my friend would be coming from (US to international).

They're usually very friendly and very helpful, but it's also really nice to have a flight where there is really no help they can provide, because it's simple and everything goes smoothly.

Nitehawk

I love the concierge service.

Recently I showed up at YEG at T-50 mins after booking my ticket at T-90 mins. I go to the SE line and they say that's strange you're already checked in with 3 bags. The concierge shows up and had preemptively checked me in with 3 bags to protect me, stating "you just appeared out of nowhere on my lists."

Last Saturday I was at YYZ. I had flown in from MSP, connecting YYC-YYJ. I landed 31 mins before the YYC flight departed. and had duty free. They notified the gate, met me to do "the handover" of my duty free to them so I can pick it up next time I'm in YYZ.

These are just two recent examples.

My first encounter was at YVR, when they met my arriving flight holding up a sign with my name on it. I had called them prior to that flight to tell them I had just gotten a speeding ticket and was trying to get to YXS asap. When they met me in YVR they told me the RCMP had called and I had to surrender my drivers license. Good for a laugh.

BlondeBomber

I interact with concierge from time to time and generally with positive results. Usually it is on the run. Most often to deal with connects not allowed from international to domestic when ticketing (connection time too short but with Nexus and no bags, I can work wonders in getting from one end of an airport to another).

Last night, I didn't interact directly with concierge but MLL staff at YOW did on my behalf. Flying YOW-YYZ-YYC on upgraded flex and my YOW-YYZ flight was running 45 min late. Connect in YYZ would be ok if flight was on time (new time) but with storms about was concerned about a misconnect so I asked about direct YOW-YYC (less miles I know but home 3 hours earlier). 5 minutes later boarding pass for YOW-YYC was given to me in MLL (upgraded of course). As it turns out YYZ-YYC was also delayed which would have gotten me home at 2:00 AM. Glad I was home by 10:45 instead!^ (no extra fees involved)

gabdusch

Nice to meet you briefly at the NEXUS machines! I was on that same late MSP flight connecting to YUL.

The concierge team were great, calling me every 5-10 minutes to monitor my progress while holding my ongoing flight. Made it! ^

Nitehawk

Cool! You must have been right behind me when we were complaining about the one working nexus machine?

It was AC7942 and I was sitting in 1A.

yyznomad

If a celeb was on board, would you have received the same treatment? Would have even been acknowledged by them?

yqtyyz

If a celeb were on board, who knows? I do think the ZRH concierges would have greeted Elites regardless because they see each departing priority passenger off at gate E47.

She had the manifest attached to her clipboard but I was the only one she highlighted.

She was very cordial and helpful to an E50K couple with respect to connection directions and the 4 of us stood together on the train.

anotheran2

I honestly don't know what they can do for me but I do know what they can't: Hold a plane.

The first and only time i called was to YYZ to help me connect from a YYC to YYZ to some US city and my YYC to flight was delayed. She said she couldn't hold the plane for me, they couldn't meet me at any point, and just told me to go fast and maybe it'll still be there. Couldn't even be nice enough to let the gate staff know I was coming.

Won't really be missing the concierge part of the SE package when I lose my SE status

Nitehawk

I'm surprised they didn't talk to the gate for you. Must have been a bad apple concierge.

gabdusch

Yes, that would have been me! I was in 12C.

OT, but is there ever more than one operating NEXUS machine at YYZ/YUL?

gabdusch

While YYZ concierge team can be a "hit or miss" experience, I find most other stations to be really proactive and they really pull all the stops to make sure you make your plane (especially YVR IME).

The awesome concierge team at YVR once helped me make a tight OKC-ORD-YUL cnx by actually calling the gate at ORD to make sure I was onboard before they closed the flight. I wasn't even remotely close to YVR, but they were my first call when the ORD concierge didn't answer the phone. Great team. ^

flybit

really this is a service that has outlived its usefulness. AC should cut it and spend them money on something else.