canadiancow

2.5 years later...

I flew YYZ-LGA in a suit yesterday. Came straight from a wedding. Was worried about missing the flight.

Definitely felt like there were different assumptions about me. Like when I entered the 1/2 line during zone 3, the assumption that I was zone 1, not that I was lost.

lallied

There are always assumptions made before boarding, and on board (and in life) based on age, gender, how you are dressed and your honorific. Typically all will assume the older, better dressed, male is the SE100k. Female ‘Dr’ will be a PhD, but the male PhD will be an MD. It’s quite funny really. I have seen female MDs asked to stand back while St Johns trained males will be ushered forward (and if MD protests, they are asked to show their medical licence card (which is a USA thing and very odd on a Canadian airline). It’s human nature I guess.

Stranger

RangerNS

I'll make the comment then: The medical community co-opted the title "Doctor" and applies it to people who are have Masters level skills..

johnwb

There are also assumptions made based on skin colour. My (Colombian) wife and I have been SE for most of the last 10 years and we've experienced this first hand, on Air Canada as well as other airlines. When my wife is travelling on her own and takes her seat in J she will sometimes have the FA ask to see her BP "just to make sure you're in the right seat". That's never once happened to me. I don't think it's a coincidence - she just doesn't look, to some people, like she should be travelling in business.

mathemagic

Not necessarily. The MD is an undergraduate degree.

lallied

Nope, am talking about responding to medical issues on board which is presumably the only time when it would come up ? . MD in North America = BM BCh in rest of world - ie bachelors. So PhD is higher degree. Everyone knows that.

WaytoomuchEurope

I get the occasional question when in my usual travel attire; hoodie, t-shirt, and jeans. I have never been asked when coming from or going directly to a work meeting and in professional clothing.

I get it from PAX too. Got a 4 minute lecture in the Z1 line at YUL from an upgraded E35 - it included how I was likely in the wrong line, how I could never know as much about the pains of air travel as him etc. Then his wife pointed out my SE tag to him and he got a little awkward.

In truth though, I don't get challenged often. I believe this is due to my hairline and waistline performing opposite phenomenons at the same time.

lallied

The ROW calls specialist surgeons Mr and Mrs. Not Dr. Making it clear Dr is ‘entry level’. But the point was society makes judgements based on visible, audible and other data that can be discriminatory.

canadiancow

Wow. If someone tried to lecture me, I'd just say "dude, I'm canadiancow". And then board ahead of them

WaytoomuchEurope

I saw the long play - I knew at some point in that line that we all had to wait in for too long that it would become clear to him that I had a higher status than him. I was more amused by the thought of him coming to the embarrassing realization himself than I would have been by pointing it out.

But then, if I was @canadiancow I'd self name drop too.

mathemagic

I wouldn't go so far as to say everyone knows that. In any case, maybe AC should switch from identifying titles to degrees. Then they would know who is an MD to call on when needed, and who can be consulted instead on more academic matters.

canadiancow

Once, when waiting in the jet bridge to board a delayed flight, after my previous day's flight had been cancelled, I was chatting with the guy ahead of me. He also had an unexpected overnight. He received emails from AC about it. I did not. He said "maybe it's because of this" and pointed at his E75K tag. But it was not at all in a bragging manner, just trying to explain the situation. I just replied "I'm Super Elite and I got nothing". I think this was in the context of why I pay for TripIt.

I don't know if I'd actually say "I'm canadiancow" in case they're not a FTer. But maybe that would be more fun. Puzzled expression would result in "just Google it".

Though in your case, I'd be tempted to reply, "yeah the pains of air travel must be pretty significant if you only have E35K status - you must not get upgraded much". Though I'm not usually that quick with my wit

Or like ... why bother? I can conceivably see a reason to identify medical doctors and MAYBE pilots on the PIL. But why the heck is their an option for all the others?

lallied

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Or like ... why bother? I can conceivably see a reason to identify medical doctors and MAYBE pilots on the PIL. But why the heck is their an option for all the others?[/QUOTE]

Ach, they just call for a doctor. I don’t think they actually go up to anyone however they style themselves and ask them to go help. Or have never seen it when travelling with Dr (medical or real).

Fiordland

Last month I was on a Alaska flight (where some passed away mid flight), When they did the announcement they asked if there was a doctor or nurse on the flight. Does AC do the same or are they usually asking for doctors.

As for asking for academics on the flight, I probably should only get worried if they need the urgent advise of an aviation engineer mid-flight.