When I naive-ly ask for water HND HKG it was brought to me wrapped in paper towel.

QR OWE here, greeted on both Cx flights LHR-HKG return in Y last month.
- Greeting during boarding
- Water bottle and slippers placed on my seat
- Meal order taken on the ground, meals served first on the air
- Purser came again to say thank you before landing, addressed by name.

I would say a 25% chance with AY.

Zero with BA (except that one flight where FA spilled something on me, Purser apologised, gave me a bottle of wine and thanked me for being an Emerald lol)

I been flying short haul Y - 90% of my flights I have had the Senior Purser (the Golden lady) greet me in Y. I think it is somehow built into their SOP.

Always can snag a bottle of water which is nice and convenient.

Must say they are a little bit undercrewed from what I can see - there are always 1-2 seats empty (i don't remmeber seeing this pre-Covid)

The fact that there is this thread shows how important it is for this whole in-flight greeting/recognition. I don't understand how could anyone find it annoying - its simple hi and let me know if you need something.

Its a way to show that they care (even if superficially). I got a bottle of water flying FUK - HKG and it was placed in the pocket at my seat (economy) before I boarded. Recently, I notice they will always pre-place a blanket (again, for economy) if their list show you are OWS or up.

Hello. I have not been given any greeting on CX being OWE since February 2024. I have been on 7 CX flights since then.

The short answer is that this is an unwritten benefit that should not be taken for granted.

I've peeked at the iPad and noticed a list of GO/DM the crew are tasked to greet. Passengers with CX status are listed on one side of the screen with their name and seat number. On the other side of the iPad is the general seating plan. Passengers with OW status are flagged with their respective colours. Where you are heading and the elite load matters. When there are 10+ Diamonds in J or when the whole row 42 are Golds, the crew might not bother greeting anyone but DMs. Unless you have special requests, the greetings provide little material benefit anyway.

Thanks for the datapoint!
That'd mean - if a hierarchy existed - CX SLs take precedence over OWSs?

Only the crew who are familiar with the protocol can answer this. We can only speculate based on experience.

In theory, CX status is prioritised over its OW counterparts. It is logical that DMs should be treated better than OWEs or CX might as well shut their FFP. Will GO be prioritised over OWE? Maybe, but does it really matter?

For SLs/OWR/OWS, there are so many it would be quicker to greet those without status.

Many years (7+) ago AA would allow me to choose an item from their menu for free, on par with what (at the time) AA Platinum got. I think their system showed me as a Platinum and not specifically OWE, because on many instances the FAs would say 'you get a free choice as a Platinum'.

A hit or miss as an OWE, obtained from OW partner airline
In May, I received bottled water with handwritten thank you notes and blankets on seats, and verbal welcome from both SP and ISM, on short regional CX routes full loading, likewise other CX DM.
Last week, paper boarding passes in both bounds annotated “Gold/Emer”, in which “Gold” wording was a new thing to me. Coincidentally, no more bottled water (I usually refill my tumbler at lounges) nor notes; just a standard protocol of welcome by SP and ISM. Flights looked 80%-ish full just.

On AA long-haul flights they would have a handwritten J passenger list. Those with status will be marked as EXP. I noticed that because I was marked down as EXP despite only being CX GO. Oddly enough, a crew member confirmed that the system showed me as an EXP, not that I received any additional benefits or greetings.

CX's system is light years ahead of AA's. The crew definitely knows if you are OWE or not. Whether you get recognition depends on the protocol and the crew's proactiveness.

CX internal prioritisation list is Diamond and Gold then OWE. As in those pax will receive upgrades, access to to F seats when not sold as F, etc, above OWE. Of course this does not trump OW benefits (e.g lounge access, baggage etc), but where CX has control over things (i,e their metal) that is how they will do it).

I really don’t understand why people fuss about not being greeted. Have always found such interactions to be slightly forced, and a tad awkward.

Me neither. The novelty wears off after the first time and can become repetitive. I’ve had 6 of these chats within the past 6 weeks. That being said, it is a positive touch and could sometimes lead to an extraordinary onboard experience.

100% agree. I could do without the greeting.