Getting out of Tokyo - Gold privilege
 

Just wanted to share some thoughts with you guys and asking for opinions. I am currently living in Japan, and as you all know, a very bad desaster struck us yesterday. With the nuclear power plants now nearing meltdown according to some sources, a lot of people want to get out of the country.

Since I had a J class flex ticket for end of next week, I could have gotten on today's EK flight with the Gold privilege. Obviously, it is fully booked. But I didn't even try. If there would have been a free seat, I might have taken it (first I need to make sure all of my people get home, if they want). It's a pretty bizarre situation, as is everything here at the moment, but in any case, I wouldn't want to take someone's seat on that plane just because of status.

Probably a very weird train of thought. Sorry bout that.

I sympathise. The moral maze of bumping someone else. Only you can take the decision that works for you.

My only comment would be, in an acute life or death situation, the survival instinct might kick in and your decision may well go differently. Let us all hope that you never have to find that out.

Good luck.

ps. Love the Air Koryo Loyal Comrades - that is an FT board I would enjoy visiting!

I wonder if Gold guaranteed seat would even work in an emergency situation such as this. You might get preference rebooking flights but surely they wouldn't bump people off to accommodate you. I wonder if they would oversell J then bump Y pax and downgrade others?

How is the situation Tokyo and how might it be affected the next few weeks as I have an EK flight to NRT 1st of April. Is it safe to go there?

I think the television might be a more up to date source than FT but for what it's worth here is what Emirates are saying just now. 1st April is just outside the affected period at the moment:

Tokyo rebooking conditions

* Emirates will waive administrative fees for rebooking and cancellations for customers holding tickets on/before 11th March 2011 to travel on/before 31st March 2011 to/from Narita International Airport.
* Rebooking shall be made onto an available flight to the same destination for travel within a 14 day period after the scheduled departure time of the original flight and in the same booking class.
* Rebooking shall also be permitted for the return journey within a 14 day period after the original flight date and in the same booking class.
* Refund for cancellation shall be based on the residual value for remaining coupons, valid for one year from date of issue of MCO.
* Re-routing/endorsements onto other airlines is not permitted.‪
* All other rules and conditions of the ticket remain unchanged.
* Please contact your travel agent or nearest Emirates office for reservations and/or rebooking queries.

Thanks!

Unfortunately, you barely see/read something about Tokyo. Of course, if the meltdown happens, I won't fly. Except that, I thought I could get a Tokyo insider here if and how Toky is affected. :)

Umm...where exactly are you looking? It's all over the news!

having been in tokyo for the earthquake, and now here reading the news of a potential radiation leak, (and this is NOT directed at the OP), the thought of someone using gold status to guarantee a seat, at the expense of an already booked passenger, would be unthinkable.

Priority for any available seats, or last minute no-shows, yes, but any passenger demanding they get a seat, at the expense of another in such an emergency would be cowardly.

Exactly.

But looking back at the whole thing now, I don't think situation was that catastrophical that people were really fighting for the seats - at least last weekend. We ended up flying people to Manila, Seoul, Beijing and Bangkok, so I think one those days, everyone got out (maybe for a high price), because my ANA flight even had empty seats.

Also, ung1 is probably right and they wouldn't have applied that privilege in that situation - as we have read that there are problems with that in general anyway.