I've had the opposite of the missing-welcome-back experience.

On boarding my first ever Emirates' flight I was greeted with "Welcome back, Sir". So I got one of the missing welcome backs!

You obviously don't appreciate my unique sense of humor! It was meant to be tongue in cheek :p

I catch around 50 EK flights a year and my company only pays for Y as a policy... I gave up a long time ago expecting more than a seat and a drink

Likewise, I tried some Y as Plat earlier this year, and also as Gold a while ago, and never any Champagne. I have had Dom in J but that was more to do with eightblack being on board.

It's funny how little it takes to tip the balance between outright rage and 'great flight'. Recently in J I used the lav on boarding (not early either) and missed the PDB run. I was a little ticked off as nobody came back to me. But then a lovely lady delivered me some whisky and all was suddenly well again!

I think that's the danger of getting jaded with so much flying - you get used to the routine and systems and they become the expectation (especially as we all have that one flights which is absolutely memorable for all the right reasons and use that as the example to strive towards), but as a frequent flier who is being marketed at as being recognised and "elite", having your expectations being met is never enough as the point of being singled out as "special", whether that's the cursory "can I do anything for you" or fast-track cards or meal choices first, or special food/drink, is to have your expectations exceeded and to be positively surprised, which is increasingly difficult to do if you start to know what the system is. So if you aren't careful you start to build a state of mind where things can only go wrong or aren't good enough for you, and you get a self-fulfilling state of constant bad flights (that is, flights where you weren't happy).

Which really goes to show that how you approach and what expectations you set for yourself are probably going to have much more of an effect on how much you enjoy your travel time (and yes, I think that you can enjoy travel, even in Y all the time, if you re-wire your brain) rather than anything airlines and their staff can do.

Well written... I totally agree!

+1

You can always ask for what you want if the purser comes for giving the talk. I have only been refused once for what I had asked for and I am only a lowly gold.;)

I only request stuff from just one class above.. I usually ask for the F slippers when I am in J. They usually give it in a duty free bag to be discreet. F champagne in J is also possible (was politely refused by the purser once.I am not a big fan of Dom 2003 anyway ).Asking for stuff from the F cabin when flying Y would be a bit OTT.

Wow. Just wow. Talk about the ultimate do you know who I am!

Get a grip man. No body recognised your status!? Nobody stopped by to see if you were ok!? Talk about first world problems.

It's 04 now :)

But blah blah I'm a platinum, why wasn't it offered?! :D:D Seriously though, I was not being at all serious about champagne in Y being an issue for me, but you know, this is the internet, so sometimes it's hard to get that across! I just seem to acquire eyeshades and earplugs - and shock horror to some, if the purser or SFS doesn't come around with the manifest, I actually don't mind at all getting up and going to the galley to get it! What's this?! Platinums in Y having to get up and walk to the galley or flag down a member of staff on their own initiative? OH THE HUMANITY. :D

The secret with slippers: you can get them from the showers in the Concourse A lounges...!

My guilty confession about requesting stuff from the F cabin in Y though - sometimes they give me the special Dilmah F teas if they can. I'm so sorry everyone :( In my defence, that's usually only after half an hour of gossiping with the purser or SFS in the rear galley of a 777...

Yes, the old "hearts and minds campaign" works every time :D

Failing that, there's always outright bribery using chocolate treats...

Plat in the Back
 

Hearts and minds funny! But good point if people want something they are not entitled to then put some effort in and try to be nice and you might get something you didn't pay for. Just to be clear EK rules, regardless of status, are up only get the service for the cabin you paid for. This stops other passengers saying" why him and not me?" When a purser or other crew brings something like champagne or slippers from another cabin they aren't supposed to do that. So don't blame the cabin crew who don't do it, that is correct procedure. And like I said work for the perk don't expect it on a plate!!

Havent flown F for over 6 months now.:(

They are usually discreet and bring eyeshades/slippers in a duty free bag. Most pax think that I am an EK employee on a positioning flight. :D.