Plat in the Back
 

Hello everyone,

I took a trip in economy recently when the family and I were off on a week's ski vacation, flying out DXB - GVA and back (EK89/90). It was a shock to the system as to how quickly you can go from being recognised, smiled at and taken care of in Business class to a nobody when travelling in Economy regardless of my Platinum status. Probably something well worth reminding oneself of from time to time lest we forget in the cocoon on business class and first!

Admittedly, the outbound flight was marginally better than the return one because on the outbound one, I did have the purser stop by for the usual "welcome back..is there anything we can do for you" talk. No such luck on the way back.

On both sectors, it was very clear that the team in the cabin had no knowledge of status or had bothered to look through the passenger manifest to know what Plat/Gold/Silver members may be in the cabin. Service was just short of rude, rushed and asking for anything out of the ordinary was met with a look that basically said" how dare you? Why don't you just curl up and die?". A request for a bottle of water (we had our 3-month old with us and wifey was breast-feeding and that makes her thirsty) was met with "We don't have any". I stopped myself from asking why they could not just get me a small bottle from business class. I have in the past been offered a glass of champagne from business class so a bottle of water especially when it is clear why we are asking for it should have been a reasonable expectation?

No kids meal for our 2.5 year-old because "We ran out. You should have ordered one". A request for a decaf (again, because she was feeding) coffee from wifey was met with "You will have to wait till we finish the service for the whole cabin". To their credit, they did not forget and did bring it about 45 minutes later just as she was nodding off to sleep. But then it was black and when she asked for some milk in it, the same "I hate you " stare was received, followed by her bringing over some milk in a plastic glass to pour into the now stone-cold cup of decaf coffee. Is it really so hard to get such a simple request right and serve it with some degree of elegance?

There were various other similarly small things that all combined to make for a very forget-worthy flight experience.

Admittedly, all very first-world problems but served as a reminder to me (who sometimes entertains the notion that we may actually mean something to the airline as people given how loyal we are and how much money we shovel their way) just how much of a number we really are ...

Yes, there is a big difference in Y and J. I guess that in one third of all the flights that I take in Y, no-one comes and welcomes me. The staff in Y are less senior and lack the experience of the J and F staff, and it shows.

The children's meal always has to be ordered in advance, so you can't fault them there. If you had ordered it, then you would have received one.

If and when the purser comes around, I do always ask for something when they ask... usually I ask if they can bring my meal as a special meal with a bottle of red wine. This usually works but sadly, a large percentage of the time they forget to do even this.

It all depends on the crew lottery... sometimes you win, sometimes you lose!

I've traveled a fair bit in Y in both short haul and ulh. I've lowered my expectations in Y specially as it is quite crew dependent. Not that its anything special in J - nowadays it feels more like a chore than a welcome, and they are eager to finish it and be on their way....

I have just booked 4 trips in Y... a total of 16 individual flights with EK (plus 2 on QF and 2 on Jetstar). I will keep a note of how many times I was welcomed back etc. Should be interesting... I will start a new thread tomorrow after the first flight.

Jeez mate can hardly wait for that new thread to start up :rolleyes:

I for one can not wait to be told that on X number flights someone who was busy stopped by and made you feel better and how you will never fly EK again because they didn't stop past and dust the dandruff from your collar with a real panda paw that was padded with real Canadian fur seal pups fur.

Ya get what you pay for and get over it. If your that much of a high flyer with a gazzilion company spend what ya doing in Y?

On a recent flight from Perth to Dubai I was sitting in the bulk head seat just behind the business class section. I did get my normal gold meet and greet from the purser. During my flight I reclined my seat, unfortunately for me the guy behind became very aggressive so I was forced to move. On approaching DXB it was nice that the staff did take time out to hunt me down to give me fast track pass, so they do care sometimes. My own experience is on the A380 I have never been greeted and on the 777ER I have always been greeted.

3 of your 4 gripes (that I counted) were requirements due to travelling with a kid and a pregnant wife.

Didn't you realise the age of the kid and the condition of your wife before you flew, and think what you might do different from usual to make their travel more comfortable?

The 4th gripe was that a total stranger never stopped to talk to you.

Maybe public transport isn't for you.

Plat in the Back
 

This is a funny thread! As the OP said first world problems. I think it is good for soul to be ordinary and not be fussed over occasionally. We can all forget myself included that humility is the best human characteristic and if an occasional lack of recognition happens well never mind. I travel in Y from time to time. I actually like to have a low expectation trip. Even as an io have had one or two occasions of being treated normally at least until I got off. I actually enjoyed it. One day we will be older and lose whatever status we have so may as well not take it too seriously and just enjoy the perks when they come. Then again...

I am with you on this. 380 crew couldn't give a toss and 777 make the effort. To me its like the 777 crews will even when busy will make the effort but the 380 mob are thank you for getting on our bus now sit down shut up and don't bother us we are important trolly dollies, especially from the male trolly dollies.

Gold in the back.
 

Not a Plat, and as far as I can see, never will be, but maintain Gold comfortably. Pay for my own tickets and travel both Y and J, always MAN-DXB-TYO. Generally get very good service in Y - agree that, on average it's better in 777 than 380 and that it is also very crew dependant. But usually very good in Y on both planes - comfortable seat reassignments when available, bottled water and treats on request. I only once had some really bad service (777 as it happens), rude and unhelpful, and asked the FA to call the purser. (Purser had also forgot meet-and-greet).
I was my usual polite and smiling self, taking care to apologise for calling the purser from her more pressing duties, but had firm words and - Magic - suddenly I was beset with politeness, care and consideration for the remainder of the flight ... and bottled water and chocolate from J.

I find that travel in Y sometimes is good for the soul (if not the bum) as it makes flying in J (and occasional upgrades to F) all the more pleasurable. Not sure if I'd have the moral fibre to travel Y if I could always afford J, though.
One of my Japanese friends is a senior manager with a major Japanese telecom outfit, which has a company policy of Y travel for staff (but not for directors.) He tells me that he must travel in Y and that his CEO makes a point of always travelling in Y even though company rules would allow him J or F.

What is this "offered a glass of champagne" when in Y sorcery?!? Why has this never happened to me :(

Its a lottery draw you go into when Gold/Plat. Completely inconsistent and very crew dependent ... :D

^^

6 years of living in Atlanta and flying Delta cured me of all expectations. I am grateful I earn enough to afford taking the family on international vacations. And yes, I agree that flying Y at least once in a while is necessary for a reality check.

I should never go to a casino then - 12 sectors as Gold, 40 sectors as Plat, all long haul Y in 2013, and 0 (zero!) glasses of champagne offered or received :(

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.

What! A duty free bag! I am being shortchanged!!!! :D:D

I end up getting mistaken for staff when I point out which box the earplugs/eyeshades and drinks/teas are in in the galleys...

It's even got to the point where I know that in Y they actually have F dental kits/eyeshades in the Y amenity box...I've got to get out more...

I'm only a mere gold (and will drop to silver in August due to much less travel) and always wonder what I should have said when they greet me and ask if there's anything they can do to help. I kind of assume it's just a meaningless "have a nice day" thing. Am I missing out on anything by not asking (did get moved once to another Y seat because mine was broken but think that would have hapened anyway)?

+2

Depends on what you want - most reasonable requests in my experience have been met: bottles of water, eyeshades, earplugs, extra blanket or pillow etc. Very rarely is anything proactively offered though!

I won't tell you what goes through my mind when they say "If there's anything I or one of my colleagues can do to make you more comfortable" :p

:D;)

I only had male pursers lately... so, no... just an expresso would be ok :D

Just ask one of their nice colleagues :)

so did DYKWIA... :D

Shut it sexy...