Any flight to/from Tel Aviv on a non-shabbat day is like a stampede. To lessen the chance of injury I always prefer to travel on shabbat.

Jacket in the cupboard? I've never asked for that.

Menu from the galley? What do you mean exactly? Normally we can know what they're offering having a look at the website. And they handle the menu before taking off most of the times. Or do you mean making your selection early to ensure that you'll have your choice?

I think I'm not profiting gold status enough.

Ek barely cares about plats let alone golds

Ups. It's true. I didn't think about plats. But the idea of a platinum flying frequently in Y... wow! I can't imagine the amount of flights necessary to attain this status. Even mixing J and Y. And they are more frequently op-upped than us barely gold.

I'm not sure to understand what you mean by that.

The main real advantages of Gold, among those listed in the website, are :
> excess baggage
> additional mileage
> priority check-in / boarding / security check / baggage
> lounges including access for 1 guest.

And the main non-listed advantage is a higher probability of op-up.

Expect nothing else.
Ground staff and onboard crew may be outstanding because you are gold, but it's really hit and miss.

Don't understand me wrong, that's all I expect and I do not complain. I'm happy with these benefits (of course I would not complain if there was something more, like more lotion everywhere). It's just that sometimes reading you all (more frequent travelers than me), I'm under the impression that some of you know how to squeeze the juice out of it and I don't.

Don't worry : no harm received, no harm intended.

This said, it's quite difficult to "squeeze the juice out" with EK.
Usually, the more you ask, the less you get, and this is probably true as EK gets bigger.
I'm satisfied with the advantages I've listed, though I don't benefit from / use all of them.

Yes, Kant1979, Plats fly like mad (even in FCL). Most often out of (professional) necessity.

When flying at least 4 LH legs per month - EVERY month, and not counting non-EK trips - priority boarding etc and lounge are no more a luxury. That's a matter of survival. That's a way to minimize unproductive time, to minimize impact on health, to minimize loss of family time ... Nothing to really envy ...

The jacket thing isn't really a Gold or Plat thing, it's a, "I fly on EK so much I know where all the storage places are on a a plane" thing

The menu - I fly in Y so often that I try not to look at the menu on board so I can be surprised by the type of potato preparation it is this month (cubes or mash). I'm only half joking...the crew don't know that I am plat though, so that has no bearing on it.

The "juice" as it were, doesn't really come from being Gold or Platinum, it's being familiar with (EK) crew terminology and the life of travelling (and crew life - if only through exposure, rather than living it) which makes chatting to them easier and smooths over potential problems. Not to say things are perfect, but with EKs consistency problem, I feel I end up with good crew more often than not because of it. I am a low maintenance, jaded traveller though and my expectations are set accordingly.

Not unless you're talking about plats of a non-EK variety. That is a much more economical way to get plat over gold hehe