HJP

Trav1970

intuition

So I am back on AY after 6 months hiatus. I am positively surprised about food which has improved, but I can't say I am impressed by the tier recognition. Perhaps I have too low a tier to be recognized.

BUD-HEL J, 4 rows filled (ie around 16 J pax)
Zero recognition. No greeting, no priority food order taken. No priority boarding (after gate opened and flooded, a call was made to say "elite members can board at their own convenience" which practically meant the end of the line)

HEL-NKG, J ≈100% full.
Priority boarding.
Zero recognition. No greeting, no priority food order taken. No chats or Slow service, no offers of drink refill.

NKG-HEL, J 14 pax in front cabin.
Priority boarding was called and enforced.
Very attentive and positive crew of the older cadre. Quote: "It is so nice to fly on a route opening and be part of something new, usually it is just the 25 y.o. girls who fly this".
Priority food order was taken. Frequent and well timed questions about refill of drinks.
Different members of staff returned several times for relaxed and unforced chats. Staff was also able to talk abit about food and was anxious for me to try options (like the "fika"/cookie-assortment) and hear feedback.

HEL-BUD, J, 6 rows filled (ie around 24 j pax)
Priority boarding was called and enforced.
Priority food order was taken, and I guess this counts as my plat chat too:
"So you have this platinum card, you can choose food now."

Steve_Hun

Yep, BUD is horrible when it comes to priority boarding. About 1.5/2 years ago they've modified the layout of a handful of the gates, so if AY happen to leave from there, then there is possibility for proper priority boarding. Otherwise it is eather you "fight" your way to the front of the line, or you board last...

haapalainen

I had one of the most awkward plat recognitions a few weeks ago on EDI-HEL. Before takeoff the young stewardess came with newspaper to our row in the back of the E90 and addressed with loud voice the whole row on both side of the aisle "who of you has the plat card"? (Kenelläs teistä on se platinakortti?). I actually felt enbarrassed to raise my hand as the looks I got from other passengers were not very pleasent at that point or later during the flight.

Anyway nice that they always nowadays consider my BA OWE card a plat. Though, when getting drinks there has been no mention of free drink whatsoever lately, they just don't charge anything. Feels like they try to not provoactively offer anything but water and blueberry juice

_ra_

I had a "different " recognition on AY9 on Sunday. Traveling alone, sitting on the last row of Economy Comfort. A party of three had gotten their seat selections messed up, and ended up in normal Y even though they had paid for Comfort. So the chief purser decides to approach me about it, asking me if I would be willing to move to a normal Y seat "since these people have paid money for their seats". I politely told her that I would not, and that as a Plat I don't have the possibility to pay for my seat even if I wanted to. Oh how I felt the appreciation...

intuition

Wow. Just wow.

It is like they don't know why there is a loyalty program at all. I guess we all found a platinum card in the cereal box and decided to use it to punish people... "Someone here has a platinum card and they got it just to spite me and force me to work harder".
In best case, this is a reflection of the process oriented minds at AY. "Platinum card => do some stuff", instead of a customer oriented mind "there is an important customer onboard, I want to make sure he/she is satisfied"
Worst case this is passive aggressive, thinking plats equals bully who thinks he is above average-joe. Let's hope not!

While I can understand the thinking of that purser, this is just so wrong. So if AY screws up and fails to deliver a service they charge for, let's ask your most loyal customer to provide the solution..

Given the situation, she should have offered to moved you to J. If that was not possible, she should have found a monetary solution concerning only the 3 whose seat selection had gone wrong, not involving other customers.

FFlash

"Dear chief purser, I have a better offer: please accomodate these 3 people and I am very happy as a loyal Finnair platinum member to accept a seat change into rows anywhere between 1-8,( and I would be happy to share this inconvenient situation having been handled subtly by lovely Finnair purser)".
Later, after landing, I would have waited for those 3 Y pax and thanked them for the bump and offered them lounge access comp'ed as guests if valid

on22cz

Just a sidenote: You would need a Lumo card to guest them all

Courmisch

For the sake of the argument, you can pay for Comfort as a Platinum. Pay for ASR before filling the FQTV (not that it would make any sense)

FFlash

Yeah but I've got diners, PPass, amex, 2 star cards and a lumotic smile which all can afford many access to free lunches, as a poor man cannot afford airport food

_ra_

Moving me to J was exactly what I offered as a solution. Her response: "Well you would need to pay for a seat up front... and it's fully booked up there anyway."

napapiiri

Trav1970

For some reason, the following link seems like an appropriate reply to this idea: https://giphy.com/gifs/baby-night-naughty-nk12xotFCd0Na

vulle

haapalainen, BA Gold always treated as AY Plat? Finally got my BA Gold and have been wondering if I will get Plat recognition in AY economy..