Free drinks for AY Plats [and other experience reports of Plat recognition]
#76
Join Date: May 2016
Location: BLL
Programs: AY+ Platinum, SK Gold, HHonors Silver
Posts: 405
Do we use the same airline? My experiences so far have been completely different. People here speak about the recognizition and I have basically never experienced anything special.
And what comes to the drinks, they never say anything speciall but just take my order and then they just get me the drink without asking any money. I usually ask my newspaper at the same time. No recognization, nothing but just drink to me. Newspapers seems to be available only by asking.
And what comes to the drinks, they never say anything speciall but just take my order and then they just get me the drink without asking any money. I usually ask my newspaper at the same time. No recognization, nothing but just drink to me. Newspapers seems to be available only by asking.
#77
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Helsinki
Programs: AY Platinum, IHG Gold, Diners
Posts: 1,276
I also fly mostly HEL-OSL-HEL. I get to try BMA-HEL tomorrow, let's see if that's different.
Could OSL be a route where they more easily use spare crews? On yesterday's flight AY660 the chief of cabin only had one stripe on the sleeve. She seemed senior, though. But she was quite lost when it came to the service. Maybe she doesn't fly that much and wasn't used to the new concepts? Definitely no "sunnier greeting" and no newspaper offered.
As has been said also in other threads, all it takes is a "welcome back, can I offer you a newspaper or a drink"? Even we Finns should be able to do that, instead of the "what, you have a card and want something?"
Could OSL be a route where they more easily use spare crews? On yesterday's flight AY660 the chief of cabin only had one stripe on the sleeve. She seemed senior, though. But she was quite lost when it came to the service. Maybe she doesn't fly that much and wasn't used to the new concepts? Definitely no "sunnier greeting" and no newspaper offered.
As has been said also in other threads, all it takes is a "welcome back, can I offer you a newspaper or a drink"? Even we Finns should be able to do that, instead of the "what, you have a card and want something?"
#78
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: HEL
Programs: AY, SK, TK
Posts: 7,602
Last Norra fligth
I will have just water.
Lady asks me, bit awkward manner: you have the platinum card? You can have some drink if you want.
I say, just water please.
Other pax looking at me. Me feeling very "finnish", you know what I mean
I will have just water.
Lady asks me, bit awkward manner: you have the platinum card? You can have some drink if you want.
I say, just water please.
Other pax looking at me. Me feeling very "finnish", you know what I mean
#80
Moderator, Finnair
Join Date: May 2011
Location: MMX (CPH)
Programs: Eurobonus Diamond, QR Gold, AY+ Platinum, A3*G, Nordic Choice Lifetime Platinum, SJ Prio Black
Posts: 14,180
Platinum card - for our frequent drinkers!
Well, this is the thing I've ranted about. If you don't guide your staff, they will fumble in the dark.
Scenario 1: Memo sent to staff "The Finnair plus program have been renewed. As of now, all platinum members can get a drink and a newspaper free of charge onboard our flights."
The result: Typical FA-customer interaction will be "You have platinum, you can have a drink" and "No you can only have one drink free of charge"
All the staff knows is "platinum equals a free drink" so that is how they communicate. If you instead provide the background, the goal and how staff is supposed to reach it, you'll get better results.
Scenario 2: Memo sent to staff "We now start a recognition program. With it, we aim to make our most frequent travellers feel that we appreciate their business. This is done by several small actions on our part. First we great all platinum members by name. ... <outline of routine>
Many travellers appreciate a personal touch, so we encourage you to develop your own style of communication. Here are some examples to get you going: "Welcome back, Mr/Mrs/Ms ...! Can I get you a drink and a newspaper?
...
It can't be much to ask for HQ to actually make sure all the new great ideas are implemented onboard in a way that actually gets the result they want!
#81
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: HEL
Programs: AY, SK, TK
Posts: 7,602
Haha, intuition, the "Finnish" style is to only send a memo and think that world will be perfect and everybody follows a "supposedly clear instructions" in the said memo without any chance of communication perceived in an individually different manner
Well, then there are some of the bright FA's who know how to act, discard the memo details and take free liberty of excercising own style which my last flight male FA did and he was just great, with a smile! kudos to him.
Well, then there are some of the bright FA's who know how to act, discard the memo details and take free liberty of excercising own style which my last flight male FA did and he was just great, with a smile! kudos to him.
#82
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: HEL
Programs: AY, SK, TK
Posts: 7,602
I must look very leisury businessman since all last 20 so flights they bring me automatically Iltasanomat without asking, even if I dont care. Would prefer Kauppalehti or maybe Helsinge Pravda
#83
Join Date: Jul 2014
Programs: AY Platinum
Posts: 287
The writing style is also unbearable, of course. One sentence will start with "The platinum drink perk is..." and the next one will start with "The platinum drink perk has...". Readers will be forced to wonder whether the authors have ever heard of the word "it".
Regardless, the authors will still feel like they did a good job, because they've documented everything and that's the job they were given.
The staff relies mostly on tidbits of knowledge from random colleagues.
Last edited by heatsink; Aug 19, 2016 at 5:05 am
#85
Join Date: May 2013
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Plat (OWE), SK EBG (*A Gold), KQ Plat (STE+), Accor Plat
Posts: 3,157
Norra-operated WAW flight today: no newspapers and the drink perk was again executed in an odd way as everyone on my row were asked if they had a Plat card – I really must not look like a typical Plat...
#86
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: HEL
Programs: AY Plat Lumo
Posts: 1,519
#88
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: KUO
Programs: BA Gold, HH Diamond
Posts: 447
Flew to GDN yesterday with Norra's ATR. Started chatting a bit with the FA and she said that in their manifest Norra only sees that there are Emerals onboard but they don't know where they are sitting (is this the case for AY Plats too?) - she was "blaming" AY for this . She was very apologetic for the fact that they can't be proactive when serving drinks because of this. Is this really true
#89
Ambassador: Finnair Plus
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: HEL
Programs: AY+ Plat, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Discoverist, Priority Club Plat Amb, Miles and Smiles Elite
Posts: 5,296
Flew to GDN yesterday with Norra's ATR. Started chatting a bit with the FA and she said that in their manifest Norra only sees that there are Emerals onboard but they don't know where they are sitting (is this the case for AY Plats too?) - she was "blaming" AY for this . She was very apologetic for the fact that they can't be proactive when serving drinks because of this. Is this really true
#90
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: KUO
Programs: BA Gold, HH Diamond
Posts: 447