JALPak

JAL added two new benefits for elites at the end of 2009. The added benefits are

1. Frequent Visitor e-Channel at HKG for all elites. E-channel is a self-service immigration clearance kiosk.
2. Forward seat assignments on domestic flights for Diamond, JGC Premier, and JGC members.

Details for the added benefits can be found on JAL website (overseas members, Japan members)

Anyone knows what "forward seats" are? The site is kind of confusing and doesn't have much information...

KIXman

Maybe seats located near the front of the aircraft?
This would let one get off faster upon arrival at your destination.

JALPak

How is this a new benefit then Don't you have access to those blocked seats before?

KIXman

Looked at the Japanese JMB page and it looks like the "forward seats" are indeed seats located near the front of the aircraft. I guess the "elite benefit" is the assignment on a "priority basis", though I don't know if that means non-elites will be booted out of their seats if all forward seats have already been assigned.

maeharasmuse

This press release is an absolute non-event:

1. How is e-channel an added benefit? E-channel is open to any frequent visitor to HKG. Is JAL pretending that they can clear pax through the HKG e-channel without prior registration? It would really amaze me to find out that the Chinese have outsourced their border-security to a Japanese airline... I don't think there is any truth to this. E-channel requires prior registration, and I don't believe this will be any different for JL-pax. As for the intellectual and financial integrity of the JAL HKG station-crew, well don't get me started on that one... for goodness sake I'll just stay short of saying that it would be very unwise to hand out HKG's migration-formalities to such a mean bunch of criminals. Let's just say that it is very unlikely indeed that JL HKG are now in a position to hand out blank e-channel passes, be it to pax of Japanese or of non-Japanes nationality.

2. According to seat-guru some of the best F, J and Y-class seats are further down the back of the plane. A front Y-class middle bulkhead seat?? No, thanks, but no thanks!!

On the other hand, any confirmation that JAL HKG (after many months of needless delays) are finally going to refund me the money that they have so rudely and injustly extorted out of me, now that would be news!!!

.

jamar

1. This applies to HKIA only (in other words, you're not going to be breezing through EVERY HK border checkpoint with just your JL membership). From the HK government immigration department website:

"With effect from 7 September 2009, the self-service immigration clearance facilities have been extended to visitors holding Frequent Flyer Programme Membership Card issued by airlines which have joined this arrangement. Please enquire with your airline." Obviously, this includes JL rather than being unique to it.
Airport only, your JL elite membership will get you nowhere if you're crossing anywhere other than the airport.
And you obviously haven't so much as read the details if you're talking like that. You still have to register, it says as much on their page. It's just that instead of showing the "three entries or more in 12 months" you show your JL elite card to get the airport e-channel clearance.
(Psst- HK government is still mostly separate from the mainland government; notice the existence of the border that necessitates this whole e-channel business?)

2. Er, Y, maybe. But I'd never expect to find ANY F or J seats "further down the back of the plane". Especially not F seats. If you are, that might not be JL you're taking.

3. Oh? So it's personal?

maeharasmuse

1. E-gate is not an elite benefit. Everyone qualifies, or can qualify. A simple mail to the hktdc suffices, if at all necessary. Anyway: as you've said yourself: prior registration with the HK authorities is still necessary.

2. I am willing to accept that you are more familiar with JL's fleet-wide F-configurations. So yes, maybe for the average F-class travellers, like yourself, this might(!) be an added benefit, although frankly, I doubt it. Check seatguru.com, and you will find that on most planes in F, they don't have a preference at all. Also in J: e.g. the upper deck of the 744: http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Jap..._747-400_E.php Q.E.D.

3. No it's nothing personal, so pls. don't make it so.

Kind rgds,

.

jamar

1. Not quite. Hypothetical scenario-
Me. I go to HK by train when coming from the mainland. Only once a year. This means that if I have JL elite status (I am not an F flyer and have not been flying in J for at least 5 years and thus am no more than a regular JMB member; for that matter I haven't flown JL at all in a while), I can go to HKIA and apply for the frequent visitor card for when I fly in from other places (this is the hypothetical part; in real life I would have no need for an e-channel pass that doesn't work in Hung Hom station because I've never had a need to enter HK any other way) without having to wait for two more entries in the 12-month period. I imagine there may be quite a few people who live in, say, Shenzhen who would do this. This pushes more people from "can qualify" into "qualifies" without additional effort.
2. Look above. I have not been in anything above (Premium)Y for the past 5 years. I'm just commenting on the fact that "further towards the back of the plane" and F or J don't go together in my head.
3. All right, no more about that.

Chiangi

I think the only advantage of this 'benefit' is an JMB elite who does not visit HKG frequently can make use of the e-channel.

As far as I know, a Japanese tourist cannot qualify for e-channel just by mailing the authority.

He or she can only qualify if he or she travels at least four times to HKG within a designated period -- is it one year? I forgot -- and obtains a frequent visitor card and register for the channel.

If u r a JMB elite, u can shortcut the procedure -- no need for logging a record of four visits on ur passport.

The link above contains a note about the registration requirement.

maeharasmuse

Why would anyone "who does not visit HKG frequently" want to go through this time consuming registration process?? You still have to register personally.

I once inquired for a big-shot big-ego director of one of my clients who was going to have to come to HKG regularly and hadn't been there in a long time. I sent a mail to the hktdc (Hong Kong Trade Council) and they basically sent me a short email reply stating the guy should take this email to the airport, and explain the situation to the authorities. Turned out they never even looked at this document. It never was any problem.

Besides, why would you want to turn over your administration to the bureaucrats at JAL anyway?? That just doesn't sound like a good idea to me... As a matter of fact, I know it isn't!! They can't even get their own house in order.

Anyway, try to spin it as you may, e-channel just isn't an added benefit. And I don't believe the "forward" thing is either.

Oh yeah, and BTW: I just had a look at the link provided above, and it turns out that in fact JAL will soon be removing some benefits instead of adding new ones.

Once again a very disappointing conclusion of this thread entitled "Added JMB elite benefits", inspired by the original "JAL Mileage Bank - Introducing Exciting Changes in the ”FLY ON Program” and ”JAL Global Club” webpage update...

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JALPak

Have you read the link in the linked page which tells you about the details of this program? If not, read here. You are not required to turn over your finger print and photo to JAL. You directly deal with HK Immigration Department. As others have stated, the added benefit here is the JMB status will give you a shortcut to qualify for e-channel enrollment. In your case, instead of waiting for your client's director's 4th visit to HKG (or spending the time to send HKTDC an email and wait for their reply) he can register in his first visit If the staff registered for your client's director had followed the rules, he would have to show the required documents to prove that he qualifies for registration.

You probably are not that familiar with JAL/JMB program/JAL website. The linked page has been there since 2008. JAL kept updating the page throughout the year. So when I opened this new thread, it's about the two items added to the page (notice the "new" icon in red). Whether the changes listed on that page is exciting is personal. If I were a JGC Diamond, the added benefit options is quite exciting to me (and last year's non-expiring miles which has been removed from the page already is exciting too).

How can your comments be not personal? You are calling JAL HKG staff "a bunch of criminals". No matter how you were treated back in HKG due to the mistake on EK part (they didn't issue your award ticket right as I recall), I don't think any of JAL HKG staff deserves being called criminals, let alone you generalized the entire branch to be a bunch of criminals who lack intellectual and financial integrity. I really don't appreciate that comment. We are trying to have a civilized discussion here so please keep it that way.

maeharasmuse

Holy Cow!! Calm down. No need to get all excited. I am not saying all of the JL-croud are criminals (although I am convinced a couple of them - predominantly working in higher circles - probably are), it's just that JAL HKG first blackmailed some money out of me, before blatantly ignoring instructions by the JL HQ to refund me my money... claiming JAL HKG is a "financially independent entity" and what not. So no, I wouldn't advise the HK authorities to entrust part of their migration work to this kind of people, and no I have no respect whatsoever for some of them, the way they have been treating me.

As should be clear to you from my other postings though, I am certainly not generalizing my particular grief towards all the JL-employees, so pls. don't make it look like I am, because I am not.

My judgement of the question if JL's press release (or the updating of it's exciting news webpage so you will) is newsworthy is nothing personal indeed. I am truly convinced that the E-channel thing is not an added benefit: as a matter of fact I know that it isn't because I know that there are many other ways to get it, just like you don't really need "4 recent stamps" (or whatever credits) to qualify for this feature...

Kind regards,

.

JALPak

No you are not but you are generalizing your grief towards all HKG JAL employees in your original comment. That's what get me "excited" So Please don't do that again

The added benefit is a "new way" to qualify for e-channel registration if you don't like the word "shortcut". To be honest, is this an useful benefit to me? NO (esp I have a HKID ). But It will be if I can use similar kiosk in Japan. I would have gone through the immigration procedure and gone shopping at the airport instead of staying at the Sakura lounge during my transit

jamar

Really? Maybe you should name a few, because after asking my sister's boyfriend who flies into/out of HKG on a monthly basis (though from Shanghai and not anywhere in Japan) if you don't have HK residence you can only show the necessary arrival/departure stamps or have the qualifying FF program to get the Frequent Visitor status. Anything else would involve "opening back doors", which isn't an impossibility, I guess... Also, he's an HK resident, so he already gets access to all e-channels without having to go through all this and subsequently may not be paying full attention to non-resident methods for obtaining e-channel access, though it matches with what's on the Immigration Department website. Nothing other than those two methods if you're not an HK resident (well, you went and e-mailed the HKTDC; most people won't even think of doing that).

JALPak

I am interested to find out too. Maybe by showing a couple of issued tickets to HKG