Originally Posted by robert4travels (Post 18228927)

From a Dutch DL Silver based in the US who travels now and then through AMS (3 times the last 3 months), this is my personal experience and my take on this:

As a DL Silver I get at Delta, and also Skyteam Elite members get this:
- Priority check in
- Priority boarding AFTER Skyteam Elite Plus members
- Extra free luggage allowance
- Slim chance on US domestic complementary upgrades

At DL hub airports like JFK and ATL priority check in is at dedicated Silver / Skyteam elite desks, separate from SkyPriority desks. At non-hub DL airports these two separate check-ins are lumped into one and silvers can check in at the SkyPriority desk. I have never been refused priority check in anywhere in the US or abroad on DL or KL as a DL silver. So I don't think FB silvers have anything to fear here.

What I do not get at DL:
- Priority luggage handling (but sometimes agents do it anyway)
- Priority security lines (but on non-DL hub airports with non-DL personnel they sometimes direct you to the priority line anyway)

Skyteam Elite members get on any Skyteam airline:
- Priority check-in
- Priority boarding

And this is much more than Star Alliance "silvers" get, and a reason for me to stick with Skyteam (DL and KL) with my flying that consistently keeps me on the Silver level. There has been a lot of complaining on the DL board about lost benefits for DL silvers but I'm fine with mine.

Now every Skyteam airline is free to give extra benefits to their own elites, and to Skyteam elites from their other partners. Example: Skyteam elites receive complimentary domestic US upgrades on DL after DL elites have been accommodated. So KL is free to continue to offer priority security to FB silvers. The fact that they will continue to offer that at AMS for FB silvers (as per Gajan's post, thank you for that!) is huge, as this is a great benefit. So in that regard I don't think FB silvers stand to lose much with Sky Priority. The only benefit they might lose is priority luggage handling (if that was even offered before?).

And in any case, on other airports than AMS, with non-KL unknowing personnel, just as is the case on non-hub DL airports in my experience, a FB silver still might get priority security and luggage handling as well.

I personally enjoyed very much priority security at AMS as a Skyteam Elite, especially at flights to the US where there are always long lines for the gate to go through security into the holding pen. (It's less the case at passport control or passport-security if you arrive from a non-Schengen flight and transferring to a Schengen flight, the regular lines are mostly not that long anyway.) I did notice though that priority boarding out of the holding pen is hit and miss, and priorities are sometimes not enforced.

I just hope that at AMS priority security will also be offered to Skyteam Elites (DL silvers) as well. My expectation is that it will, especially if you fly on KL as it will show "Elite" on your KL boarding pass and security agents won't know the difference probably. But no doubt I will find out the next time I travel through AMS.

If after Sky Priority is introduced at AMS and Skyteam Elites are refused at priority security and passport control, please post this in this thread. I will be watching.

Originally Posted by Gajan (Post 18222436)

I was at Schiphol 2 weeks ago and the Sky Priority check-in is being build is across from the ticket counters.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg141...jpg&res=medium

Originally Posted by KQ321 (Post 18231438)

[*]It says "Priority at immigration and security" without mentioning any restrictions (hopefully this means that E+ in Y at locations such as LHR/T4 will get priority through security again...)[/LIST]

Originally Posted by Gajan (Post 18231856)

To be honest, since BA left T4 queues for security have not been to bad IMHO so the added benefit may not be that significant (unless my flights have been outside the busy period;))

Originally Posted by KQ321 (Post 18233956)

Which is a shame, because generally I think SkyPriority is a good concept, and I also appreciate SkyTeam's efforts to harmonise such things across the alliance).

Originally Posted by KQ321 (Post 18233956)

I would generally agree with you, but I nearly missed a flight a few months ago, when I spent a long time in the landside cafe, thinking I could get through the 'normal' security line quickly - only to discover there was a massive queue (mainly of holidaymakers, who weren't used to airport security procedures at all, which made it all even slower...)

More to the point, if they're going to give fast-track immigration/security at some airports to F/J passengers, but not to E+ in Y, it seems to undermine the aim of SkyPriority to "consistently deliver priority services to premium passengers"... (Which is a shame, because generally I think SkyPriority is a good concept, and I also appreciate SkyTeam's efforts to harmonise such things across the alliance).

Originally Posted by KLflyerRalph (Post 18229620)

Great post! ^

FYI, on your BP it is written "Flying Blue Silver Elite" not just "Elite".

Originally Posted by johan rebel (Post 18232535)

New e-mail just in:

"[COLOR="Blue"]Ons eerdere bericht had niet verzonden mogen worden

Originally Posted by Gajan (Post 18239102)

I received this e-mail too. Would be good if FB got their e-mails in order. It is somewhat frustrating that they seem to make similar mistakes quite often.:td:

Originally Posted by Gajan (Post 18239102)

It is somewhat frustrating that they seem to make similar mistakes quite often.:td:

Originally Posted by Gajan (Post 18239102)

I received this e-mail too. Would be good if FB got their e-mails in order. It is somewhat frustrating that they seem to make similar mistakes quite often.:td: