San Gottardo

There are some "hard" privileges for HON, those that are listed in the "rule book", such as 24 hour booking guarantee, access to FCT, and so on.

I also remember how just one year ago there were also numerous "soft" benefits, but they all seem to have gone now:

• Whenever I flew in Y and the seat next to me was occupied, they invited me up front in C. Never had that again (having said that, only very few Y flights since this year)
• After boarding, Purser walking up to me + addressing me by name, asking if I need anything. LH doesn't do that anymore, LX does
• When traveling with wife (earned SEN), me in C and she in fully booked Y, in the past they would have upgraded her. Now my request to "sit together" results in downgrade for me
• When running a little late and security line is long, some LH staff would usher me trhough security (CDG, MUC for instance). No longer

No major things, I only notice how LH staff's enthusiasm has waned. Maybe too many HONs, or maybe a return to what is in German's genes: no extra service unless written down in a rule.

flysurfer

Lacking profound expertise in the genom analysis of German nationals, I feel under-qualified in discussing the scientific aspects of your post.

I can, however, confirm a similar trend regarding utterly worthless SENs (like me) flying LH First Class (like I do): For example, the optional PA for F customers (except for the FCT) is no more. In LAX, F pax won't be escorted to the luggage check-in anymore, there's no more TSA priority card, and nobody will pick up F pax at the (landside!) F lounge (the PA picking up the HONs will happily ignore non-HON F pax sitting in the very same lounge).

fradoc

You do not need genetic expertise, just a little stats or common sense... .
The OP noticed some "soft" perks disappear. OK, let's build a hypothesis based on the OP's obsevations @:-): "LH deliberately discontinued some existing, yet non-published privileges to HONs."
We may start a HON survey and check if there is evidence against the hypothesis, or the OP may send an inquiry to LH(-relate) (no survey needed*).
The question here is if those non-published benefits really existed and were either discontinued or they still exist (e.g., the u/g) but the conditions do not exist any more (b/c C fully booked). Anyway I am a lowly FTL and do not even know how fenebit, err... befenit is spelt...


* bearing in mind the other myths (SEN+, seatblock, A is award class ) probably also a survey of CSAs would be necessary

berenike

Similar experience here. The hype is gone...

fradoc

counting 2/2...

tcswede

Tough one - so and so experiences...
Last week in TXL on the way to STR in T on the 19:35. Was in time for the 18:35 - but was told € 200 plus for change - fine no problem.
Then the earlier flight turns out to be just about an hour late plus. Good I did not spend north of € 200. Then at 18:45 it shows that my flight equally will be late - I went to the podium to ask if that was for sure - saw it on the homepage arrival information. The lady confirmed that - and said wait - there are a few seats left on the earlier one - so she calls the gate and gets me on that one - in the end 0 min home earlier than expected ^ Kudos - great service.

Sitting right now in the FCT on the way to BKK - rather than driving up from STR -I took the connector - only Y fare available - end up on window is second last row - further front nothing available anymore with checkin an hour early.... Drink service aborted after first few rows of Y for lack of time...
Get to FRA 40 min late - go to F checkin area to get my BP - no more red - knew that - am simply given a plain BP - no envelope. She then tells me I still have time before the flight and on to the next pax - no would you like assitance with transport to the FCT. Walk over - am greeted by a chap - give him my plain BP - and he demands my card - I ask him whether it is neccesary - yes he needs to check if it is expired - I tell him that it should not matter as it still is a F BP - no dice.
Going through security - extremely friendly and polite ^ - LH should get those guys to run the FCT - as after 20 min waiting - I decide to go to the bar to get something to be further ignored for 10 min. Now I am waiting for my PA to tell me the flight is late - has been showing for 20 min now...

The FCT is certainly far away from the start.

On a side note for entry - do not go to the FCT if LH invites you to an event and your BP shows P1 - which in my case was R class as staff travel to come to FRA to fly the 747 (simulator) - great experience - actually absolutely fantastic ^^
but when going back to STR - I was sent away as staff has no admission - despite giving the PA the card - and it being confirmed that staff does not have the card....

So hit and miss - but overall the soft priviledges that I cherish most work still as a charm

Cheers

Thomas

berenike

Anything to contribute?

fradoc

No, I am just the neutral and unbiased (from the far distance of FTL-ness) observer.

flysurfer

Careful there!
This thread is reserved for royalty...
...and their jester.

Regarding the FCT, I have to agree it's a far cry from what it used to be in the beginning.
While everything is still there on paper, the enthusiastic dedication of the staff appears to have faded quite a bit.

szg

I think the FCT is a great Terminal. Never had only problem, which I can complaint when flying F. But of course, I am not a frequent user of this terminal.

flysurfer

Let's put it this way:
While the FCT still doesn't create any problems, its problem-solving capability has been reduced.

sentom

i have to agree with this as well! i used it all in all maybe 15-20 times since it opend and the staff commitment to excelent service is definitely gone...

too bad actually, i hope enough people will let them know...

andre1970

Excellent point.

Actually, the very success of the program ("huge", as LH likes to market it - and I accept it) is likely to contribute big-time to the dilution of HON perks, especially the unpublished ones. It's just simple arithmetic: In order to serve an increasing number of HONs and F pax, the LH staff in the FCT must now standardize procedures -> depersonalize service. The FCT was never meant to be the ...FRA analogue of "Hollywood & Vine" regardless of the way it was sold in the brochures 3 years ago, or the way it was fossilized into some people's wishful thinking...

The extended marketing campaign through which it was promoted had similar effects through a different channel: People start taking seriously the brochure blurb and actually expect to be treated like (what they perceive as) "royalty". That renders them even more demanding in terms of the expectations they have from the staff who everyday face people with (inherently) overly inflated egos, anyway.

I don't know what is the performance-based incentive scheme those employees adhere to, nor do I know how often they "go the extra mile". What I do understand though, is that when customers feel they are entitled to that extra attention, they are less willing to provide positive feedback. And that destroys any performance-based schemes...

sentom

a waiting time of 30mins to be served is neither First Class nor very HONourable. information about delayed flights not being passed on by a PA falls into the same category. that certainly has to do with the increasing number of HONs and F pax, but it never seemed to me that they are understaffed at the FCT. so i dont see the problem really...

what i ment was more the staff attitude that has been going downhill, and in a facility like that, it should not matter, whether they serve 10pax a day or 100 pax a day.

its not too much to ask i think...

andre1970

Don't expect me to disagree! But this is still a value judgement of yours and others' (which I happen to share) and not a possible explanation of why those guys in the FCT may be slipping. I deliberately avoided value judgements in my post, seeking to only identify factors that might have contributed in the (alleged) discrepancy between their performance "before" and "now".
As andre1970 I'm with you and with the rest of the bunch, including the OP. But I refrained from using any shoulda-woulda-couldas in my post.

As an aside, I'll have to say that I'm particularly happy that thanks to the OP fradoc finally topped 1K posts . And I dare say that I'm fairly confident about Thomas the cswede getting beyond 1700 posts in the not-so-distant future Congrats gentlemen!