chris flyalot

Thanks for all your positive feedback - will try to write more of these (positive and negative)

Robbiedeluxe

A new EBP perk? Interesting! I guess while Diners Club is one of few credit card companies who doesn't really offer Concierge Service for their top-tier customers, it does makes sense for SK to offer complimentary Concierge Service for EBP/Diners Club cardmembers...?

miikka

In Finland DC has Concierge Service for their top-tier customers along with some additional benefits.

SK_RSJ

Yes.

brm

haven't seen this in Norway, tho

chris flyalot

Hope you had a great experience on your trip, looking forward to hearing all about your trip :-)

I now have my second SK IC flight as Pandion scheduld for next week - hoping for a better trip, but doubt it. I have been on waitlist for the Sunday flight for 10 days, Y+ or anything (except C), but no luck. This means I have the pleasure of spending (wasting) an extra day in DK - due to the holiday ...... EBP is not working very well for me

SK_RSJ

Unfortunately the TYO trip was postponed, so my first longhaul will actually be ARN-EWR-ARN in V- and B-class later this May.
This week I am stretching it with a bunch of ultra short hauls as I found out the IATA "CIF" fare is slightly cheaper than SKs own "CSEFLEX" ARN-CPH. And the IATA one allows any routing within a given mileage, so instead of two roundtrips ARN-CPH I am now actually doing 8 segments via GOT. Puh!
Will give me 12000 points instead of 6000 points. Don´t mention it to my wife please. And as mentioned in another thread the Cimber Air flights are really a pleasure given the so lovely ladies working the cabin. ^ A pity the CPH-GOT is only 25 minutes.
GOT lounge today didn´t recognize my Pandion card (staff is outsourced as ARN). But they did let me in with a kind of "OK, sir it´s OK for this time". Ha Ha.
No problem to use the CPH lounge upon arrival (twice). Lovely staff there as always.
Pandion recognition is really poor, but I guess it is already poor with EBG and Pandion just makes it more obvious.

A-340 GOT

Amazing SK cant inform their outsourced staff about both EBP & HON, a HON apparently got zero treatment/recognition in GOT being HON , and the same with EBP . GOT Lounge staff usually is quite friendly though.

I must have missed these cimber discussions, what's the deal with them know ? I usually try to avoid the CRJ-200s...

SK_RSJ

The CRJ flights have actually been great. Before starting to route ARN-GOT-CPH I tried to find combinations with SK mainline flights (SK Denmark Mad Dogs), but after I have tried the Cimber flights thrice this week (have another tomorrow) I am all in. This morning I was running lika a >mad dog< from the ARN flight arriving at gate 13 (domestic) to catch the earlier Cimber flight to CPH and I made it - and is was worth it. Depends obviously on what you value the most on a 25 min flight. The croissant is the same if you know what I mean.

SK_RSJ

Better late than never I have now completed e few long haul segments in M and Y on SK as EBP. As noted previously EBP on short hops is nothing to write home about. A few snapshots:

-ARN checkin. Going M-style to EWR. As reported earlier op-up to Y was taken care of prior to check in which was great. To be honest it has actually happened to me twice before (DXB and EWR) and given the overbooking of M on this flight I guess Y wasnīt a problem for any EBG or maybe even EBS. At the CI desk the agent turns to the flight manager of 903 doing some paper work on the side saying "Here is our Pandion!" and the FM turns to me saying: "I gave you Y today". That is at least recognition. I asked to get C and had to use points. The CI agent handed me the BP and said "Now you can use the lounge!" Heck, I donīt even have to fly *A to use the lounges.

-ARN gate. They still offered 2 point upgrades to C at the gate, no one would take them, but all seats was full when boarding completed. Noted that they reseated a lot of pax in Y to free up the middles ^ Could mess it up if you are travelling together on different PNRs but a nice thing to do still.

-On board, A330, UG to C. Nice flight but no sign of EBP awareness what so ever. Was checking the manifest while alone at the galley and this is what it said:
c-class: 1 VIP/Linklaters. 1 EBP/UG (me). 3 EBG (paid). 1 LH*G (paid). 1 US*G (paid). 1 EBS/UG. 2 EBS (paid). Misc: 9 UG (no status)
y-class: 11 UG
m-class: donīt remember...
The manifest does list all upgraders but doesnīt state if op-up or paid for with points.

-EWR check-in. Travelled in paid Y this time. Asked CI staff about possible upgrade to C but they answered in a rude manner that I should have come earlier (was well ahead of flight with BN1 from OLCI). They couldnīt care less about EBP. Got fast track sticker obviously, but I guess it comes with the Y-ticket anyhows.

-EWR lounge and gate. Very rude staff when I was inquiring about the possibility to use points for C. Maybe they are fed up with EBPs at this station or something. Swedish princess Madeleine was in C on this flight, maybe that stressed the staff. Singer Carola was stuck in M.

-On board, A330, paid Y. Zero, zero, zero EBP recognition. They run out of blankets (night flight) for the Y-cabin. They got a few extras from C (the blue ones) but didnīt manage to get me even the M-style red one. Oh well. For dinner I actually asked (in a nice chatty manner) if by any chance they would cater for a glass of C-red wine for a EBP this evening. The purser didnīt get it. I guess I will stop and give friendly hints on service basics from now on.

Conclusion: Recognition is amazingly low, makes you really wonder why they run the EBP thing from the beginning. I would imagine that the purser could have a quick look at the flight manifest and take note of VIP and EBP the least. How hard can it be? Why do they print those things on the manifest if no one takes note? LH will at least offer C-menu on a regular basis to HON stuck in M.
Advantage of EBP is when contacting CR or member service, they really respond quickly. But how ironic the core product, checking in and actually flying, is malfunctioning so badly.
Guess we all know this goes most of the time for EBG too, but with EBP you kind of expect something little extra here and there. Maybe I was completely mistaken, sorry about that SAS.

A-340 GOT

Thanks for the well written update, interesting to read. And really sad to read that as you write recognition at check in & onboard is that bad. For EBG of course it has been non existing for a long time.Hopefully they will read this and also ask for your personal opinion as well. This is not especially good PR for SAS, I will probably never reach EBP, but depending on travel pattern I would really by all efforts go for HON instead of EBP. Of course then I´d have to route all travel more ore less via Germany. Hopefully the staff on IC flights will get a big note to actually look at the fligh manifest and remember VIPS, and even more important in my opinion EBP ?!

Quite amazed they could not offer EBP on return in payed (IC) Y upgrage to C...

Fredrik74

This may have been due to that other passenger.

This doesn't change that there apparently are problems with SAS recognition of their most loyal and profitable customers. That sucks really. I will never reach EBP either but would expect them to treat these customers better.

I wonder if Carl Bildt is a Pandion because he sure got recognition when he travelled on the same flight as me earlier this year. His aides/bodyguards got the same recognition. Somehow I think that counts more with the SAS staff.

Bjornstrom

I had expected more also, it's actually pretty sad. Nice to hear the reports from "the black side" SK_RSJ!

miikka

Sorry to say but I was pretty sure that SAS would fail also on EBPs just like they have failed with EBGs for a long time. I got much better recognition with my EBG onboard LH in M (really cheap ticket) lately than EBP onboard on SAS. Quite funny actually if it wouldn't be that sad at the same time.

Oh well, SAS IC flights are pretty bad anyway these days, I would personally recommend LH longhauls for any EBG. I don't know why I have tried to avoid them but my last flight with them actually proved that I have been totally wrong with LH. They are just superb. I am actually looking forward for my return flight from CAN with them.

henry999

We understand, of course, that as P you have lounge access. What I don't understand here is what the CI agent was thinking. Unless the rules have been changed, last time I checked a points upgrade to C (by itself, if you are not *G) does NOT afford lounge access, just as it does not give extra baggage allowance, etc.

cheers,

Henry