Buster CT1K

I have Exec Plat status and AS MVP 75K status. As between those two, I find that when I fly Alaska, I am regularly thanked by cabin crew for being 75K but on AA, I am very rarely recognized and thanked. In the past I have also been 1K on UA (good recognition) and Platinum on Delta (again, good recognition when flying mainline).

I wonder what makes AA unique -- is it that management has not trained crew to say a few words of thanks? Or that the guideline is there, but the crew are so demoralized that they don't bother with it. I have had really good AA crew who don't seem demoralized and otherwise do provide a good level of service but also made no effort to thank passengers for loyalty.

I will close by saying I don't particularly need to be thanked, and I really don't need any FTers saying that I need to change my life priorities or worry about something else etc. This is purely an observation and to invite other Exec Plats to share theirs. Thanks.

EXP100

Because AA has become (and all US airlines but probably more so with AA) a credit card mill that happens to get prospects by flying them from Point A to Point B. Ever notice certain FAs go on and on that "six passengers filled out a credit card application." With EXP you're just another face in the crowd.

Puzzles

I agree. Only recognized once so far this year. She got a recognition certificate from me for sure.

It's not a huge deal, but it feels nice to be recognized.

js1993

AA has the worst FAs of the airlines you listed, and they only became more emboldened during Covid when Doug Parker foolishly and inexplicably* let them decide if people could sip a drink or eat a cookie while onboard.

(*Well, he's married to a former FA. Maybe that explains it.)

cubbynole

FA did this on my ORD-CLT flight earlier this week. Envoy FA on PNS-MIA thanked every first class passenger individually (AND did a round of PDBs). It felt awkward having the FA on the ORD-CLT flight go down the manifest and skip passengers and thank some of them. I'm all for any extra benefits/recognition the airline can give to the most loyal/elite passengers, but it just seemed uncomfortable (I was seated next to an Ex-Plat and he awkward replied..."uh, okay")

fdog

Just once this year. The FA handed out 3 handwritten cards to pax in F (yours truly included in the count), which I presumed were EXP, So I have since used that as a mental benchmark of EXP numbers.

And yup, I gave the FA a thank you tag also.

All the best, James

enviroian

I've gotten a note earlier this year and verbal thanks while seated. It's a nice touch although I feel odd and a little awkward hearing it. Both instances is when I didn't get an upgrade and was in coach.

The verbal announcement was really nice and went something like "thank you mr enviroian for your business as an executive platinum" . After I quickly decoded this is what came out:

"Thanks for your business. We're sorry we didn't upgrade you as we sold it to Ken Kettle for $38."

GUWonder

Not so sure about that. There are some UA FAs who have been just as bad as the worst of what I’ve seen on AA. And the power-tripping skyrocketed back around Q4 2001 and thereafter when they used the “we are here for your safety” mentality, ushering in a period in which in-flight customer-service and empathy for customers took a nose-dive. Some of us remember passengers — even some EXPs — being denied bathroom use in-flight. The FAs were in charge of that too.

js1993

Well, we're talking about 2022, not 2001. There are good and bad FAs at every airline, but in the Covid era, AA's proudly and unapologetically did the least. (In fairness, maybe Delta should get a mention for being slow to bring back onboard service, but I don't recall their FAs being as strident about it.)

safari ari

Weirdly had the same thoughts recently. The last time I can remember being thanked was probably April of 2021, when I received a hand written note to boot.

jerseytom

And yet here we are making a post about it

I mean - I get it. It's nice to be appreciated. But ultimately what good does it serve here, as opposed to sending that feedback to AA?

bse118

Meh. I don't need the airline to thank me or make me feel validated. I need the airline to get me to my destination on time, reliably, and comfortably,


And besides my last name is so long it always gets cut off on the manifest, leading to rather awkward interactions when the FAs do try to greet me.

bgasser

I flew JFK-SNA in Flagship First and got a very nicely written card from the FA. I have no status with AA. I took the time to go on the AA website to recognize and thank the FA for the card and providing great service during the flight. Recognition and gratitude is a two way street.

jamabam

My flight this morning had two instances of a general announcement, “A special thank you to those Concierge Key and Executive Platinum passengers onboard.” No personal thanks though.

Uzzar

In my personal experience, this happens more regularly on Regionals than Mainline. Not sure what that says about the FA's, I have had good and bad across the board.