[Swissdiver]

During one or two years during the last decade, I failed to achieve the BA Executive Club Gold status. So it seems this year marks the 10th anniversary of my Gold recovery.

On a flight to LCY this week, I was handed over a letter… It was handwritten and signed by all crew (included pilots, I guess, since 5 persons signed, and it was aboard an E190). Basically it congratulated me for being gold for 10 years and hoped I will keep my status for another decade. Meanwhile the purser thanked me for my loyalty.

Two days later, I talked to the BA commercial manager in Geneva at a BSCC event. He never heard of something similar and was rather surprised. Is it a SOP (standard operational protocol) or a personal initiative (which would be a very nice gesture)? Have you experienced something similar?

[capetonianm]

What a lovely gesture, I’m sure you will keep that letter with pride. It is heartening, for once, to read something good about BA, and they certainly need the positive publicity.

I’ve not heard of anything like this before although when I was ‘Senator’ with Lufthansa I always used to get a personal greeting and sometimes when travelling in F or C my name was written on the menu card in a neat Teutonic script.

[handbag]

Unless this was something new that I have not heard of, I think this was the Crew taking initiative. I have been WW for 32 years and have never known of this happening. Think this is a lovely touch. p.s. Perhaps I should say was. Did my last flight this week and now on part time before I officially leave at end of June.

[rferguson]

Swissdriver we’ve been loaded a number of blank cards onboard that we can use to ‘surprise and delight’ customers. It’s usually used for a scenario where it’s brought to our attention that it’s someones birthday/wedding anniversary etc etc.

The senior crew member will have a number of ‘Personal recognition messages’ to deliver verbally on each flight. Such as welcoming a customer to silver/gold tier, welcoming them to executive club, even welcoming them back after a long break from BA. In your instance i’d imagine the senior crew members iPad had a message to deliver to thank you for your ten years of loyalty and the crew member took the initiative to put pen to paper.

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Swissdiver

[BA789]

[quote quote=869789]Unless this was something new that I have not heard of, I think this was the Crew taking initiative. I have been WW for 32 years and have never known of this happening. Think this is a lovely touch. p.s. Perhaps I should say was. Did my last flight this week and now on part time before I officially leave at end of June.[/quote]

Thanks for the update!

[esselle]

What a lovely gesture.

Travelling in BA F and my wife discretely mentioned to the CSM that it was my birthday. She replied she would mention it to the crew and ensure I was “spoilt rotten”.

From then on, not a flicker of recognition.

[CathayLoyalist2]

Four years ago when returning with CX from LHR to SIN via HKG after the university run for our youngest daughter we were a) both upgraded to Business and b) as we were passing over Moscow the Inflight Services Manager and another crew member presented me with a card to say thank you as I has passed the 3,000,000 million miles mark. The card was signed by flight deck and cabin crew alike and I could feel the ” who is this guy” remarks permeate through. The point being it costs nothing yet the impact was huge.

[FDOS_UK]

A very nice gesture – I wonder if it is a Cityflyer thing, as they were operating the flight?

Nonetheless, a great piece of customer relations that costs very little and means a lot.

[nevereconomy]

That was a very nice gesture – cannot say I ever had a flicker of appreciation in all my Gold Years, except on CX!!!

[openfly]

It must be a standard 10 year Gold gesture. As I entered the LGW lounge a couple of months ago I got a mumbled congratulations from the lady on the desk. My reply was “thanks, what do I get for it?” Reply “nothing!”.
Yup, says it all….

[FaroFlyer]

RFerguson’s comment makes me realise that was probably what happened to me about 5 years ago. This would have been about when I achieved 20 years of BA Gold. I was sitting in front row of Y in seat C, and just before take off the Purser came to me and asked if I was travelling alone, which I was. He then asked me if I would like a bit more space as the back row of Club was empty.

Another occasion, this time with CX on the Friday night homebound, I was boarding and the gate agent said: A seat change for you sir. Lucky number. I was bumped up from C to F and noticed that my boarding number was 88. Has this happened to anyone else out of HKG?

[LuganoPirate]

A very nice gesture. A few years back I had the “Maitre de Cabine’s” card next to my seat on Swiss F, addressing me by name and wishing me a pleasant flight. A very nice touch and I still have the card!

[CathayLoyalist2]

As a Diamond member with CX every flight I have taken in the past 5+ years regardless of the class of travel they place a little card on the meal tray saying “welcome back and thank you for flying with us”. It is signed by all the crew members looking after that cabin. Again a nice touch. The point is it isn´t difficult to do yet for some airlines the little things do not matter.

[FDOS_UK]

[quote quote=870029]As a Diamond member with CX every flight I have taken in the past 5+ years regardless of the class of travel they place a little card on the meal tray saying “welcome back and thank you for flying with us”. It is signed by all the crew members looking after that cabin. Again a nice touch. The point is it isn´t difficult to do yet for some airlines the little things do not matter.[/quote]

1p per card x 5 million pax = £50,000. Much better that is trousered by an exec.

[TiredOldHack2]

[quote quote=869800]Travelling in BA F and my wife discretely mentioned to the CSM that it was my birthday.[/quote]

I remember the first time we took Number Two Daughter long-haul in CW (EZE to LHR), and I quietly mentioned to the steward (do they still call them that?) that it was her first taste of Biz. “Oh, big deal, then?” he asked.

“Oh yes.”

“We’ll take care of her.”

And they did. When we got off the plane she was jabbering away about how wonderful it had been and how the cabin crew were fantastic (“They kept bringing me drinks and things!”). Just a little thing, but it makes such a difference and it has probably instilled a loyalty to BA at an early age (19, I think it was).

We’re taking her CW to Durban for a safari holiday at the end of October. That’ll only be her second long-haul flight in CW.

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