[Anonymous]

[LPPSKrisflyer]

I’ve read comments from a few people over the last couple of weeks saying they value predictability and consistency when they travel and I started thinking do I.

I think I do and I started wondering what I like and why and I think I like things to be predictable to a point so that I know what is going to happen and that reduces the stress of travel, business and being away from home as I don’t have to expect the unexpected.

My travels take me mostly to south east Asia and Australia.

For flying, I’ve flown SIA for years and still do most of the time. Over 20+ years I’ve travelled with just about all the possibilities but I keep gravitating back to SIA. I know the schedules which hardly ever change, I know the products, I even know when the crew will smile at me in almost any encounter. When I get cross with them, it’s because they change things, well, cut things in reality and then I try out the competition for a while so I’ve also flown EK, EY, TG, CX, LH, LX, QF and BA.

I like CX a great deal but they have no F offering HKG-SYD which I don’t understand. I also like TG but there’s the issue of how old will the seats be today so I only use them occasionally and I’m usually very lucky with the hard product.

I will maybe use an alternative for four or five months and get tired of the offering and will gravitate back to Singapore Girl who I know will do her utmost to take excellent care of me and the surroundings will be well maintained both in terms of the standard of maintenance but also the toilets will be cleaned every time they are used, imagine BA crew cleaning the toilets so often, if they bother at all.

I also stay in predictable places. I generally use Shangri-La’s where they are available as I find I get very good service there. Again, I have a few alternatives so in Sydney, I might use the Four Seasons, in Singapore I might use the Fairmont which is actually in a much better situation business wise, in Bangkok I might use the Penisula which is an excellent hotel in all regards. In HKG, I also use the Peninsula if I don’t use the island Shang. In general though, I go back to the Shangs because I know the service and it’s predictable in much the same way as SIA are.

I guess it’s about familiarity and feeling safe and secure.

Am I alone or do we all really prefer our lives to be predictable in the things we can control?

[Binman62]

I would,agree that when travelling, even for leisure, but especially on business, the need for stability and regularity is paramount.
I do not mind un predictability on the ground (I travel to Indonesia so this is pretty much guranteed but not when flying.)

The point about SQ schedules is well made. They have had the 3 flights from SIN to LHR at the same time every day for years. You cannot say that about BA or QF.

[LuganoPirate]

I enjoy the predictability, in my case, of Swiss. I know by sight many of the lounge hosts in Zurich in both the Senator and F lounges as well as many of the crew, and they seem to remember me.

My main route is to JNB and on both arrival and departure I’m recognized and addressed by name, escorted through security and im/emigration and given assistance with my bags.

This makes flying a very pleasant experience and I noticed when I flew Qatar recently that I really missed all the fuss that was made over me.

Maybe that’s a bit egoistic to say but it’s the truth and I find myself missing my favourite airline when circumstances dictate I fly with a rival.

Same thing with hotels and even car rental. I stay frequently in the Mount Nelson in Cape Town and the Bellevue in Berne amongst others. Again I’m recognized by name, even if I’m just popping in for a tea or meal and not staying the night.

So yes, LPPS, I agree fully with what you say and perhaps this thread will strike a chord with many other “Road (Air) Warriors”.

[RichHI1]

I suspect my conversation with HT may have sparked your thoughts. I agree 100%. Everyone has different tastes and preferences, you find what suits you best (not perfectly) and then you hope to get that that every time. Allows you to focus on other things like your business or vacation or family visit. WHen things go wrong o the gorund you can vent your disappointment/annoyance by demandign a manager and then calling custoemr service, head office whatever is applicable for purchase or service that lets you down. In a plane you are stuck there, you cannot walk away, you cannot complain to head office, it just stresses you out, often more than is justififable. If I get what I expect even if it is not perfect I am a happy camper.

[Henkel.Trocken]

Indeed RichHI1!

I’m all for consistency in my travels whether they are for business or pleasure.

I fly with EK, EY, LH, LX mostly for business and the same three as long as they are going in my direction. I have been trying out WY a bit recently and they may become number one for the gulf and se Asia as they really are exceptional.

I tend to stay in Marriotts, it’s just familiarity and knowing what you will find.

What I detest is not having a clue what you are going to get hence much of my dislike of BA when you get excellence on one flight and curt indifference on the next coupled with overcrowded seats and food I wouldn’t eat by choice. I’ve even started to use the competition on short haul for the same reasons and been pleased with KL and AZ.

[dutchyankee]

I have to agree with all of you, I much prefer consistency and predictability. I also have to say that while I travel quite a bit, it is nothing like what you all seem to do, and I must admit, I am very jealous! I tend to travel with BA mostly, and while I agree with you HT regarding BA out of Heathrow (one day great, next a disaster) I do travel long haul with them from Gatwick to my home in Central Florida, very frequently, the team at Gatwick always excel. Polite, professional, lounge team great, remember me, crew on board always pleasant, and I have always received what I have paid for. I guess that is the benefit of a smaller operation at Gatwick, but there should be no excuse.

Within Europe, I fly Swiss often as well, and find them to be very predictable, professional, and offer a good service. Again, I feel I receive what I pay for. I wish I had the opportunity to experience the number of carriers that you all do, and greatly enjoy reading about them on this forum.

[CXDiamond]

I agree, consistency and predictability all the way.It certainly helps to reduce my stress levels.

I suspect the biggest cause of stress on my travels is LHR but like many people here, I have no way round it and have to deal with it at least once every six weeks. The people who commute short haul and use it several time each week have my sympathy. I suppose it is at least predictable, it’s always awful, in degrees I admit but it’s never a good experience. I always heave a sigh of relief when I clear the T3 shopping mall and head for the CX lounge, after that it’s not too bad but I only start to relax once on board and after take off I can feel the tension fall away. No other airport in the world does to me what LHR does.

Although I’m mostly a T3 user, I use T1 and T5 occasionally, T1 is not so bad but T5 has all the unpredictability of how will the BA staff behave today, will they be Jekyll or Hyde? You just never know until you encounter them and the persona can change very rapidly so to the person in front of you they may be foul and then pleasant to you or the other way around. At least if you have to fly with them they tend to be either pleasant or appaling and don’t tend to mix their behaviour when in flight. Anyway, enough of the main stresses.

I love to fly with CX who are for me predictable, they are not quite SQ, there’s a bit more warmth but the service is superb. I also like flying SQ, LH and LX again because the service is very good. I like TG service too but there is the issue of the seats on long haul. My one complaint about CX is the lack of F service HKG-SYD, I don’t understand it, on the occasions I fly to SYD from anywhere else with a carrier that offers F the loads are usually good.

In Hong Kong, I have my own apartment which is lovely and a real peaceful haven so I don’t have to engage to much with the frenetic life here. When I travel, I’m another one who prefers to stay in Shangri-La’s. The service is generally exceptional and Horizon Club staff are so well trained. I vow they swap notes between hotels because even if I go to one I haven’t been to before or for a long time, they seem to know what I want.

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