[BigDog.]

Maybe worth starting a new thread for NNoah or noting it on a couple of other threads when appropriate.

[NNoah16]

I’ll create a seperate thread for it

[IanFromHKG]

Cedric_Statherby, I entirely understand your frustration with the BAEC over family access. As I have mentioned previously on other threads, I consider myself very fortunate that my home airline (BA’s oneworld partner, CX) take a much more liberal attitude. As a Diamond member (equivalent to BA Gold) I am entitled to take two guests into the First Class lounge. I *always* turn up with my whole family when we are travelling together (as I have two daughters, that means one person over the limit) and I have *never* heard even the faintest suggestion that this will be a problem, we are simply waved in.

I understand some Star Alliance airlines have a policy of X number of guests but with a caveat that the privilege also extends to immediate family members – very very sensible, if you ask me. Shame that more airlines don’t do the same.

[Inquisitive]

Majdi, from your post, it looks like you do not travel by east Asian airlines like SQ or CX. They really treat their F passengers or FFP very well. I was SQ PPS/solitaire member for a 5 years period (now downgraded due to lack of that kind of traveling), and I was always recognized from the moment I board the aircraft and until I disembark. Even when I travelled economy, the flight supervisor will find me and have a short chat and will ask if I need anything. For PPS club members, SQ will send Kris shop vouchers each year during renewal of membership and I used to give them to my kids for any inflight shopping.
Try SQ, CX, Malaysia in F, you will not regret when you get top tier FFP.

[MajdiAlAyed]

Inquisitive, you are right I dont travel very much with the East Asian Airlines. I have done a few trips this year on Cathay Pactific and SQ. I do have a Silver Status on Star Alliance although most of my travel takes me to Europe or inside the Middle East so it’s going to be hard to build that sort of tier with any of them.

I just find it so disapointing that our regional airlines win many of the International awards and are not shy about it at all yet they seem to forget that there is an important category or slice of passengers that are giving them lots and lots of business.

I like the post above on the future lab that BA is doing and this is definitely a sign of BA wanting to listen to their passengers.

In my 8+ years of being top-tier on quite a few regional carriers, I have not once been invited to share my thoughts on what I or people as frequent travelers as I look for in a program or airline.

[MajdiAlAyed]

Speaking of listening to customers.

If anyone reads the actual BT magazine, you will notice that there are a couple of pages early on in the magazine that are usually about customer complaints and very rarely praises. Then after each one of those comments, you get the standardized “copy and paste” reply from the airline which just goes to confirm that they are not actually listening to us but merely just cutting a paragraph from some manual they have on file to satisfy themselves that they have responded.

Does anyone think any of the airlines are reading what kind of conversations are going about in these threads? If they did and wanted to do something about it, we should have surely started seeing some changes and enhancements.

It’s time that these airlines shift their focus and priority from the multi million $ investments on useless sponsorships and spend a fraction of it on the actual people that are making them money in the first place.

[JamesMoloney5]

Like LuganoPirate, I have Gold status with only one Alliance and that is with Star Alliance. However, with my home airline (Thai Airways) I am a Platinum member. At the outset I made a conscious decision to remain loyal to Thai as much as I possibly could and to fly only Star Alliance members when not possible to fly with Thai.

Platinum status was created in 2010 for those who fly at least 100,000 miles every year in Business or First (revenue tickets!) and it attempts to do what the OP is looking for…..to make the premium passengers feel that they are valued by the airline.

There are 2,400,000 ROP members of which 50,000 are Gold and 3,400 are Platinum.

Perks are use of the F lounge at any airport where Thai have their own F lounge and a guest can join also, regardless of class of travel. Higher bonus percentage miles are another perk, as are double the number of annual free one-class upgrades as well as double the number of 50% discounted redemption vouchers, that are given to Gold members.

Obviously, going straight to the top of the waiting list is very useful (and has been a great benefit to me on busy routes like BKK-CGK) and the fact that, when the flight is not full, the adjacent seat is kept free.

Recognition by name on boarding is quite common now and most of the time I am asked for my meal choice before anybody else.

I fly my kids from Ireland to Bangkok a couple of times a year in Business Class and this is the main use of my points. I put my bum on a Thai seat on average for 160,000 miles a year and I add another 400,000 miles a year with my Citibank credit card so I get fantastic use of the redemption facility.

Also, being able to start making use of the 2013 one-class upgrade vouchers and the 50% discount vouchers now, from October onwards, is a good perk, giving me a two month start on Gold/Silver members.

Compared to the feedback from BAEC/AVIOS members here, I find it incredibly easy to get long haul redemption seats at short notice, and I also used to find the same when I was “only” a Gold member.

I recognise that I am flying in Premium cabins most of the time but I can save a lot of money by buying Business Class and actually flying in F almost every time.

I agree that limo transfers, and the fantastic Thai F class arrival service would be a great boon to me when only traveling in Business Class but, all told, I have to admit that Thai have put together a very nice package of benefits for their top tier customers.

It has certainly earned them my loyalty so it would seem to be a win-win situation both for passenger and airline.

[LuganoPirate]

Ian, *A Miles and more policy for Senator is one guest if flying on same flight and children under 18.

[Senator]

I find that SAS and most LH Group airlines are quite flexible in regards to families.

[Author]

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