Is there an answer[to why some members promote their Status So?]

[Pushka]

My husband nearly cried in row 3 on Syd>Melb. So close but yet so far......

Last long haul I told him to walk to the far rear to remind him where our people come from...... he made it as far as PE, told the FA hes seen enough and came back. The FA laughed out loud.

Ok. The story I tell here of a friend's son who was around 13. Friend took a package from work and decided to take the family on a first class trip around the world. Son (in first class) went for a walk 'behind'. He came back a while later and commented on how crowded it was back there. But it turned out he hadn't gone back any further than business class! (See, I didn't use F, J and Y in my post. )

 

[beardoc]

(See, I didn't use F, J and Y in my post. )

I think that's the thing - there's what people would do themselves, but we should perhaps all consider that other people on a forum might have different ways of doing things. I try very hard to write First/Business/Economy rather than F/J/Y because I think it improves readability of what I write. I absolutely don't use those abbreviations when talking - you'll never hear the phrase "F Lounge" uttered from my lips.

But do I get upset when other people do it? No. I accept that it's a part of this forum and get on with the more interesting stuff. I don't deride other people for their choices.

I wonder perhaps whether that should be advice for this entire thread.

 

[Pushka]

I once said Y class to MrP. He isn't into AFF but he certainly benefits from it - got him WP by using it. (Ha ha, couldn't resist ). So for a while after that everything became 'is this Y or J etc etc).

Except a gold moment. Travelling on Cathay Business Class as Platinum from Hong Kong to Paris we were allowed to use the First check in. Five people standing there to attend to us, one approaches us (no desk) to take our passports, another walks over to take our luggage and gently glides them away. No luggage belt here.

He stirs me about AFF, F J and Y all the time but loves the consequences.

(Would have been a lot quicker to type this para as "travelling CX J, HKG to CDG as WP. )

 

[beardoc]

Except a gold moment. Travelling on Cathay Business Class as Platinum from Hong Kong to Paris we were allowed to use the First check in. Five people standing there to attend to us, one approaches us (no desk) to take our passports, another walks over to take our luggage and gently glides them away. No luggage belt here.

Partners of obsessive frequent flyers are on the best wicket. They get to fly Business or better in ways that most people can't even dream of, and all they have to do is endure some odd inexplicable comments from time to time ("My QFF anniversary is two months away and I still need 420SCs. I need to route to KTA via MEL, ADL and PER and then two YUPPs in the USA or we're not going to the F Lounge next year") and occasionally have their holidays in Honolulu and the Carribean.

 

[get me outta here]

Every group has it's acronyms, health, defence, airlines etc. I think all of us on here who are sufficiently obsessed, I mean interested, will persevere and it is a matter of expediency.

I don't have any status, as I don't pay for flights. I fly on points often gleaned from what I learn on here, and by helping my friends who don't have the same obsession, pay their bills.

 

[Pushka]

Partners of obsessive frequent flyers are on the best wicket. They get to fly Business or better in ways that most people can't even dream of, and all they have to do is endure some odd inexplicable comments from time to time ("My QFF anniversary is two months away and I still need 420SCs. I need to route to KTA via MEL, ADL and PER and then two YUPPs in the USA or we're not going to the F Lounge next year") and occasionally have their holidays in Honolulu and the Carribean.

Well yes. I need to ensure MrP is still WP next May for our US trip. Shame that the QF service ADL-AKL sucks so he tends to fly AirNZ.

 

[dmitri]

Back to the initial issue just for a moment, it's not just travellers/AFF'ers who promote status, airlines do it the best.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/airlines-piling-first-class-perks-103254883.html

 

[medhead]

To answer the OP, Nah, I'm just an arrogant pig, or so I've been told. Of course I prefer supercilious. Either way that's why my status is on display.

That's exactly what I was going to say. The answer I provide to a question might vary depending on the status of the asker eg "which lounge can I access"; the answer is going to be status dependent.

Or as I found out recently when planning work trips with collegues. Status explains why I don't mind getting to Asia via SYD and HKG with 3 to 5 hour transits at each port. forsome reason those guys wanted direct.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

The predilection of some members to mention and thus parade their high status in various airline and hotel programmes has bemused me for a full decade.

Why do they do it?

Sharing tips and being helpful to others without personal big-noting is laudable, but telling everyone that you're a platinum this or that is simply self-aggrandisement.

Any support for such an opinion is unlikely, but as you will see on the left, my opinion has been formed over more than ten years.

I see there are a number of pages in response and I haven't read them all yet, but there's a couple of good answers to your query.
1) DYKWIA (which on this forum is more paraded comically rather than genuinely, IMHO); and
2) The fact knowing about someone is a good basis to answer a question, offer a reply or even which terminology to use.

I've sometimes seen people here chastised for offering simplistic answers, but in all honesty, often the people who interact on this forum have no idea what the level of knowledge someone else has. An answer may be too simplistic and offend the asker or it may be too in-depth and equally offend the asker. At least by clarifying what your experience is by giving a status, people have an idea of what to answer or alternately how much credence to place in an answer.

Now let me ask you something. Aren't you guilty of what you accuse others, by not just parading your AFF tenure "status", but then "self-aggrandising" yourself by directing people to look to the left?

EDIT - I used to list my statii to the left of page, however some time ago I decide it was no ones business but my own. Frequent readers most likely know, give-or-take a bit, what status I hold but I am guilty of mentioning my status when answering a question as I know I don't list it. If that makes me self-aggrandising, then all I can say is........guilty, your honour!

 

[Pushka]

but I am guilty of mentioning my status when answering a question as I know I don't list it. If that makes me self-aggrandising, then all I can say is........guilty, your honour!

Like your handle doesn't?

 

[Danger]

The predilection of some members to mention and thus parade their high status in various airline and hotel programmes has bemused me for a full decade.

Why do they do it?

Sharing tips and being helpful to others without personal big-noting is laudable, but telling everyone that you're a platinum this or that is simply self-aggrandisement.

Any support for such an opinion is unlikely, but as you will see on the left, my opinion has been formed over more than ten years.

It's a forum for flyer and broader travel. I think it's par for the course. If we were on, say, a sporting lovers website we'd probably list the teams we were members of; if on a wealthy business people's site we might put our salaries; if on a dating website we might put our- well, you get the picture.

I can't speak for others but my status (which has been up and down over time) is displayed because it may affect an answer to a question I ask. I would also mention it in the question if I remembered to. No self-aggrandisement - it wouldn't cut it as a gold anyway when there are so many plats and above on the board.

It's more than that too. If someone asks a question about a possible flight they want to take, or a lounge they want to access but isn't specific about their location or current FFP status, then everyone needs to ask where they're from and what their status is before actually answering their questions. However, if a member has taken the time to list all this information in their profile, not to big note themselves, but to eliminate some of the questions, then the first post back can be an answer to the question

Very pertinent on this site when a very common question is 'I'm flying from Durban to Windhoek on SA. What are my lounge options?'

You have obviously done a great deal of thinking on the subject over those 10 years and have managed to phrase the question perfectly, so you might be disappointed in some of the replies. I (and here I am putting on my hat as a QF WP and an AC 75K Elite) note there is not a spare word to be had in the question. I (again, as a QF WP and an AC 75K Elite) detect some Jungian overtones in some of the replies though - no doubt they have mis-understood the question but I would forgive them for that (I think I can say that because I am a QF WP and an AC 75K Elite).

To your actual question, I (again being a QF WP and an AC 75K Elite) think the answer is obvious, but you have probably already worked it out.

BTW, who is going to win the footy next weekend?

Sorry, RooFlyer. What's your status? Ha.

I have added my statuses because . . . I enjoy my insecurity and delusion.

Me too. It's the only thing I have to brag about (yet, sadly, it doesn't actually impress any of my friends).

 

[MEL_Traveller]

At least by clarifying what your experience is by giving a status, people have an idea of what to answer or alternately how much credence to place in an answer.

lol... and how many times have we seen a platinum, on being told they can use the Cathay Pacific first class lounge in Hong Kong, respond with: 'are you sure?? we are flying qantas so can only use the qantas lounge'

Some elites have actually gone without lounge access in the states because they didn't know their qantas gold/platinum entitled them to AAdmirals Club access

 

[Groundfeeder]

Earth to Ekka - are you still here??

 

[burrco]

I'll soon be dropping to SG and my ego is understandably very anxious about this. Is there a grace period before one has to update one's profile status before the AFF enforcers are sent out?

 

[TheRealTMA]

Earth to Ekka - are you still here??

No, it seems we've all gone to YBBN now!

 

[Deleted member 29185]

lol... and how many times have we seen a platinum, on being told they can use the Cathay Pacific first class lounge in Hong Kong, respond with: 'are you sure?? we are flying qantas so can only use the qantas lounge'

Some elites have actually gone without lounge access in the states because they didn't know their qantas gold/platinum entitled them to AAdmirals Club access

I have no measureable QF status, so I can ask all the silly lounge questions!

 

[RooFlyer]

OK I'll bite whats YBBN ????

I think its just up the road from YMMV.

 

[R36snowbound]

I first got interested in FF and credit card points around 10 years ago, when I was in my late 20's. When I first met my wife, she asked what my interests are and thought I was a bit nerdy when I gave her an insight to the world of points.
We have been happily married now for 8 years and after more than 4 overseas trips to Japan, America, Europe etc in business or first and numerous domestic weekends away all on points, she thinks that my "nerdy" hobby is one of the best interests that I have,

I don't place my multiple platinum / gold tags on the outside of my carry on but I do on an "anonymous" FF forum..... why..... if a FF can't wear their strips on a FF forum, then where can they?

 

[Moody]

.. if a FF can't wear their strips on a FF forum, then where can they?

I'm far more interested in what they say than any AFFers details below their avatar. And if I had my way the 2-letter acronyms for (QFF) status would be WP, WG, WS and WB. We should all embrace our inner "W" and not take others' online personalities too seriously.

 

[TheRealTMA]

I think its just up the road from YMMV.

From today's newspapers, YMMV is Mooloolaba I believe?