Personal Welcome from Qantas Customer Service Manager

[oz_mark]

That's when you sneer at them and hiss "Peasant!".

I think I may have been on the same flight as you once

 

[acampbel]

Folks,

[Digression]

My avatar is a bit of a hint, but just to make it clear ..... I really hate smilies. I am quite happy for people to be left in two minds whether I am being serious, sarcastic, or plain silly. In fact I try to be all three if at all possible. I also do a great line in mock indignation and the occasional devil's advocate.

In summary - I don't think these forums should be taken too seriously.

[/Digression]

Right .... game on.

I have no problem with customers getting what they paid for. When I see someone sitting in First/Business my first thought isn't "tosser", it's "lucky bugger". It doesn't matter whether they paid for it, are on company business, used points, or just fluked an ODU. And I assume that the cabin staff give them all great service regardless of how they got there. When I see someone in the QC I don't care how they got in and would expect the service to also be consistent.

My problem is when passengers that have paid similar fares for an economy seat are nevertheless divided into elites and plebs. A special hello to a frequent traveller who has achieved a certain status is no big deal and can be done without alienating the nearby passengers. But to provide special meals/drinks/amenities is against the spirit of the Y cabin, and grates with semi-regular flyers who also give their loyalty to Qantas.


Cheers,

Andrew

.

 

[serfty]

... But to provide special meals/drinks/amenities is against the spirit of the Y cabin, and grates with semi-regular flyers who also give their loyalty to Qantas. ...

I disagree, but that's purely up to me.

YMMV!

 

[simongr]

My problem is when passengers that have paid similar fares for an economy seat are nevertheless divided into elites and plebs. A special hello to a frequent traveller who has achieved a certain status is no big deal and can be done without alienating the nearby passengers. But to provide special meals/drinks/amenities is against the spirit of the Y cabin, and grates with semi-regular flyers who also give their loyalty to Qantas.


Cheers,

Andrew

.

Two issues - I don't quite understand the "spirit of the Y cabin" comment. You make it sound like everyone in Y is sat around a burning oil drums and huddling together to keep warm whilst sharing their tiny scraps of food to make even the weak survive the journey. From my travels in Y (yes I have a few long haul and short haul in Y) it seemed to be a scrum for seats with every man for himself - people willing to trample over their own children to ensure that they could get their maximum space in the overheads. If anything J has more of a community feel - well maybe a gentlemen's club where people may exchange the odd nod but are not trampling over each other for the overheads (probably as rose colour tinted view of J as yours of Y )

The second issue comes back to this "people paid the same so they should get the same benefits - this is not in place for a whole range of other benefits - lounge access, dedicated check in queues, preferred seating, extra luggage allowances. All of that is received at various levels within the QFF program and people who have paid the same or less or more receive differing benefits - I don't see why this one (being the extra headsets/food) etc. is any more devisive than the others. I have had filthy looks from some people in Y as I check in at the dedicated express check in counter - that is much more obvious than a quick hello on board.

 

[Yada Yada]

You make it sound like everyone in Y is sat around a burning oil drums and huddling together to keep warm whilst sharing their tiny scraps of food to make even the weak survive the journey.

Is he flying Tiger?

 

[ecomonytravel]

I was Platinum for years and have just been given Chairmans Lounge. Trust me the treatment is no different when your in Economy, I am amazed at how on some flights they treat you like god and on others they treat you like you owe them a living. Then you get the constant excuses, "Oh yes the CSM or SSM is meant to come down and welcome you but we are a bit busy" I turned up a few weeks ago for a flight from SIngapore to Melb and they did not even allocate me a seat. No on the other hand the staff in the First Class Lounges and CL are superb. They are the number one thing in QANTAS.

What to ask for?

the nice headphones = yes
a glass of french bubbly = yes
a nice blanket = yes
no food = yes please who ever east the food on a plane let alone the food in ecomomy

oh and also the emergency exit row = yes please

 

[JohnK]

What to ask for?

the nice headphones = yes
a glass of french bubbly = yes
a nice blanket = yes
no food = yes please who ever east the food on a plane let alone the food in ecomomy

oh and also the emergency exit row = yes please

Welcome to AFF!

I have absolutely no problem what so ever asking/pre-allocating exit row before the flight.

I also have no problem asking for noise cancelling headphones or drinks that are otherwise only avaialble to business class passengers. The worst that can happen is that they will say no....

 

[ecomonytravel]

Totally agree JohnK. if you don't ask you will never get. I also find taking the time to say hello to the CSM or SSM by name and showing them your boarding pass that says your Platinum or CL works wonders....

Pity I get treated better on Cathay than QANTAS on the planes on most flights...

 

[tuapekastar]

Folks,

I have no problem with customers getting what they paid for. When I see someone sitting in First/Business my first thought isn't "tosser", it's "lucky bugger". It doesn't matter whether they paid for it, are on company business, used points, or just fluked an ODU. And I assume that the cabin staff give them all great service regardless of how they got there. When I see someone in the QC I don't care how they got in and would expect the service to also be consistent.

My problem is when passengers that have paid similar fares for an economy seat are nevertheless divided into elites and plebs. A special hello to a frequent traveller who has achieved a certain status is no big deal and can be done without alienating the nearby passengers. But to provide special meals/drinks/amenities is against the spirit of the Y cabin, and grates with semi-regular flyers who also give their loyalty to Qantas.


Cheers,

Andrew

.

Agree wholeheartedly with the first para, but have no problem with high-status (I struggle a little with the term 'elite') passengers travelling in Y receiving a few extras because of that status (this coming from one who has never gone beyond the dizzying heights of QF Bronze). I can see how it may cause some confusion to surrounding pax (but probably not to frequenters of this forum!), but once they know why this is happening then it shouldn't be an issue for them.

 

[Hvr]

My problem is when passengers that have paid similar fares for an economy seat are nevertheless divided into elites and plebs. A special hello to a frequent traveller who has achieved a certain status is no big deal and can be done without alienating the nearby passengers. But to provide special meals/drinks/amenities is against the spirit of the Y cabin, and grates with semi-regular flyers who also give their loyalty to Qantas.
Cheers,

Andrew

.

I guess I'll pipe in here and respectfully disagree with you as well. If the passenger is worth that much to Qantas then it is up to Qantas to treat them anyway they want.

The other passengers are not getting anything less than they deserve, the passenger being greeted is getting more. A subtle difference but one I believe is at the core of this matter.

From my limited memory of observing this it is generally done in a discreet manner and the other pax usually wouldn't be aware that anything has occurred. If they do notice they would probably be aware by other signs that the pax is a frequent traveller.

 

[Febs]

I have no problem with what's been discussed so far, but this had me someowhat amused...

I also find taking the time to say hello to the CSM or SSM by name and showing them your boarding pass that says your Platinum or CL works wonders....

You'd actually call the CSM over and show them your boarding pass to ask for preferential treatment? Sorry, I just find that a tad hilarious. Sure, ask for something and let them look up your status on the manifest if you so wish...but flashing your boarding pass sounds very...wankerish to me.

(Sorry, I calls 'em how I see's 'em ).

Cheers,
- Febs.

 

[AnonymousCoward]

Folks,
My problem is when passengers that have paid similar fares for an economy seat are nevertheless divided into elites and plebs. A special hello to a frequent traveller who has achieved a certain status is no big deal and can be done without alienating the nearby passengers. But to provide special meals/drinks/amenities is against the spirit of the Y cabin, and grates with semi-regular flyers who also give their loyalty to Qantas.

I think this is a problem for QANTAS, not for WP (or any other status) flyers.

If these measures are grating with semi-regular flyers, it is up to QANTAS to evaluate their effect and discontinue the service. Not for status flyers to tell QANTAS how to run their business in the interests of other people.

 

[NYCguy]

I also find taking the time to say hello to the CSM or SSM by name and showing them your boarding pass that says your Platinum or CL works wonders....

Oh my goodness! Have any of them ever laughed in your face? I would.

The crew can determine who's who by examining the passenger manifest, and it is up to them to act (or not) on that information. Seeking them out with the sole intention of drawing attention to your FF status is simply vulgar.

 

[NM]

As someone who has chosen to forgo the QF Platinum status for the greener grAAs on the other side, I have no concern if the QF CSD makes a special welcome or not. So long as I am treated respectfully and the service delivery is as one would expect is aligned with an economy product, I am content.

 

[Ric]

Pity I get treated better on Cathay than QANTAS on the planes on most flights...

Now that you mentioned it.......totally agree on this statement!!!

Ric

 

[Commuter]

I once got a personal welcome from the CSM. But I didn't realise WHY I got singled out for it. Now I know

I could not think of any reason to be singled out, although I thought he might have been just saying hello because I was seated in the exit row and he happened to be nearby.

I'm not too fussed if they personally greeted me or not. I personally prefer to quietly hide because I just sleep a lot when I fly and I might embarrass myself by dribbling or something like that, and I would therefore sooner not be noticed or remembered.

 

[alect]

I have no problem with customers getting what they paid for.

My problem is when passengers that have paid similar fares for an economy seat are nevertheless divided into elites and plebs.

I suppose it depends on how you define "similar" - there will be a huge diversty of actual fares paid by those in the Y cabon - from full fare Y (which is pretty close to J fares) to deep discount Y which would be a fraction of that. Would you condone treatment of Y passengers differently depending on the Y fare they paid?

A special hello to a frequent traveller who has achieved a certain status is no big deal and can be done without alienating the nearby passengers. But to provide special meals/drinks/amenities is against the spirit of the Y cabin, and grates with semi-regular flyers who also give their loyalty to Qantas.

Part of the raison d'etre of frequent flyer programs is to encourage such "semi-frequent" flyers to become frequent flyers, occasional flyers to become semi-frequent flyers, etc.... A good and proven way of doing so is elite status which conveys certain additional benefits (examples provided by posters above) on higher elite level pax - why do you think FFPs send you material about what you could be enjoying if you just flew more and made it to the next elite level? So I think any airline would have no problem in visibly rewarding elite status pax and providing them with additional benefits in view of other pax. It not only encourages the "benefitee" to maintain status, but may also encourage other pax to ahiceve higher elite status.

Y (or any) cabin is not a commune - it's part of a transportation business aimed at maximising customer revenue.

 

[acampbel]

Two issues - I don't quite understand the "spirit of the Y cabin" comment. You make it sound like everyone in Y is sat around a burning oil drums and huddling together to keep warm whilst sharing their tiny scraps of food to make even the weak survive the journey. From my travels in Y (yes I have a few long haul and short haul in Y) it seemed to be a scrum for seats with every man for himself - people willing to trample over their own children to ensure that they could get their maximum space in the overheads. If anything J has more of a community feel - well maybe a gentlemen's club where people may exchange the odd nod but are not trampling over each other for the overheads (probably as rose colour tinted view of J as yours of Y .

Sorry - never experienced this in 100+ Y flights. Overhead space is tight at the best of times, but I've always managed to squeeze mine in within reach. But this is irrelevant to the discussion - the issue is treating Y travellers differently in a very public manner (I don't buy the "they'll never notice" argument).

The second issue comes back to this "people paid the same so they should get the same benefits - this is not in place for a whole range of other benefits - lounge access, dedicated check in queues, preferred seating, extra luggage allowances. All of that is received at various levels within the QFF program and people who have paid the same or less or more receive differing benefits - I don't see why this one (being the extra headsets/food) etc. is any more devisive than the others. I have had filthy looks from some people in Y as I check in at the dedicated expres check in counter - that is much more obvious than a quick hello on board.

On the way to KL I checked in at the Starclass counter in 5 minutes flat because I paid for it. On the way back to Sydney I will take my place in the economy queue because that is what I paid for. When I travel QF I go to the QC lounge because I paid for it. When I travel DJ I don't go to The Lounge because I didn't. As a semi regular traveller I usually get a forward(ish) aisle seat, but fully understand that more regular travellers are seated in front of me because of the ranking system. In the end an economy seat is an economy seat and someone has to get the slightly better ones. But if I'm sitting beside you in economy with sweet FA whilst you are plied with bubbly, special food, NC headsets, etc then I fecking well do notice and reserve the right to be peeved. The fact that you don't give a rat's cough about my feelings is of no surprise at all.

Anyway - I don't suppose you are getting the point as many others on this forum apparently aren't, so let's just agree to disagree and move on.


Cheers,


Andrew

.

 

[AnonymousCoward]

But if I'm sitting beside you in economy with sweet FA whilst you are plied with bubbly, special food, NC headsets, etc then I fecking well do notice and reserve the right to be peeved. The fact that you don't give a rat's cough about my feelings is of no surprise at all.

Anyway - I don't suppose you are getting the point as many others on this forum apparently aren't, so let's just agree to disagree and move on.

I think we do get your point.

What we are saying is that you are perfectly entitled to your opinion, but why should someone with status turn down bubbly because someone else's feelings (e.g. yours) might be offended?

What we are saying is that you should be directing your complaints/feelings -----> QANTAS

 

[ecomonytravel]

I have no problem with what's been discussed so far, but this had me someowhat amused...



You'd actually call the CSM over and show them your boarding pass to ask for preferential treatment? Sorry, I just find that a tad hilarious. Sure, ask for something and let them look up your status on the manifest if you so wish...but flashing your boarding pass sounds very...wankerish to me.

(Sorry, I calls 'em how I see's 'em ).

Cheers,
- Febs.

No worries might seem wankerish. but when you fly as much as I do overnight long flights in Economy, I do whatever I want to to be more comfortable. You know they are meant to welcome any PL or CL on the flight and come down and see you personally. To thank you for flying with QANTAS. There is a difference in how you ask someone for something extra and if you do it in a nice way and not a rude or arrogant way it works. So call me a wanker I have no problem with that at all. I'll remember that when I'm asleep with my Y class headphones, nice eye shades and nice and warm with the Y class blanket on me.. cheers