Platinum sitting in economy - Do the airlines pay extra attention to us?

[Ekka]

On nearly all of my International flights as WP I've had the CSM come and say hello, ask if I need anything to which I normally reply 'a proper glass of chardonnay would be nice', plus I've been given PJ's including ones from First Class for the family when I ask politely (I'm too tight to pay for PJ's when I can get them free) and once or twice had the seat or entire row blocked out beside me (at check in) if the flight wasn't too full.

Doesn't really happen on Domestic unless the crew recognise me.

Stef

Should they?

 

[Happy Trails]

This is what they (QF) are supposed to do:

Recognise Chairmans Lounge, Platinum One and Platinum
Frequent Flyers, Emirates IO and Platinum Skywards members,
and thank them for their ongoing loyalty.
Prioritise these customers for meal choice.

 

[AbsolutelyAnything]

Should they?

You'd kind of think if you are WP or above and they acknowledge you on international then they would do the same on domestic.

Stef

 

[PineappleSkip]

I've found the whole shadow thing pretty shadowy. I mostly travel mid morning and late evening, which flights are often less full. Strike rate on vacant adjacent middle seat pretty good unless the flight is pretty full. I usually check the seat map before boarding and sometimes the magic X appears in the middle seat, other times the seat is just vacant.

Nice when the vacant seat next door happens though. Apart from that, occasional nice things, but far more kowtows on CX and EK than on QF.

cheers skip

 

[milandro]

I am a complete unbeliever in the concept of a "shadow". It is true that as a WP or P1 you can select seats that are not available to most in pre-selection. Thus, the other flyers who select seats are likely to be initially WP etc and wont choose to be seated beside another pax by choice - hence the appearance of many empty seats between pax in these prime areas. When the plane is not full, these empty seats remain and thus you have your glorious shadow But they are, in my opinion, just a myth.

I have never ever seen, EVER, any Qantas reference to such a concept. We on AFF love to beleive that they are there, and we even get peeved when said shadow does not "stick". I have seen that on many flights I can select a seat that is otherwise blocked (as seen on expert flyer or similar). But these are usually because I can get whatever seat, including bassinet positions. So if you can jag one of these you may see on certain sites that the seat beside you is blocked. But I am willing to bet my left test__cle that these are things that are not about shadows

Half the time the shadow gets occupied by a late comer with zero status........ A product of different seating parameters as a flight gets near to departure.

I've had a few occasions both as WP and WP1 where the agent on the booking line has openly referred to keeping the middle seat vacant for me and it has come to pass. Same goes for cabin crew.

Similarly I've seen colleagues without status dive into the up front seats when the unfilled ones are released 72 hours before departure. I assumed they'd only been able to select the front seats on the basis there were no WP people travelling...

 

[JW]

QF - NO, not much, especially on some sectors like say SYD/SIN as they prob have a lot of elites. Usually a welcome back, anything you would like etc. Occasionally its way over the top and embarrassing, frankly (example bringing a handwritten card/note or similar or loudly welcoming). My pref it to be recognised but VERY discretely so others do not know

Generally Qatar and Emirates will upgrade as they are prob trying to poach. QF never has upgraded, ever Finnair, and other oneworld hardly ever recognise (ie. no welcome back etc) so assume they don't even look/know or care apart from their own elites. Finnair even have reserved seats in their lounges (which is nice as its often full) which non AY cannot use

 

[RooFlyer]

Welcome to posting on AFF @J Wij

 

[juddles]

I've had a few occasions both as WP and WP1 where the agent on the booking line has openly referred to keeping the middle seat vacant for me and it has come to pass. Same goes for cabin crew.

Similarly I've seen colleagues without status dive into the up front seats when the unfilled ones are released 72 hours before departure. I assumed they'd only been able to select the front seats on the basis there were no WP people travelling...

milandro, yes, same here - but I believe that those sorts of seat blocks are separate to a possible "shadow" - the latter being an automated process that tries to keep seats free next to high status pax.

My understanding and experience of those "manually" blocked seats is that they are much more likely to "stick" and not get overridden. Whereas my suspicion is that any "true" shadow blocking (the automated variety) lose any force some time close to departure, hence no-status pax getting put in them.

Unfortunately we have no Qantas insider expert on this particular topic, which does allow us to all keep guessing on how it actually works

 

[milehighclub]

The 737 does have seating requirements depending on the load and would require seats towards the front be used, even if there are vacant seats at the back.

 

[ish]

My understanding and experience of those "manually" blocked seats is that they are much more likely to "stick" and not get overridden. Whereas my suspicion is that any "true" shadow blocking (the automated variety) lose any force some time close to departure, hence no-status pax getting put in them.

Yes, that's my interpretation of my experience - not so much that they lose "shadow status" more that they are the last seats available to be filled. When they do get filled, it seems 50/50 whether they are other WP+s (who chose to fill them) or completely random pax who were slotted in last minute (waitlisted perhaps??)

 

[JW]

RE shadows, QF always variable. Often they appear to on domestic leg. International? Other day on old 747 the 2x2 config, there were a few seats free, but seat next was filled, which meant getting up over the person in aisle seat. Did not feel bad as said person tried to snag primo window seat in the few minutes it took to change into pj's. A polite word and the quizzical "is this not my seat look changed" and they had to move to their assigned seat after FA intervened. Seriously how difficult is to sit in your seat clearly marked on boarding pass (this is another topic)

 

[gilldo]

I was Platinum for about three years some year ago, and picked up a few things when flying domestically.

While I was able to choose seats near the front of Economy, I regularly choose to sit down the back. Then and now (as a Lifetime Gold), I often ended up with a vacant middle seat, which I definitely put down to status recognition and seat blocking from selection by others.

I regularly got questioned about why I was down the back, but the strangest thing happened on a flight from ADL to DRW some years ago. Just after take off, the purser walked through Business class handing out newspapers to those that wanted them, and extended the offer to those in the first 1-2 rows of economy. They then stopped, walked straight down to me in Row 29 and offered me one, addressing me by name. I took a paper,thanked her, and she promptly left and went straight back to the front of the plane. The rest of the passengers down the back just looked at me as though I was from Mars, curious as to what was so special about me.

 

[aggie57]

A couple of times when I've booked points trips for my family, in economy on QF and international, they have been given business meals and drinks. That's a nice touch.

 

[Andz]

+- 8 years ago I flew QF economy BNE-MEL and sat at the back of the 737 with my wife and 1 year old. I was gold tier, The purser came back and welcomed me on the flight. I felt like the King of QF at the split second....

 

[Qantas747]

As a Gold member, I have almost always had a shadow on every international economy flight. If you are unfortunate enough to have to travel in a 737 internationally, especially to Denpasar or Singapore because of the distance, rows 4 to 7 usually have the middle seat blocked off for weight restrictions, and only once have I been unlucky enough to have someone in it! In fact, more often than not, I have had both the middle and aisle seats free if I choose a seat between 4 and 7.

 

[Ekka]

Apart from the fact that there is more frequency via SYD, and there is the F lounge in SYD, as opposed to a 5 hour wait in the early morning in the combined lounge in BNE. Also more chance of picking up a codeshare flight on an AirCalin (SB) A330 maybe even their brand new neo with J suites via SYD as opposed to the QF B738s or SB A320s. And also more chance of being on a QF A330 PER-SYD than PER-BNE.
I do, however, agree with you about the transit between terminals in SYD.
For the return it can be better to fly via BNE as there is often a 16:30 SB departure to BNE rather than the 12:30 QF flight to SYD.
And there is no real difference between the two domestic J lounges.

Thank you, although I rather doubt the slightly greater frequency from Tontouta to SYD rather than from and to Brisbane is terribly relevant - perhaps that's Qantas (Joyce) again. I'm sure you're aware that Noumea is directly east of Rocky and off central Queensland.

As it is so close to Brisbane (two hours) I should probably have gone there decades ago before the Sydney types became interested, but you have piqued my interest

Not a Platinum but a few years back had a good friend who was a Platinum One - book me a Y seat to SIN. Before we pushed back, someone had brought me down a J headset and J champagne in glass and apologise for not being able to put me up front! They brought me down business wines the whole flight. It was an awesome Y experience

So close but yet so far; I wish i'd pursued my French language skills further, but you needed either rich parents or an uncle in the sixties.

 

[me-h]

Having bumped up and down between WP and SG the last few years, I find there is definitely an empty seat next to me more often when I'm WP, and also there is the odd greeting given to me at my seat addressing me by name and telling me if I need anything during the flight just to let them know. They also will occasionally give me a bottle of water before takeoff, again addressing me by name, which only seems to happen when I'm WP. My view on shadows is as a few others have suggested - I think they must block out the seat next to you and then make it one of the last seats available if the plane is getting full. It probably does depend a bit on how keen or not the check-in staff on the day are to respect or ignore and override that, but the number of times i've had an empty seat next to me when most other rows are full seems more than coincidence.

 

[Pushka]

The only time I have ever been acknowledged as WP by the crew is when I show them the BP on entry. Other than that, I’m a ghost.

 

[gazzab]

Often domestically lately I have had a vacant seat beside me. Often greeted by name on boarding. Occasionally given water at beginning of trip. Less often a drink from business class. So feel on the whole my allegiance is appreciated.

 

[Silvia]

Quick update as I just flew QF93 yesterday in Y as a Platinum. No greeting, no J headsets, no thanks/farewell, zilch, zero, nada