Lesson Learned -- "Class" system on domestic first class

[Zach1213]

I expressed my displeasure to the EXP desk but not much good did it do me. They offered me miles for the inconvenience. I'll take them but I really wanted some answers. What I couldn't get an answer to was is this going to be the way it is going forward with LAN or was Saturday night/Sunday morning just a one off situation?

 

 

 

I am still astounded they were out of fruit plates. That's what I do in South America-ship fruit to the USA. And 70% of the unusual fruit (not apples, pears or oranges) you see at the grocery stores now comes out of South America-all the green grapes, the tangelos, the plums, etc. etc.

 

 

 

So for an airline that is based in Santiago with Chile being a VERY large exporter of fruit, how could they be out of fruit plates (which are usually very, very good)? Beyond my comprehension. May be back to flying the one or two stopper on AA metal. My next flight, I will go to the AC and MAYBE one of the AC angels will be able to get the answers I need.

 

 

 

Still ticked off-I HATE pancakes.

 

 

I like you...or I did. Until you said you hate pancakes. Whaaaaat?!?! ;)

[jsmeeker]

I know how you feel. I flew DFW-LHR in J back in December on AA 50. Used SWUs to get up there. They didn't have ice cream sundaes for us after dinner. I was so bummed out. All they had to offer was a measly piece of carrot cake that would be more at home on a domestic mid-con flight.

Edited February 17, 2014 by jsmeeker

[Gardyloo]

My experience with Lan is probably more limited than yours, but it's been my impression that Lan is a solid member of Oneworld when it suits them.

[greatam]

My experience with Lan is probably more limited than yours, but it's been my impression that Lan is a solid member of Oneworld when it suits them.

 

It sure wasn't suiting them Sunday morning. I know there were a lot of high status FF South Americans on the plane because we were all stuck together trying to check in. Some of them were really, really rude and acting like it was "their" airline or a private plane. One even told a young guy (maybe 22-25) he was in the wrong line to check in (he wasn't-he had upgraded with miles) . Maybe that is why the FA catered to them first. They didn't want a riot up front.

 

I just want to know if it is going to be an ongoing thing. It wasn't in January out of SCL. I'll either have a full dinner before I get on the plane or start taking the one/2 stopper on AA metal where I know I will be treated well (until Dougie gets done screwing things up). I still like the LAN service and that nonstop to JFK. Maybe I should just call every time I don't get what I want to eat (or drink). If AA is as generous as they were this morning, I'll have a free trip for one of my employees in no time.

[greatam]

I know how you feel. I flew DFW-LHR in J back in December on AA 50. Used SWUs to get up there. They didn't have ice cream sundaes for us after dinner. I was so bummed out. All they had to offer was a measly piece of carrot cake that would be more at home on a domestic mid-con flight.

 

EWWWW!!! That carrot cake is absolutely horrible. It is so crappy it doesn't even belong in coach on a foreign airline that still serves meals in coach.

[greatam]

I like you...or I did. Until you said you hate pancakes. Whaaaaat?!?! ;)

 

Too many pancakes when I was a kid, I guess. My Dad loved pancakes so Mom made them all the time. It seems like we had pancakes about 3 times a week. I bet it has been at least 35 years since I have eaten pancakes until I nibbled on the ones yesterday morning.

[Fattony]

If you want to complain about an airline's service, why not do it directly to them? I guess you can get some sympathy here.

 

I've never had an experience like this in domestic first class or international business class. DL, AA, UA, US, AS. Taking of orders has seemed quite systematic to me. Of course, with my winning smile and adorable personality, perhaps I'm pushed up into the elite category :)

 

In domestic fc, I've never had a selection of meals so great that it mattered much to me whether I got first choice or not. And, of course, those who ordered special meals (e.g., low-fat, low-sodium, Kosher, etc.) may get served first and seem to be getting "special attention."

 

Want to complain about a class system? Look back at the poor folks in economy. I imagine some of them would be reluctant to shed a tear for those who don't get first choice of meals in fc.

[greatam]

If you want to complain about an airline's service, why not do it directly to them? I guess you can get some sympathy here.

 

Obviously, you missed this.

 

"I expressed my displeasure to the EXP desk but not much good did it do me. They offered me miles for the inconvenience. I'll take them but I really wanted some answers. What I couldn't get an answer to was is this going to be the way it is going forward with LAN or was Saturday night/Sunday morning just a one off situation?"

 

I've never had an experience like this in domestic first class or international business class. DL, AA, UA, US, AS. Taking of orders has seemed quite systematic to me. Of course, with my winning smile and adorable personality, perhaps I'm pushed up into the elite category :)

 

In domestic fc, I've never had a selection of meals so great that it mattered much to me whether I got first choice or not. And, of course, those who ordered special meals (e.g., low-fat, low-sodium, Kosher, etc.) may get served first and seem to be getting "special attention."

 

Obviously, you didn't read the OP. She specifically stated Delta takes orders in domestic first per FF status and ticket price. And others verified that to be true. 6rugrats posted that UA also takes orders that way. I just want to know if the lack of fruit plates and croissants is going to be a continuing way of doing business on LAN. If so, I either need to eat a full dinner before I get on the LAN JFK nonstop or fly the 1 or 2 stopper on AA metal.

 

Want to complain about a class system? Look back at the poor folks in economy. I imagine some of them would be reluctant to shed a tear for those who don't get first choice of meals in fc.

 

I'm not complaining about a class system and there certainly is no comparison I made to coach. My complaint was about the QUANTITY of specific food available, particularly the fruit plates. I am sure that is not the highest priced item on the menu but there were not enough fruit plates or croissants for the entire cabin. Very strange.

[elycelynne]

I'm the OP, and actually it WAS a United flight that I was on.

 

But I do know that it was definitely a case of the status passengers getting first choice -- The flight attendant said so. There were no "special meals" being served that came before anyone else's.

[PaulMCO]

Yes they do. UA always had asked GS and 1Ks first. Then they stopped after the merger and just resumed this practice. They used to start front to back one way and back to front the other.

 

I don't care what Alliance you fly -- the airline's FF have a higher priority on all perks before those other 'alliance" elites. On LH flying as a *Gold. LH Senators will get first choice of seats before any *G. Same with operational upgrades... As a Senator arriving late with a tight connection -- you might have a Gate agent with a sign and a bus to transfer your connection. As a UA *G -- nothing... just run...

 

Do you think AA treats the LAN elites the same as their own?? No way... Revenue is revenue...

Edited February 18, 2014 by PaulMCO

[greatam]

I'm the OP, and actually it WAS a United flight that I was on.

 

But I do know that it was definitely a case of the status passengers getting first choice -- The flight attendant said so. There were no "special meals" being served that came before anyone else's.

 

Sorry, I thought it was a DELTA flight but I was wrong.

 

Status passengers got first choice on my LAN flight but only LAN status passengers. With my AA EXP/OW Emerald, I am the same status as they are other than Airpass and Special Services passengers. So why weren't there any fruit plates and croissants? Seems really weird to me. May be just a bad catering night.

[greatam]

Do you think AA treats the LAN elites the same as their own?? No way... Revenue is revenue...

 

I don't understand your reasoning. OW Emerald is OW Emerald is OW Emerald. IF, as Gardyloo posted, LAN plays when it suits them, what is the point of the Alliance??? On codeshare flights , should not all elites on the same level be treated the same??? Do you not think in the tit for tat world of airline codeshares, the money equals out in the end?

 

Maybe I'm wrong but I STILL HATE pancakes and cannot for the life of me figure out why there weren't enough fruit plates and croissants. Even if there were extra fruit plates, the FA could have scooped some of the fruit onto the other breakfast items and there really wouldn't have been much waste. Maybe it is just my "tooooo logical" (my own employees tell me this) logistics mind but sure would have been a way to eliminate any extra fruit plates, give those who wanted fruit plates and croissants what they wanted and those who didn't order the fruit a way to taste Chilean fruit and maybe create a new market/customer. Seems kind of dumb to me when Chile is a LARGE exporter of fruit in the winter.

[frugaltravel]

I don't understand your reasoning. OW Emerald is OW Emerald is OW Emerald. IF, as Gardyloo posted, LAN plays when it suits them, what is the point of the Alliance??? On codeshare flights , should not all elites on the same level be treated the same??? Do you not think in the tit for tat world of airline codeshares, the money equals out in the end?

 

I realize this is a rhetorical question (or if not, then I wonder!). Alliances are all about the airlines and their revenue and operations. It has little if anything to do with the passengers (except of course their own PR spin). They tout "seamless connections" but those were always possible through interline agreements. Nothing new there. Mile earning is not the same across the alliance. An E fare on one airline might earn 100% miles in one program but 50% or 0% miles in another program within the same alliance. This is just one instance of "discrimination" between programs, whether that pertains to elites or anyone.

 

Now the entire "alliance" concept is rapidly deteriorating. As PaulMCO said, airlines treat their own elites better than alliance elites. You find this in the SkyTeam alliance as well.

[waterbug123]

cannot for the life of me figure out why there weren't enough fruit plates and croissants.

 

possibilities:

 

• Bad catering night
  
• Fruit and croissants are fresh food, so maybe more expensive than pre-packaged meals that include meat but arrive plane-side frozen?
  
• Data from past flights says they only have X number of customers on average who want fruit and Y number who want eggs or pancakes, so that's how they catered it. Unlucky you- got onboard the rare flight where everyone wanted fruit and croissants
  

[greatam]

To put this matter to rest: I just want to know going forward if I need to eat a full meal before I board the plane or whether I am going to get something to eat I actually can tolerate and that would at least fill that empty hole in my stomach in the morning? I don't do granola bars or snacks like that. And absolutely hate carrying food onto planes. That's all I want to know.

 

LAN says they ALWAYS treat everyone equally according to status and maybe the caterer just ran out of fruit and croissants because that midnight flight out of Lima is basically the last one of the day. And AA really has no control on their codeshares. So the question remains unanswered.

[ducklite]

Even on planes where I am top tier in that carrier, I always bring something along with me. You never know when the entire first class might be filled with top tiers, and if you are in the unlucky last seat, you might not get your selection anyhow.

[TrqoisWtrs]

Sorry but airlines, particularly American, get a hell of a lot of money from me and my company each year. I am ridiculously loyal and fly a ton. Hitting 100k actual miles each year is the norm.

 

I know this won't be popular, but I think I should get some extra perks compared to someone who just pays some extra money at the gate.

 

Flame away.

 

I agree. Kind of like people buying FTTF while I earned Platinum. :p

[frugaltravel]

Even on planes where I am top tier in that carrier, I always bring something along with me. You never know when the entire first class might be filled with top tiers, and if you are in the unlucky last seat, you might not get your selection anyhow.

 

Exactly. I think the question is definitely answered. Eat before I get on the plane, since no one and no airline can guarantee anything regarding meals (or much else for that matter - heck they can't even guarantee your flight will arrive the same day you booked it for!). Either eat ahead or bring something on board if you don't want to trust the airline to have something you like and/or if you have lots of restrictions as to what you will or won't eat. Even ordering a special meal won't guarantee much either - countless stories of special meals not being fulfilled.

Edited February 19, 2014 by frugaltravel

[vjmatty]

No flames from me. It's nice to believe that everyone sitting in 1st is equal, but the reality is that you have some pax, like the OP, who are sitting there because once in a blue moon they spend an extra $200, and then there are pax like Zach, who are sitting up there because they spend thousands, if not tens of thousands, of dollars with the airline year after year.

 

Where do award flights fit into this? I was under the impression that FA's have no idea who paid and who used miles so I am just curious.

[ducklite]

Where do award flights fit into this? I was under the impression that FA's have no idea who paid and who used miles so I am just curious.

 

 

Your status still applies during a reward flight, you just don't get miles.

[waterbug123]

Where do award flights fit into this? I was under the impression that FA's have no idea who paid and who used miles so I am just curious.

 

Your status still applies during a reward flight, you just don't get miles.

 

Whether you pay with miles or pay with dollars, the case at hand is about those with status vs. those without; either can choose miles or dollars as the currency for their ticket. I don't know specifically whether FA's can see who used miles vs. dollars, but their passenger manifest DOES show (at least on Delta it does) who is elite and what level elite they are. In the end, it's the status passenger, and especially the upper tier status pax, that the airline wants to reward/coddle/recognize, because over time that person typically spends a LOT more money with the airline that the occasional leisure flier who even more occasionally shells out big bucks for a seat up front for a vacation trip.

Ex. on a recent flight home from St. Thomas, the pilot stepped out of the cockpit to personally thank my boyfriend (diamond medallion with Delta) for choosing Delta and flying that day. He didn't speak to anyone else, presumably singling out my BF b/c he was the highest status pax that day, or maybe because he's a million miler. He had bought a discounted coach fare and received a complimentary medallion upgrade, so I'm sure there were some in first that day who bought a much more expensive ticket to sit there, but the airline recognizes that over the years, they've gotten a lot more dough from my BF, so made a point to recognize that.

[Marebear]

I have over 900,000 miles actually flown with United and will soon hopefully reach the 1,000,000 mile mark. I have been retired since 12/31/1998. When I retired, I kept my status for a year and then it was dropped, which is as it should be. I have been flying regularly since the early 1950's. I have never depended on airline food as my only meal on a long flight. And, I have regularly flown in first class or business class. I have flown to Europe only twice in economy class and have used my points to upgrade only. I still have a lot of points and do not rely on credit cards for most of them. I am usually at the bottom of the list for meals, etc. and do not mind at all. I had my "time in the sun" and it is time for someone else!

 

Has flying changed much in all those years - YES!!! - but "so what" - so has everything else. I am very happy with United but don't expect too much. By the way, I am a female and heard a lot of "What's she doing up here" years ago when I would be in first class or "Lady, I think you're in the wrong line" when I would stand in the very frequent lines at ORD or any airport that had them.

 

I really think some people need to "get over it"!

 

Thanks for letting me "rant"!

[greatam]

I really think some people need to "get over it"!

 

Thanks for letting me "rant"!

 

Everyone seems to be missing the point or I guess I don't write very clearly.

 

The OP was about some passengers getting their choice of meals before others riding in the pointy end of the plane due to status and ticket price.

 

I fly the LAN flight between JFK and South America at least 3 times per year. Sometimes I originate in SCL but most of the time it is the nonstop out of LIM which leaves just after midnight. Have been flying that particular LAN flight for at least 8 years consistently.

 

Last Saturday/Sunday was the first time I have seen the FA give preference on meal selection to LAN high status FF over OW same status FF.

 

So I want to know if this is a new policy, bad catering or just a one off situation because as I posted, some of the LAN high status FF were really, really rude and loud and kind of rowdy.

 

I can certainly eat just before I get on the plane. But the day I leave South America is usually a day I am either flying from Cusco to LIM with a lot of merchandise I must check in and deal with the Customs broker to have it clear in the US rapidly or am in Santiago having a business meeting before the plane leaves. So I really don't want to eat that full meal, knowing I am getting on a plane where I will sleep most of the way back to the USA.

 

If serving LAN high status FF is the new policy, I will either eat or take the AA flight through MIA or DFW. It truly is a simple question-POLICY or bad catering/FA directed. And the answer will most likely never be forthcoming.

[vjmatty]

By the way, I am a female and heard a lot of "What's she doing up here" years ago when I would be in first class or "Lady, I think you're in the wrong line" when I would stand in the very frequent lines at ORD or any airport that had them.

 

I really think some people need to "get over it"!

 

Thanks for letting me "rant"!

 

I get that too once in a while, and it doesn't seem to matter how I am dressed. Last year at CDG the Air Canada gate attendant tried to stop me saying "this is the Executive First line"..... I said "Great! Thank you!" and showed my boarding pass. He looked pretty embarrassed.

 

I have noticed that first and business class are less cliquey than they used to be among passengers. I don't see snobbish looks anymore unless someone brings on a screaming baby.

[fbgd]

I don't understand your reasoning. OW Emerald is OW Emerald is OW Emerald.

 

Well, not really. As I'm sure you're aware AA don't extend first class upgrade benefits to oneworld Emeralds/Sapphires on domestic flights.

 

As a oneworlder if I want to fly AA F I have to pay AA F...status doesn't help me.