Well, it’s a new year and already I have about 5 flights under my belt. Of those four flights three have been with American and two of those have been in first class. Otherwise, I’ve taken one flight with United and another with Delta as I’ve started moving away from extreme loyalty to American. However, one of the flights I’ve taken with American was actually a bit unusual and I thought it was worth writing about.
American Airlines Never Acknowledges My Elite Status
Last year I took just over 30 flights with American. Of those I spent about 15 in Economy. While sitting in economy I was never once thanked for my elite status. Now, before you roll your eyes too hard let me explain.
When traveling in economy on Cathay Pacific, Qantas, and British Airways the flight attendants always stop by and thank me for my OneWorld Emerald Elite status. Often this gesture is accompanied by a bottle of water as is the case with Cathay. What makes this gesture most impressive is that I haven’t earned status with any of these OneWorld partner airlines. Instead, I earn my elite status from American and when traveling with American I’m mostly ignored.
Trust me, this doesn’t bother me at all. I don’t pout if the flight attendants don’t acknowledge me, but it’s just something I’ve observed. I find it especially surprisingly I’m not acknowledged when I ask for a complimentary beverage or snack when traveling in the main cabin as I think that would be an appropriate time to do so. Ultimately though this does not happen and I carry on with my day.
An American Airlines Flight Attendant Acknowledged Elite Status
Given the back story you can understand why I was so surprised the other day when this happened. To set the scene I was traveling from Chicago to DC on American and my upgrade never cleared (a hard upgrade I suppose). I was sitting back in an exit row minding my own business when the beverage service began. As the flight attendant reached my seat I ordered a complimentary soft drink and went on with my day.
A few moments later though something unique happened. The flight attendant returned to my seat with her mobile assistant and asked me a question by name. She said “Mr. MoorWithMiles, thank you for your Executive Platinum Elite Status, can I get you a snack or alcoholic beverage? Anything?” As I wasn’t hungry or in the mood to drink I passed on the offer, but it definitely stood out.
In the past I have never once been acknowledged, yet on this flight, my first of 2019, I was. My initial thought was that perhaps this was new guidance to flight attendants, but I haven’t been on enough flights this year to know if this is going to continue throughout the year. Either way it was a nice gesture and I appreciated the effort.
Final Thoughts
I want to be clear, I’m not trying to say that because I have elite status I should be thanked and am somehow important. That shouldn’t be the takeaway from this post. The takeaway should be that other OneWorld airlines do this and perhaps American should do it as well.
Acknowledging loyalty is a nice gesture that makes frequent fliers feel more at home when on the aircraft. It’s not going to convince me to fly American, but it will remind me why I stick with one airline when I’m stuck in a middle seat toward the back of the aircraft when my standby request clears.
Note: This flight also came with one of the most annoying credit card pitches of all time, so perhaps this will get worse in the new year…
