My first (and probably last) year as VN EP+ is wrapping up so thought I'd share my experiences with VN and other Skyteam partners. Flew VN mainly transit ex-MEL through HAN/SGN to HKG/CAN/KTI/PVG etc, lots of CI/KE to ICN/TPE
VN:
I agree with above that VN selling status dilutes it quite a lot, explains why apart from typical lounge access/boarding/priority baggage perks and their advertised comp Y to PE upgrades, there aren't any soft touches at all. No inflight recognition etc, not something I value anyways.
Biggest perk as VN EP+ flying on VN Metal is the advertised comp upgrades. 100% success rate long haul ex-MEL getting comped to PE, on their regional planes the check in agents place me in the Economy plus row. Flew them quite a lot inter Asia, negative is having to transit SGN/HAN which can be a pain sometimes. Had a few overnight stays where I've had to pay $100 for Fast Track at immigration/customs.
Customer service have been really great however, there is a dedicated phone/email line. Had to change a return ticket to an open jaw one, promptly sorted and only had to pay fare difference. Been to the ticket office in Melbourne a few times and the team there have been great.
VN J is great as well, pho is great. They recently overhauled their website and it's a lot better now.
CI & KE: Easily the best SkyTeam experience I’ve had. Both have consistently delivered professional, thoughtful service. On almost every flight I’ve received an ISM greeting, even in Y, which feels like a nice touch. My crew friends tell me CI,KE and CX actually have KPIs around recognising elites. I’ve heard that if an elite member files a complaint about not being greeted, the ISM can get marked down, which is quite sad.
When flying with friends the system has auto‑seated us together in the premium seating at OLCI which was quite convenient, didn't need to call or ask at check in.
KLM: Consistently friendly and fun crews, very easy to talk to. I’ve had great service, probably my favourite overall SkyTeam airline. Love the Delfts.
GA: Haven’t flown them much, only in J. In‑flight product is okay, service is great. Don't like the Indonesian airports at all.
MU: Been comped to J a couple of times on AKL‑PVG, which was a nice surprise. Crew seem efficient and professional. Domestically it’s been hit‑or‑miss recognising EP+ benefits. Some lounge dragons have required some convincing to get in, even at check in have been told to move to the Y line. Sometimes had to factor in extra time to get these sorted, seems like their auto-check in system removed my VN FF and replaces it with my MU one.
Their online website is also a pain to deal with, however since I have some limited Mandarin skills they've always been able to sort things out for me over the phone.
I'd say there is definitely some stigma with VN EP+ members since you can buy your way in, mainly MU have been quite reluctant to provide benefits. I've had to pull out the mandarin sometimes to get lounge access/boarding privileges.
I think if
@MELso is flying Europe a lot GA is probably easiest to hit EP+, but from what you're written I think it's a hard challenge to keep sustaining it. MU is quite nice but I do agree Mandarin skills can be quite helpful for smoother passage (maybe because I still look in my teens I've been quite well looked after sometimes).
Honestly if I wasn't going out of my way last year to fly Skyteam and keep EP+ I'd probably keep going with VN for the foreseeable future. However with MU recognising QF WP and the DSC that just came up I'm jumping ship now to OWE. If CI brings back the MEL-AKL route or Latam then I might consider spending more time with Skyteam since TT travel is a big part of my routine.
