I'm a father of BA staff, who travels far too regularly AKL to Europe, sometimes as a full fare passenger (when I HAVE to get there) and sometimes on staff travel (for personal travel).
In 30 round the world trips in the past 7 years I have therefore had to adapt backwards and forwards between being a treasured business class passenger and 'pond scum' as my son briefed me to understand my staff traveller status when he first got me privileges.
What I have powerfully learned from this is - there's no difference either way. If you treat people with respect and recognise their job constraints and pressures, almost everybody will treat you well and do their best for you. In 40 years of incessant travelling by air I have only had two bad experiences with staff in any class and with any status.
Yet every time I travel I see somebody else behaving badly and getting it back from staff. As it isso obvious what happens I can only assume that for some people demonstrating power is more important than the travel itself. And it istrue that if I want to observe human beings being !!!!s the most reliable place to do it is Heathrow T4 at staff check in just before the SYD flights close.
So thanks to all of you that have helped to make my travelling life almost always enjoyable, even when stranding me in BKK at midnight when I want to go home.