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Hi Rob, Before you started HFP’s I read your comments on Flyertalk. That’s how I knew about your website starting up. I have never asked why you called yourself ‘Raffles’.
How did you come up with the name?
Thanks,
Nick.‘Raffles’ gave me a sneaky link for instant Silver status with Virgin back in about 2013. I’ve been hooked on HfP ever since.
Good question though!
My guess is ‘Rob’ was probably already taken.
Rob might have been at a lovely hotel in Singapore when trying to decide a name.Either that or running the tombola at the village fête 😂
I’ve been in contact with Rob since he started his website but I’ve never asked him directly. I have thought in the past that he may well of been sat in the Raffles hotel in Singapore when thinking of a name. I guess he’s just going to keep us all guessing for a while.
I found Flyertalk first when there were issues in Beirut a couple of years ago and we weren’t sure if we would be able to fly/flights cancelled. At some point someone (thankfully) posted about Raffles and his HfP website and ever since been a follower. Assumed there was some link with Raffles hotels.
‘Raffles’ gave me a sneaky link for instant Silver status with Virgin back in about 2013. I’ve been hooked on HfP ever since.
Good question though!
LOL, I wonder where he got that from 🤣
He was a gentleman thief in a previous life😂
So, here’s the story.
When I joined Flyertalk in 2004 it was a fairly small site and most people used their real names or initials as their username. As the site grew a lot of people became uncomfortable with this.
In my case, whilst I was using my three initials as my username, it actually WAS fairly recognisable because my employer ran on initials (eg every memo you got was from ‘ABC’ to ‘XYZ, EFG’ etc) so it could have been linked back to me.
In the end, the Flyertalk team announced a one-off moritorium whereby you could change your handle without the usual ‘previously known as XYZ’ message, so I swapped it.
I wanted something that still started with ‘R’ but was a proper word. I remember sitting at my desk in the bank writing ideas on a bit of paper. Whilst no-one believes me, the Raffles name was driven by the books and not the hotel chain.
‘Raffles’ gave me a sneaky link for instant Silver status with Virgin back in about 2013. I’ve been hooked on HfP ever since.
Good question though!
LOL, I wonder where he got that from 🤣
VS were running a promotion at the time. Might have been one of those targeted to certain businesses that wasn’t properly locked down. I can’t remember the specifics. Made use of it for a nice trip to Cape Town.
So, here’s the story.
When I joined Flyertalk in 2004 it was a fairly small site and most people used their real names or initials as their username. As the site grew a lot of people became uncomfortable with this.
In my case, whilst I was using my three initials as my username, it actually WAS fairly recognisable because my employer ran on initials (eg every memo you got was from ‘ABC’ to ‘XYZ, EFG’ etc) so it could have been linked back to me.
In the end, the Flyertalk team announced a one-off moritorium whereby you could change your handle without the usual ‘previously known as XYZ’ message, so I swapped it.
I wanted something that still started with ‘R’ but was a proper word. I remember sitting at my desk in the bank writing ideas on a bit of paper. Whilst no-one believes me, the Raffles name was driven by the books and not the hotel chain.
I love this story for the fact that while Rob’s boss thought he was busy at his desk working on some multi-million takeover deal, Rob was actually working just as hard coming up with a moniker he was happy with!
So, here’s the story.
In the end, the Flyertalk team announced a one-off moritorium whereby you could change your handle without the usual ‘previously known as XYZ’ message, so I swapped it.
I’m a bit awed that the oligarchic tyranny of FlyerTalk was tiny bit more relaxed back in the day!
@can2
Have you read Mileage Maniac?So, here’s the story.
When I joined Flyertalk in 2004 it was a fairly small site and most people used their real names or initials as their username. As the site grew a lot of people became uncomfortable with this.
In my case, whilst I was using my three initials as my username, it actually WAS fairly recognisable because my employer ran on initials (eg every memo you got was from ‘ABC’ to ‘XYZ, EFG’ etc) so it could have been linked back to me.
In the end, the Flyertalk team announced a one-off moritorium whereby you could change your handle without the usual ‘previously known as XYZ’ message, so I swapped it.
I wanted something that still started with ‘R’ but was a proper word. I remember sitting at my desk in the bank writing ideas on a bit of paper. Whilst no-one believes me, the Raffles name was driven by the books and not the hotel chain.
Thanks Rob.
@can2
Have you read Mileage Maniac?No, why 🙂
So, here’s the story.
In the end, the Flyertalk team announced a one-off moritorium whereby you could change your handle without the usual ‘previously known as XYZ’ message, so I swapped it.
I’m a bit awed that the oligarchic tyranny of FlyerTalk was tiny bit more relaxed back in the day!
Not sure they had a choice. If it was easy to track people, crew would be at risk the first time they posted a criticism.
I think I remember Rob aka Raffles from years ago on a site called paid to shop, where he was considered the airmiles expert and answered all the airmiles questions on there. I also remember him being on flyertalk where he was the go to person on all matters BA airmiles.
@can2
Have you read Mileage Maniac?No, why 🙂
There’s a lot of information on the early days of FT. Well worth a read.
For some reason I hadn’t bothered with the book so far. But I just ordered it now. Thanks!
I think I remember Rob aka Raffles from years ago on a site called paid to shop, where he was considered the airmiles expert and answered all the airmiles questions on there. I also remember him being on flyertalk where he was the go to person on all matters BA airmiles.
Yep, PTS was the go to for a long time, and that’s where I came here from.
I think I remember Rob aka Raffles from years ago on a site called paid to shop, where he was considered the airmiles expert and answered all the airmiles questions on there. I also remember him being on flyertalk where he was the go to person on all matters BA airmiles.
Yep, PTS was the go to for a long time, and that’s where I came here from.
And me. Raffles was extremely helpful on there, and it was through him I got into avios collecting. It was a lot more difficult back then, as I was single with 2 kids, but we managed to experience our first ever business class flight and became hooked!
‘Raffles’ gave me a sneaky link for instant Silver status with Virgin back in about 2013. I’ve been hooked on HfP ever since.
Good question though!
LOL, I wonder where he got that from 🤣
VS were running a promotion at the time. Might have been one of those targeted to certain businesses that wasn’t properly locked down. I can’t remember the specifics. Made use of it for a nice trip to Cape Town.
Oh, I certainly know the specifics, maybe I should have said ‘I wonder from whom he purloined that’
What a lovely humanising thread! Lets bookmark this when a decade from ow HfP has a 100 minnion members and we can recall we were here!
Paid to Shop days were great. I spent hours going on a run around the local Tesco stores hunting for health and beauty voucher leaflets with loads of points and money off coupons
for practically free products.Paid to Shop days were great. I spent hours going on a run around the local Tesco stores hunting for health and beauty voucher leaflets with loads of points and money off coupons
for practically free products.Happy days
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