exlimey, I would most certainly agree with your first comment. In the VERY old days, when I was merely middle aged, and we only had access to tube tests and reagents, including AHG, and techniques (such as tile techniques), we didn't kill patients by the thousand, so techniques that are a little less sensitive than are available these days, will not necessarily condemn the patient to a certain and painful death, despite the deafening shouts of those who are gainfully (and, in many cases, VERY gainfully) employed within the neo-science of quality for quality's sake (we needed to pull up our socks in terms of quality, but it has got out of hand).
On the other hand, having seen a fair smattering of Jk(a-b-) patients with anti-Jk3, I am unaware of "sticky" Jk(a-b-) red cells, even when they have been cryopreserved and reconstituted. I am willing to, and will freely admit to being wrong, if I am proved so.