Pet airport lounge hates

[pgsdiver]

Funny how every time I've seen someone using their phone inconsiderately, either loud calls or watching videos without headphones, they've been in the 40+ age bracket

That because those of us in that age bracket are still amazed we can do it without wires, and some of us think you have to talk loudly because the other person is so far away.

 

[ayebee]

I always find it amazing that so many who are quite capable of a quiet chat with someone 2 metres away think they need to speak l o u d l y a n d c l e a r l y into the phone 5 cm from their mouth, and overheard by everyone in a 10m radius.
It gets worse in a noisy environment, but in reality the phone will take care of the gain control.

 

[drron]

The funniest lounge experience in a lounge was the JAL F lounge in HND.two young 20 somethings sitting next to each other.One was trying chat to the other using Instagram whilst the other was trying by Snapchat.They agreed on Snapchat.So why couldn't they just talk to each other.

 

[TomVexille]

The funniest lounge experience in a lounge was the JAL F lounge in HND.two young 20 somethings sitting next to each other.One was trying chat to the other using Instagram whilst the other was trying by Snapchat.They agreed on Snapchat.So why couldn't they just talk to each other.

It's quieter?

 

[JohnK]

Nah I’ve seen people of all ages. I’d say most of the ones I’ve seen have been in their thirties. Worst was a woman in her thirties at the J lounge in Melbourne. She did manage to clear a large space around her of people trying to escape her noise. Maybe that was her intent. And you know what? I think the guys ( , that word again) were too concerned about harassment to say anything about it.

We may have seen the same woman.

I was sitting in the BNE Business lounge near the Mexican cantina where there's a long bench style seat with tables and chairs in front and I was the only one there. A lady in her thirties sits down next to me without food or drink and is on the phone for 25-30 minutes discussing her renovations with I assume her husband until she left when boarding.

A near empty lounge and she sits near me. I know I could have moved but that's not the point.

 

[Melburnian1]

We may have seen the same woman.

I was sitting in the BNE Business lounge near the Mexican cantina where there's a long bench style seat with tables and chairs in front and I was the only one there. A lady in her thirties sits down next to me without food or drink and is on the phone for 25-30 minutes discussing her renovations with I assume her husband until she left when boarding.

A near empty lounge and she sits near me. I know I could have moved but that's not the point.

In these circumstances is it pointless complaining to the minimal number of lounge staff for an airline because they won't do anything?

 

[QF WP]

The thread is becoming interesting. Bit OT, on the subject of phones I have no issue with phone usage or discussions in the lounge, due to travel I have and will continue to do so schedule meetings when I know I will be in the lounge. I use my headset or the handset and speak quietly, I find it amazing the number of people that discuss business deals, costs, tenders, competitors, staff performance or details of 1-1 staff discussions that I would only assume were had on an "in-confidence" nature, etc. with little or no consideration as to who may be listening. This is even worse when they are in the lounge in their company supplied/ or purchased clothing displaying their name and the organisation they may work for.

A number of us have encountered those types. I remember about 5 years ago sitting near a group in company livery and they were having a rather loud discussion about a meeting and talking disparagingly about some, whilst inbibing a number of drinks in a short period of time. I noted down the gist of the conversation and moved away to ring a contact I knew in said company (mid-level exec) . I described the people in the Lounge and what they said. He was livid. He knew of the meeting and who they were from the descriptions I gave (they didn't report to him). He said he's have it sorted before they got back to work in the morning. He rang to thank me the next day - they had been called into CEO's office first thing and asked to explain their behaviour and loud discussion of "commercial in confidence" information that was anonymously telephoned in by a concerned person. I'm sure they didn't last long in the company.

I am showing my and the age of senility may be setting in but I seem to recall in the early days of the QP a marketing point was free local calls. In those days we were not interested on power points and most business travellers were more interested in finding the lounge (2-3 seat types) that had a landline located at the end to make free local calls. If you needed to make a STD (Standard Trunk Dialing) you had to go to the service desk who would make and then time the call as you only had around a 3 minute call time and ISD was not allowed.

No, if you were senile, you wouldn't have remembered . Goes to prove neither of us are senile just yet, as I remember that time well. Even back to Australian Airlines Flight Deck times from memory...okay, that's aging me...

My pet beef is plugging into a power point that doesn't give any charge. Multiple QP's are at fault - BNE, CBR and MEL in the past year.

 

[eddie 73]

Other germaphobes will agree with the fear of tongs... who knows if the person holding said tongs just before washed their hands after sneezing into it or leaving the bathroom. Yuk.

 

[straitman]

Other germaphobes will agree with the fear of tongs... who knows if the person holding said tongs just before washed their hands after sneezing into it or leaving the bathroom. Yuk.

I understand the concerns however will back the tombs against the hand cleanliness of many of the people there.

 

[Daver6]

Touching the food etc is clearly quite a big pet peeve and based on the comments it would be appear to be quite common place. I've eaten my fair share of lounge good and not once fallen ill from it (I've doomed myself now for my next flight). How many have? Is this issue being blown out of proportion? Just a question to explore at this stage as I don't have evidence one way or another, other than a single data point of me.

Food for though...sorry, I couldn't resist

 

[eddie 73]

I understand the concerns however will back the tombs against the hand cleanliness of many of the people there.

Serving utensils are the proper method... but it’s those hands holding them.

Perhaps in the interest of improved hygiene the tongs get rotated for clean ones at more frequent intervals.

 

[Pushka]

Touching the food etc is clearly quite a big pet peeve and based on the comments it would be appear to be quite common place. I've eaten my fair share of lounge good and not once fallen ill from it (I've doomed myself now for my next flight). How many have? Is this issue being blown out of proportion? Just a question to explore at this stage as I don't have evidence one way or another, other than a single data point of me.

Food for though...sorry, I couldn't resist

I think it’s just the thought of someone unknown bod handling food you put in your mouth. Boy did I have to reword my original post. Phew.

 

[Antoallison]

I checked the website for the Australian Institute of Food Safety.

There are strict rules for food stored and displayed at room temperature ..throw out at 2 hour mark !
Chilled food can be kept for 4 hours, but hot dishes for a maximum of 2 hours.

Guidelines suggesting one staff person be assigned to oversee the buffet with an eye to making sure people use tongs for each individual food item on the buffet, and don’t risk cross contamination by using tongs from one dish to another.

Staff person to check the temperature of both hot and cold food every 2 hours with a sterilised probe.

Best practice - Never add freshly cooked food to old batches of cooked food.

A suggestion that there be a sign on the table requesting children be accompanied by an adult at the buffet.

I am guessing that supervisors and staff involved in catering already know all this.

Maybe we all have to be more vigilant when we share our food with dozens of other passengers and remind lounge staff about the guidelines.

 

[straitman]

I checked the website for the Australian Institute of Food Safety.

Maybe we all have to be more vigilant when we share our food with dozens of other passengers and remind lounge staff about the guidelines.

Maybe take a learning from what they do on cruise ships these days. Wash points on entry and no wash equates to no food.

 

[Antoallison]

Touching the food etc is clearly quite a big pet peeve and based on the comments it would be appear to be quite common place. I've eaten my fair share of lounge good and not once fallen ill from it (I've doomed myself now for my next flight). How many have? Is this issue being blown out of proportion? Just a question to explore at this stage as I don't have evidence one way or another, other than a single data point of me.

Food for though...sorry, I couldn't resist

It would be hard to gather the stats as most people would not start to feel sick until they were at their destination (short flight) or worse on their flight (long haul).

I think Lucky from One Mile at a Time blamed pre-flight food in the lounge rather than inflight food for two episodes of the D’s and V’s he had.

 

[JohnK]

Other germaphobes will agree with the fear of tongs... who knows if the person holding said tongs just before washed their hands after sneezing into it or leaving the bathroom. Yuk.

I hate people touching my food but don't understand this obsession with public cleanliness. We've been living with bacteria all our lives. Why the obsession now?

 

[Pushka]

I hate people touching my food but don't understand this obsession with public cleanliness. We've been living with bacteria all our lives. Why the obsession now?

Because people seem don’t seem to think about others so much anymore.

 

[RooFlyer]

I hate people touching my food but don't understand this obsession with public cleanliness. We've been living with bacteria all our lives. Why the obsession now?

... because 'in the old days' the bacteria you came in contact with in the environment was much the same as you were long exposed to (little travel beyond community). So not a big issue.

Now, you can get exposed to bacteria - and viruses - from all over the world, by far-flung people coming to you, you going to them, or meeting at airports. Then your body is not prepared for the exotic bacteria and viruses (or in some cases can never be), and then its trouble.

That's why good hygiene matters, especially at airports.

 

[mrsterryn]

Similarly to the Sydney trains that have quiet carriages I noticed that the admirals flagship in LAX has a quiet room
Interestingly it was only half full. The non quite lounge was about 3/4 full

 

[JohnK]

Because people seem don’t seem to think about others so much anymore.

No they don't but if I had to worry about every possible issue I wouldn't ever leave home.