Do you prefer silent airport lounges & terminals with no announcements?

[MARTINE]

You need announcements and the flight boards, not everybody can hear or see or speak the same language...but whatever info is given it needs to be accurate.

After a 1 hour delay on my last INT flight I was sitting on the plane before the app told me of the delay so they dont always work either.

Basically if you want to be on the plane YOU should be alert and waiting for it...just like a Bus...not expecting them to find you.

So agree with this.

I hate the cacophony of the calls and if they were banned so much the better
I always take my responsibility for getting to the gate early … but there will always be DYKWIA and wannabeDYKWIA types who think their time (often at the bar) is more important than mine.

As already mentioned upthread we have to incorporate lowest common denominator outliers for the benefit of those who do the right thing not being inconvenienced.

They COULD ban whatsapp video calls at volume 10 though where Donald Trump seals the deal in the open lounge + kids watching/playing games on loud screens

 

[dajop]

.When we are in SQ lounge in SIN I must get up and go to TV screen more than a dozen times. I would hate to get up and leave and go to a gate that's quite a walk only to find they're nowhere near starting boarding. I hate waiting in holding pens and I hate waiting onboard waiting for stragglers.

When we are in SQ lounge in SIN I must get up and go to TV screen more than a dozen times. I would hate to get up and leave and go to a gate that's quite a walk only to find they're nowhere near starting boarding. I hate waiting in holding pens and I hate waiting onboard waiting for stragglers.

It sounds like you need to download the Changi airport app to your phone. Then you can save the flight in the app and just check the app a dozen times instead of going to the screen to see, it seems to reflect what is on the monitors (and you can see the progression from "Gate Open" to "Boarding" to "Last Call" to "Gate Closing" to "Gate Closed").

On SQ at SIN, I don't bother with monitors unless the flight is delayed, as they do have a very consistent boarding process that closes 10 mins before departure. I aim to reach the gate 20 mins before departure and leave the lounge at an appropriate time based on distance to gate. Sometimes they get everyone on board before that, and invariably means you wait for one of a) luggage to loaded b) cargo to be loaded c) final calculations or d) ATC clearance, so those boarding at 10-15 mins before departure don't really hold up the plane, IME. I have seen doors closed at T-20 or even earlier, but we never pushed back until T-5 for the aforementioned reasons.

As for the stragglers, we shouldn't "judge" stragglers, especially at busy hubs. Maybe at HBA, there's no really no excuse, but at SIN the most likely reason people are stragglers is due to an inbound delay on their previous flight, or a previous flight that landed at the other end of the airport (eg gate F59 in T2 transiting to gate B10 in T3).

 

[MARTINE]

It sounds like you need to download the Changi airport app to your phone. Then you can save the flight in the app and just check the app a dozen times instead of going to the screen to see, it seems to reflect what is on the monitors (and you can see the progression from "Gate Open" to "Boarding" to "Last Call" to "Gate Closing" to "Gate Closed").

On SQ at SIN, I don't bother with monitors unless the flight is delayed, as they do have a very consistent boarding process that closes 10 mins before departure. I aim to reach the gate 20 mins before departure and leave the lounge at an appropriate time based on distance to gate. Sometimes they get everyone on board before that, and invariably means you wait for one of a) luggage to loaded b) cargo to be loaded c) final calculations or d) ATC clearance, so those boarding at 10-15 mins before departure don't really hold up the plane, IME. I have seen doors closed at T-20 or even earlier, but we never pushed back until T-5 for the aforementioned reasons.

As for the stragglers, we shouldn't "judge" stragglers, especially at busy hubs. Maybe at HBA, there's no really no excuse, but at SIN the most likely reason people are stragglers is due to an inbound delay on their previous flight, or a previous flight that landed at the other end of the airport (eg gate F59 in T2 transiting to gate B10 in T3).

In my experience the stragglers you describe are not the problem - they had no choice in getting to the gate any faster. Those who amble in completely uncaring about the delay are the problem!

 

[JohnK]

As for the stragglers, we shouldn't "judge" stragglers, especially at busy hubs. Maybe at HBA, there's no really no excuse, but at SIN the most likely reason people are stragglers is due to an inbound delay on their previous flight, or a previous flight that landed at the other end of the airport (eg gate F59 in T2 transiting to gate B10 in T3).

Apologies if sounded like I was judging stragglers. I was not being critical.

My wife likes to board as early as possible to have space for carry on. I hate cramped airline seats. The less I spend in them the best for my sanity.

 

[Seat0B]

I prefer silent lounges, as I find it very hard to switch off/screen out all the hubbub associated with frequent announcements - sometimes in 2 or even 3 languages too.

It does place the responsibility on the pax to monitor for boarding advice, and does sometimes lead to going to gate early or late if the displayed information is not correct, but overall, I much prefer the relative peace and quiet.

 

[Quickstatus]

Several times I have been tricked by the announcement only to get there and the flight is delayed.
I find the announcements are often too early.

 

[dajop]

Those who amble in completely uncaring about the delay are the problem!

Yes I know what you mean, there occassionally are folk that are like this. Although there are others that might appear to be stragglers, but as long as they don't delay the flight it is fine. If they board before the time indicated on the boarding pass then all is good IMHO, even if they seem to be late because the rest of the plane has boarded.

 

[elanshin]

I actually think the best approach is BOTH for the bigger lounges.

Sections where the announcements are being made and other areas where its quiet. You're realistically not going to be disturbing the "ambiance" of the general dining and buffet areas since its always got people moving around and chattering away. Then further away you have a "quiet" section for those that want to relax and chill.

 

[MARTINE]

I actually think the best approach is BOTH for the bigger lounges.

Sections where the announcements are being made and other areas where its quiet. You're realistically not going to be disturbing the "ambiance" of the general dining and buffet areas since its always got people moving around and chattering away. Then further away you have a "quiet" section for those that want to relax and chill.

I like it
But
It still relies on people doing the right thing. There are all sorts of signs rules regs about expectations in lounge behavior but people still bark into their phones, (despite no mobiles sign) take up three seats with their cough even though its nearly full and don't care if their kids disturb others amenity. The impact may be less in a bigger area….

 

[Mr H]

It sounds like you need to download the Changi airport app to your phone. Then you can save the flight in the app and just check the app a dozen times instead of going to the screen to see, it seems to reflect what is on the monitors (and you can see the progression from "Gate Open" to "Boarding" to "Last Call" to "Gate Closing" to "Gate Closed").

One of the issues for pax is knowing which source of information is the most reliable. I would be reluctant to trust my boarding to an app that may or may not be correct and/or updated in real time.

 

[dajop]

One of the issues for pax is knowing which source of information is the most reliable. I would be reluctant to trust my boarding to an app that may or may not be correct and/or updated in real time.

I know what you're saying, but I think the Changi app itself is driven off the same information as the monitors are, so never noticed a difference between the status displayed on the two The question then becomes is "would you trust your boarding to monitors that may or may not be correct and/or updated in real time?".

In any event I trust my boarding to the time indicated on the boarding pass (Boarding Closes 10 mins prior to departure in SIN on SQ), unless the flight is delayed. This is something I am happy to do at Changi, but never would do in the US.

 

[Mr H]

I know what you're saying, but I think the Changi app itself is driven off the same information as the monitors are, so never noticed a difference between the status displayed on the two The question then becomes is "would you trust your boarding to monitors that may or may not be correct and/or updated in real time?".

In any event I trust my boarding to the time indicated on the boarding pass (Boarding Closes 10 mins prior to departure in SIN on SQ), unless the flight is delayed. This is something I am happy to do at Changi, but never would do in the US.

I'm happy to accept that the Changi app is accurate, but when travelling to unfamiliar places you just don't know what is reliable and what is not. I remember being in Tunis where the screens showed the incorrect gate and the correct information was apparently conveyed in French and Arabic on inaudible speakers.

 

[dajop]

I'm happy to accept that the Changi app is accurate, but when travelling to unfamiliar places you just don't know what is reliable and what is not. I remember being in Tunis where the screens showed the incorrect gate and the correct information was apparently conveyed in French and Arabic on inaudible speakers.

Bottom line is you've got to know the airport and airline to know what works best. And sometimes you can't even trust announcements made at the gate, and need to be in line of sight, not just earshot of the gate.

 

[Traveln]

The ongoing announcements are annoying and makes you switch off. And often hard to decipher. Getting up every now and then to check the departure board is a bit of a mini exercise. I don't mind this, esp if going on a long haul flight. An app reminder would also work for me. When in Dubai business class lounge, there was a person who came around to ask if people are on flights relevant to boarding calls made. A nice service. I guess that's not going to work for those who are not lucky enough to be in a lounge. So I also see the pros and cons.

 

[Mr H]

Getting up every now and then to check the departure board is a bit of a mini exercise. I don't mind this, esp if going on a long haul flight.

What can be annoying is to have screens scrolling through heaps of flights on the far future before they briefly flash up the flights that anyone might be interested in - often also scrolling through the same information in other languages and putting up codeshare flight numbers. It can leave you standing like a lemon waiting to see the information you need. It is hard to sit back and relax in a lounge when you're terrified of missing vital information.

 

[clementine6]

Yes. Half the time its unintelligible noise. God help anyone who's not a native english speaker

 

[Peter D]

What can be annoying is to have screens scrolling through heaps of flights on the far future before they briefly flash up the flights that anyone might be interested in - often also scrolling through the same information in other languages and putting up codeshare flight numbers. It can leave you standing like a lemon waiting to see the information you need. It is hard to sit back and relax in a lounge when you're terrified of missing vital information.

I always wonder why code share numbers are used/publicised at all. After all they are only a sequence of letters and numbers to put on the issuer’s ticket and if they used the actual operator’s number for connections it would be much clearer.



But I have to admire the efficiency of Air Traffic Control and gate staff dispatching six flights all at the same time.