Crazy lounge stories

[awilcockson]

I'm sitting in the LHR T3 galleries F lounge right now, and I witnessed something so amazing I thought it deserved a thread of its own.

Every time I fly through LHR, there's at least one person in the line in front of me trying to get access when they have no valid reason at all. And I usually have a little inward chuckle as they are shot down and get all upset ... "but I'm silver damn it and flying in discount whY!!!!"

So today the guy in front of me is using the DYKWMFI (don't you know who my friend is?) method. His story was that he was traveling with an emerald, who was conveniently absent "shopping" but would be along in 30 minutes. He explains that he normally goes to the J lounge (he's silver) while she goes to the F, but now he understands he can get into F as her guest so can they let him in please?

I had my inner chuckle ready as I awaited the anticipated "NO!" but imagine my surprise when they let him in!!!!!

So, tell us your stories of witnessed events where people have actually managed to pull one over then lounge guardians .... It can't happen that often.

 

[dfcatch]

I'm sitting in the LHR T3 galleries F lounge right now, and I witnessed something so amazing I thought it deserved a thread of its own.

Every time I fly through LHR, there's at least one person in the line in front of me trying to get access when they have no valid reason at all. And I usually have a little inward chuckle as they are shot down and get all upset ... "but I'm silver damn it and flying in discount whY!!!!"

So today the guy in front of me is using the DYKWMFI (don't you know who my friend is?) method. His story was that he was traveling with an emerald, who was conveniently absent "shopping" but would be along in 30 minutes. He explains that he normally goes to the J lounge (he's silver) while she goes to the F, but now he understands he can get into F as her guest so can they let him in please?

I had my inner chuckle ready as I awaited the anticipated "NO!" but imagine my surprise when they let him in!!!!!

So, tell us your stories of witnessed events where people have actually managed to pull one over then lounge guardians .... It can't happen that often.

I'm amazed!!

The BNE Int lounge once let my friend in without me (I was off having a shower), but I had let them know that I was expecting someone and just to page me and I would come out.

When I returned from the shower, "Mr dfcatch, your guest is in the lounge for you Sir".

 

[drron]

Sounds like the lounge dragon is having a full blown breakdown!

 

[flyingfan]

I had my inner chuckle ready as I awaited the anticipated "NO!" but imagine my surprise when they let him in!!!!!

I have only read about the rigidity of BA lounge staff, not copped it myself, and that does sound like a contrary experience. Were I a dragon with a reputation, I would definitely not reward DYKWIAness of any kind.

The BNE Int lounge once let my friend in without me (I was off having a shower), but I had let them know that I was expecting someone and just to page me and I would come out.

When I returned from the shower, "Mr dfcatch, your guest is in the lounge for you Sir".

Sounds like QF was proactively providing good service here - your status and thus guest allotment had already been confirmed and they saved you the hassle of being paged and coming out. This is a good thing.

I don't have any stories of my own though, so can't unleash my inner schadenfreude

 

[amaroo]

BA T3 Flounge 4 months ago, approached the dining room....

Sir, do you have invitations to dine?
No, don't think so, no one gave me one when we checked in or when we entered the lounge
You need to be traveling F, on BA
Ok, all good, we're traveling F on BA9....see, here are the 5 BP's
Sorry Sir, you need an invitation to dine!
How do I get that?
You need to go back to the lounge desk & get them!
You are joking?
Sorry Sir, but you need the invitations to dine
*#!*, head back to the desk, wait for the 5 invitations to be hand written, go back to dining room.
Welcome Sir, please enjoy your meal!
Thanks, there are 5 of us & we'd like to dine together, can you slide some tables together?
Sorry Sir, we can't do that!
So, you want my family of 5 to sit at 3 different tables?
Yes Sir,
@#$& you, I'll move them myself.....& I did.

BA lounges are a joke. Starting with the CCR

 

[medhead]

I think I must have got the same lounge angel at LHR T3 last Tuesday. They let me guest Flashware flying QF10 and QFxx_ to PER when I was in QF2. Absolutely, no problems at all. Of course, they did turn away some guy who was there at the same time. Maybe he drew the heat.


Sent from the Throne

 

[flyingfan]

BA T3 Flounge 4 months ago, approached the dining room....

:shock: I'm stupefied. This would sound like a Seinfeld episode if it weren't so farcical. I'm suddenly glad I haven't had any of that nonsense pulled on me.

Are the invitations only for lunch and dinner? When I visited I was flying QF F and only had breakfast, no invitation mentioned. I thought the menu was very anaemic; do they save all the goodies for T5? (Then again, I was surprised by the lack of stores at T5 as well.)

 

[bossreggie]

BA Lounge.

I was asked for an "invitation" to dine last time I was there and I just told the (male) dragon to take another look at my boarding pass.

When he insisted I walk back to reception to get my invitation, I suggested that as he was there in a service capacity, it would be better if he went and collected it for me.

He let me in.

My understanding is that they are an outside catering company and the invitations help BA with making sure they have more control over the costs.

Don't know why the just can't scan your BP if you are obviously travelling in F?? OR.... Just write your name and flight details down.

Boss

 

[amaroo]

BA Lounge.

I was asked for an "invitation" to dine last time I was there and I just told the (male) dragon to take another look at my boarding pass.

When he insisted I walk back to reception to get my invitation, I suggested that as he was there in a service capacity, it would be better if he went and collected it for me.

He let me in.

My understanding is that they are an outside catering company and the invitations help BA with making sure they have more control over the costs.

Don't know why the just can't scan your BP if you are obviously travelling in F?? OR.... Just write your name and flight details down.

Boss

It wasn't worth the hassle. IMO the food was rubbish!

Any Flounge that restricts dining to F passengers should be able to knock up a decent feed......it was less appetising than the food you get served on the actual plane.

 

[bossreggie]

amaroo ^^^^^^^^^^

I do tend to agree with you. IMHO the SYD and MEL QF Flounges offer a much better selection AND quality of food.

I am a bit of a sucker for rillette and terrine though, and quite regularly the BA F Dining area have them on the menu. I love a BIG red wine and something like that...

Yummo.

Boss

 

[Peabody]

Before I turned 21 I had several trips to the USA, usually flying home in J and traveling as a QFF Gold or Platinum. I never had a problem accessing the QF Lounges in LAX however I was always denied entry at the BA Terraces or First Lounge in JFK T7 due to the fact they are licensed premises and I was not traveling with an "adult" to supervise me.

On each occasion I sought out a rep from the airline I was flying (Either QF, BA or CX) and always got access to the First Lounge (Even when traveling on a QFF Gold Card) after much arguing for my right to entry based on QFF Status.

 

[Mal]

Are the invitations only for lunch and dinner? When I visited I was flying QF F and only had breakfast, no invitation mentioned. I thought the menu was very anaemic; do they save all the goodies for T5? (Then again, I was surprised by the lack of stores at T5 as well.)

The dining room at T3 is open at Breakfast for anyone, it's only lunch and dinner they "lock it down". What is listed on the menu there looks pretty similar to what I would expect at T5 in the bain-marie there.

 

[Daver6]

Couple of years ago travelling with my boss at the time who is WP so guested me in too to the BA F lounge. As it was late morning we ordered some breakfast. When mine came out, it wasn't what I had ordered. The lady tried convincing me I was wrong. Then ensued for a few minutes. Eventually another traveller sitting perhaps 15 metres away overheard the conversation and piped up that it sounded like it was his meal. I didn't even get an apology from the lady who was so insistent that it really was what I had ordered.

 

[drron]

Mine is not quite a lounge story but does illustrate again the British class system.When staying in London I stayed at the Royal Society of Medicine's Domus-we are pretencious in Medicine.After the first night we learnt that it was much cheaper to dine in than eat out.A good 3 course meal plus a bottle of wine cost us less than $A100 for both of us-the dollar had dipped to just under 40P at the time.The waiters were all Portugese,one did a really great Manuel impersonation-all the time!However by tjhe end of the week all the waiters were congregated around our table(as we were from the coplonies we were not invited to dine with the others).Many an English doctor was shouting "Boy" but they only reluctantly moved away from our table after about the 4th such shout.Of course we were the only ones talking with the waiters not to or at them.

 

[RescuePilot]

drron - an excellent overview of the British Class System
I also had a wonderful sparring contest with the M-DUAL's of the T3 lounge three weeks ago who appeared to go out of their way just to annoy and p*ss people off

BTW - MDUAL is mutton dressed up as well you know how it goes

Sir good evening can I assist you??
Good evening yes thank you we would like a table for two please
Do you have an invitation (??)

Oh No i did not know that we needed an invitation as the lass at the desk sent us through
Well she should know the rules and you will need to go back and talk to her about the oversight and the fact that you cant just walk in and request a table without an invitation
About this stage (I will leave a couple of sentences out) I explained that perhaps she was not assisting us with any servie and that she may wish to go and sort through the invitation issue etc etc etc
About this stage she got a little riled and stated that we Qantarse PAX should really not try and "push the boundaries all the time"
Just about then I informed her she could clean her teeth and kiss my a"" and walked through and sat at the table where I experienced some service although nothing like QF lounge
Miss Vinegar tit$ never came near us again
Now I do not wish to sound like a smart acre however I am just about over the BA snootiness and total lack of service for a so called premium airline

Cheers
Rescue Pilot

 

[bossreggie]

^^^^^^^^

Hate that so much.

I also HATE playing the DYKWIA card....

I get that cough fairly often in the UK.... Especially in new hotels or restaurants....... I'm REALLY so DTE.... Don't stand too much on ceremony...

Generally.... I just point out my car and driver out the front... My number plates are VERY obviously personal.... That shuts them up.

Boss

 

[fbrimfield]

Okay my wackiest lounge experience is this...

I was at the Malaysian Golden Satellite Lounge (the flagship) at KUL.

As I was grabbing myself a drink, a rather loud middle aged mainland chinese couple came into the lounge laughing hysterically. They were speaking in a pretty heavy northern accent, but I was able to make out "they didn't even see us come in, stupid malays!". Immediately they went for the food and drink and started loading their plates with as much food as they could, and setting it all down on a huge table meant for 4 people, and grabbed one of the bottles of champagne out of the ice bucket and just took it to their table.

Obviously, they weren't meant to be there, and they stook out like a sore thumb (as loud, obnoxious and unfashionable mainland chinese people tend to do). Anyway, a few of the chinese born lounge attendants went over and started asking to see their boarding passes (this is all in mandarin, obviously), and the guy got really upset and starting screaming. They were told to leave and the woman started WAILING. EXTREMELY LOUDLY. Security were pretty quick to come and escort them out of there (took about 6 guards).

It was so funny, but not exactly anything I hadn't seen before.

 

[flyingfan]

Okay my wackiest lounge experience is this...

Gee I miss all the fun. Just suits in, suits out for me...

 

[Timba-Jet]

It was so funny, but not exactly anything I hadn't seen before.

Do tell more of these wacky encounters. I think wouldn't be able to stop myself laughing if I saw this.

 

[fbrimfield]

Do tell more of these wacky encounters. I think wouldn't be able to stop myself laughing if I saw this.

Uhm, well on the subject of crazy mainland chinese people, I once saw a crazy old grandma get up as we were powering down the runway on a China Spring Airlines flight from HK to Shanghai Hongqiao (the ghetto airport). She got up to get a magazine out of her bag in the overhead just as the captains started rotating, and the cabin crew started pleading her to sit down. She looked at them, and screamed across the cabin "DONT TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" in Chinese and then went to the toilet.

Typical behaviour.