I'm over (most) lounges

[RooFlyer]

/rant

I'm sitting in the La Valette lounge at Malta International and I'm about to decamp into the terminal. I'm doing that more and more often domestically and around the world.

Right now, the lounge is very crowded (hard to find seats). I got one, but the guy beside me is making gross noises while eating and also talking loudly on his phone and the person on the other side is talking goo-goo noises to someone, of course on the speaker. The Italians over there are having a very loud discussion and some where an infant is grizzling. The wait-people come by with their trolly and make incredible clattering noise. If I could move to another seat most of these would still be in play. There is a nice outside terrace, but its a hot day and too warm out there.

Many lounges I go to these days are crowded - Virgin lounges in MEL and BNE are usually zoos. QF MEL international; ANZ MEL. SQ lounges in SIN except for First and TPR. It was about midnight last time and although nearly empty, the cleaners made constant revolutions with their clattering trolly.

HBA QP. I don't think I need say anything? SYD QF First gets crowded and I've commented before how tatty some of the armchairs are.

The QR Al Morjan lounge was frequently a zoo and very difficult to get a shower, but at least they have remedied that with the monster North lounge. I'm know Im a bit of a QRfan boi but I really like how they do their lounges. The business lounge are for business class passengers. First class lounge is for first class. Other loungers are provided for those of other ranks.

General lack of charging points, almost everywhere.

Buffets subject to unhygienic practices, almost everywhere.

Trying to get the damn wifi to work - or having to give your life story to get connected.

Noisy and crowded in many/most cases.

Wines are usually cheap +/- nasty and coffee questionable.

LH Senator lounges are really pretty basic, as are even the upgraded AC lounges.

I travel business internationally, so will get fed and watered much better than what most lounges can offer (esp on QR), so that's another reason why I can abandon a lounge.

There are still lounges I can use with pleasure (and I don't mean be able to plonk down and have a cheap wine) - QR in LHR, DOH, SIN that I've been to; ADL dom expansion sounds nice; VA ADL is good too. AA's Flagship lounges are usually OK, if you go in with low expectations; I haven't been to the Chelsea etc types of their lounges. QF's SYD and MEL F lounges until they get crowded. And others.

But in general, I'm quite prepared not to use a lounge and sit or wander around the terminal - you can usually find a quiet spot and make a coffee or juice last a while.

/rant - but I'm serious about many lounges not worth attending.

 

[anat0l]

I think I get where you're coming (ranting) from.

Lounges have proliferated so much around the world, but it's all not necessarily been for the best. And with so many more ways that people can afford to get into a lounge (including, for example, premium fares being somewhat more accessible) and a diversifying demographic (including a whole range of behaviours), whatever objectives there were for lounges to offer those privileged (yes, it is a privilege, not a right) enough to access them are being diluted or lost.

It's then a bit of a vicious circle as operators see heavy foot traffic and don't recognise a need to keep improvements and upkeep ahead of the curve.

I think a lot of operators of lounges (including airlines) are still mostly mired in the idea that the average lounge user deserves a space that is merely separate from other passengers and minimal refreshments, and then have the nerve to call that as a chance to relax and be productive. They don't have the mindset that it is an experience and should be measured by the very puffery they use to market the space. They also probably underestimate the true patronage of a space, especially at peak travel times (including when irregular operations occur).

I know that it isn't necessarily practical for an airline to operate an outstation lounge at every single destination they fly to, but I think their thoughts of selecting a lounge at a destination are mostly a check-off exercise with little consideration to the experience. Even if a destination only has one CIP/VIP lounge and it is not great, airlines will just set up a contract with them and call it a day without thinking of their customers' experience. Sure, there may be some hamstringing here, e.g. airline forced by airport operator to use that lounge and not have any freedom to tailor the experience for their customers for a better overall experience (e.g. an airline can't make a makeshift VIP area at a gate or area in the terminal that includes waited services and food).

At the same time, in general, most of the world's airports have improved their terminals. They're largely more comfortable than decades ago, though they are replete with restaurants charging extortionate prices and retail that is very much in your face. I'm not sure about finding a quiet spot in all terminals, largely because some schlub has likely beaten you to those spots; ditto for the limited charging ports in good places.

Put all that together, and yeah, I could easily see why you would prefer to forgo the lounge and opt for the terminal instead.

 

[Atleastonce]

My wife and I (both WP and Plat AMEX card holders) were commenting on this the other day after spending an hour in the “lounge” for VA in BNE international. I know we get the privilege of a few drinks and cheese and crackers but the terminal was nearly empty. Lots of comfortable seats available and food/drinks that looked reasonable and priced OK for an airport. There is no status associated with lounges because if everyone has status no one has status and they are all overcrowded and food choices are questionable. I agree with the OP, and that’s my rant too.

 

[aikman]

Sounds like a case of travelling too much so the experience is getting repetitive and boring. Maybe trying new airlines and new lounges might make the experience fresh and new again?

 

[kamchatsky]

Lounges have been overrated for a while now. Most of the terminals have much better food and beverage offerings these days.

My missus prefers to go to walk around terminals shops instead. She dreads when I told her that we are eligible for lounge access and we make a beeline to them. This is especially true for QF/VA domestic lounges, and average international lounges (QF J lounge, Marhaba, Amex, Plaza Premium, Skyteam).

The one she looks forward to are the SilverKris lounges. She likes the Asian food cooked by them. Even then, she still wants to go to some shops at the Terminal first.

 

[Justinf]

I thought I was the only one who preferred the terminal to a lounge.
I’ve even paid for my own beer in a bustling pub inside the terminal in preference to a ‘free’ one inside a lounge where the people watching is like chalk and cheese.

 

[Daver6]

I've been thinking the same thing. Especially squished into an AA lounge in the US. However poor it is though, it's generally better than sitting around the terminal.

My problem is I'm cheap. So there is no way I can justify spending money on a meal in the terminal when I have access to something that's free. Although I have been known to grab a burger or something from a fast food joint and take that into a lounge.

 

[lovestotravel]

Lounge have gone downhill since covid. The Accountant's have seen the savings they can make.

planes are full, premium cabins are full and profits are high, so no need to invest in lounges and F&B.

Prior to covid, we used to enjoy a hour or two in the lounge, now we aim for less than 30 minutes where possible (LHR/CDG) excluded as security can be a nightmare. Although the last few times leaving CDG, it was so so fast

 

[CaptJCool]

Lounges generate loyalty

Once visited, newbies want to “indulge” again

For the long termers, familiarity brings boredom…..

This from an old presentation.

 

[Pushka]

I get it. But the outside world is worse.

 

[kpc]

It is only when you don't have lounge access that you miss it

Recently flying out of Run, we had no lounge access and no where to refill our empty water bottle, no power sockets to charge our phone and had to sit in the crowded terminal ...oh and the toilets were filthy!

 

[Forg]

I get it. But the outside world is worse.

Not always … as a very infrequent flyer, I can name two where it was better to flee the lounge … the QF lounge in Hobart, and whatever CI was using at Gatwick in 2018 (Plaza Premium Lounge I think it was).

Of course as @kpc says, if you don’t have access then you don’t know what you’re not missing.

 

[justinbrett]

This feeling is quickly resolved once you pay $20 for a beer outside.

I was in a really coughty lounge in CAI, completely dry, and my flight was delayed by 5 hours (but only after I’d cleared passport control).

So even though it was a terrible lounge it was better than nothing, I had somewhere to sit and have a few bites.

Sometimes I will go to a lounge and sit, and not eat or drinking anything. Other times I’ll go in for a shower and then leave. It depends on the airport and what I need/want at the time.

 

[RooFlyer]

Sounds like a case of travelling too much so the experience is getting repetitive and boring. Maybe trying new airlines and new lounges might make the experience fresh and new again?

You definitely have a point there about over travel. i’m sure there would be a huge amount of people thrilled to get into any lounges I’m not impressed with.

But I do travel on a reasonable range of Airlines - KM Malta Airlines being yesterday‘s flight where I wrote the rant; I think it was a shared lounge though. and as it happens, my preferred international airline QR, has some of the best and uncrowded lounges out there.

 

[gaz0303]

Most of my travel is for work. Quite often I take a look at the same slop at the nth lounge visit for the week and just can’t do it. Corporate card comes out for a real meal much more often these days.

 

[VPS]

It is an interesting comment, but for the people that haven’t been into a lounge, they get incredibly excited about it all.

I think my favourite thing is the Cleaner toilets

 

[jase05]

But the outside world is worse.

Been a couple of years since entering the HBA QF pub. I don’t even waste my time anymore and just head straight for somewhere else in the terminal

 

[DejaBrew]

I think my favourite thing is the (theoretically) Cleaner toilets

Fixed it for you

Past experience suggests to me that some pax with status are even less capable of aiming or flushing. I sometimes wonder if such skills are another unannounced “benefit” to status, or simply an unannounced “enhancement”?

 

[Justinf]

Been a couple of years since entering the HBA QF pub. I don’t even waste my time anymore and just head straight for somewhere else in the terminal

Cascade Draught in steins in the main terminal. No reason to be anywhere else.

 

[Forg]

Cascade Draught in steins in the main terminal. No reason to be anywhere else.

It’s been a few years, but last time I was there with not-work there were some interesting lower-volume options too. Main terminal dunnies were less queuey & no dirtier.

I kinda think, even as a not-so-frequent flyer, I do have a similar sentiment to @RooFlyer.
My introduction to lounges was first a workmate & then my wife having QF P, being in Sydney that meant their flagship lounge a bit over 10yrs ago. And although not EK’s fanciest lounge, still the AKL J lounge was pretty nice when we were on the first A380 of the day so it wasn’t that busy yet.

Now I’ve not even been to a lounge post-COVID, so if some lf the services have been cut back, that’s getting pretty sad in some places. And if a lounge doesn’t offer a quiet place to sit, doesn’t offer anything reasonable to eat or drink, doesn’t offer showers or a clean toilet you don’t have to queue for … then yeah I can see how just killing that time in the terminal might be somewhat more pleasant. Obviously it depends on the lounge too, in what limited experience I’ve had I’ve probably been to more lounges that didn’t offer anything beyond free very-cheap booze & a really limited choice of bad snacks, than those which offer more.

But one of a Tier 1 airline’s flagship lounges is probably still going to be a decent place to spend time.