- Joined
- Nov 1, 2011
- Posts
- 1,754
Just back from a 5 week trip and thought I'd share my interesting experience at Queen Alia Airport in Amman - flew the ATH - AMM - DXB legs in J with RJ.
First off, I should mention that the main news item was chemical weapons in Syria and whether Obama was going to start bombing so that may have brought on some anti-westerner sentiment - plus I was carrying a Stetson Panama hat (stops my bald spot from getting sunburnt) so I could have been mistaken for a Yank! Would also comment that both my wife and I were dressed well so certainly didn't look out-of-place or like bogans.
So, on with the story........on exiting the elevator to the Crown Lounge a well-dressed Arab looking woman (not a staff member) waiting to enter the lift stood in our way and said "This is the lounge level" as if we didn't belong there. A simple "we know" and in we walked.......heading to the lounge desk to show our BPs where we were completely ignored. As we stood there patiently the man at the desk attended several Middle Eastern-looking people (2 of whom arrived after us) and, after finishing with them, looked down at his desk as if we were invisible. Only after I shoved the BPs under his nose were we waved through without a word being uttered.
The general reaction to us from other pax was icey - several women especially openly stared at us with hostile looks. Talk about not feeling welcome - it's unsettling to look up from your iPad to be met by a gaze from a complete stranger who clearly objects to your presence!! FWIW the lounge is semi-circular with a waist-high glass balustrade overlooking the duty free area below. It is modern, very clean and well appointed - i.e outwardly inviting. The area to the left of the entry did not have any westerners so we decided on the right side which had the majority of buffet /bar selections anyway. There appeared to be only a few other western pax (men) there. So if you're a white anglo-saxon don't expect a warm welcome in the Amman Crown lounge!
First off, I should mention that the main news item was chemical weapons in Syria and whether Obama was going to start bombing so that may have brought on some anti-westerner sentiment - plus I was carrying a Stetson Panama hat (stops my bald spot from getting sunburnt) so I could have been mistaken for a Yank! Would also comment that both my wife and I were dressed well so certainly didn't look out-of-place or like bogans.
So, on with the story........on exiting the elevator to the Crown Lounge a well-dressed Arab looking woman (not a staff member) waiting to enter the lift stood in our way and said "This is the lounge level" as if we didn't belong there. A simple "we know" and in we walked.......heading to the lounge desk to show our BPs where we were completely ignored. As we stood there patiently the man at the desk attended several Middle Eastern-looking people (2 of whom arrived after us) and, after finishing with them, looked down at his desk as if we were invisible. Only after I shoved the BPs under his nose were we waved through without a word being uttered.
The general reaction to us from other pax was icey - several women especially openly stared at us with hostile looks. Talk about not feeling welcome - it's unsettling to look up from your iPad to be met by a gaze from a complete stranger who clearly objects to your presence!! FWIW the lounge is semi-circular with a waist-high glass balustrade overlooking the duty free area below. It is modern, very clean and well appointed - i.e outwardly inviting. The area to the left of the entry did not have any westerners so we decided on the right side which had the majority of buffet /bar selections anyway. There appeared to be only a few other western pax (men) there. So if you're a white anglo-saxon don't expect a warm welcome in the Amman Crown lounge!
