The night the bogans visited the F lounge

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La Mouette

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Now I never attended finishing school and wouldn't engage in a debate as to which utensil to use to eat grapes, but I was left wondering the other night if even the most basic manners were no longer taught to young Aussies.

(Please do not take this post as too serious or elitist ... that is apart from the health and safety issue left on the carpet of Meeting Room 1 ...)

The scene was the Melbourne F lounge prior to the departure of QF9. I arrived in the lounge with ample time for a quiet dinner followed a spa treatment before my flight. I was seated in the restaurant by the window with a nice view. While I was perusing the menu, I noticed that the man seated at the table next to me was talking on his phone. It wasn't an important-work- or phone-the-kids-at-bedtime-type conversation, just a conversation with someone.

I ordered, he was still talking. My entree arrived ... still talking. I finished my entree ... still talking. My main course arrived ... still talking. At this point, the waiter who must have been politely waiting for him to finish the call, started just delivering his food. His conversational rhythm hardly changed, as he ate while continuing to listen and talk. It was disgustingly amusing to watch someone chew and talk at the same time over such an extended period. By this point, everyone else close by was watching as well. Just as I was finishing my main course, an older couple finally complained, and the waiter politely asked him to end his call. So I'll never know if he could also cut meat, chew, and talk on the phone at the same time.

I then had some time to relax before my spa treatment and went into the main lounge area. Relaxation was clearly going to be impossible there, though, as a group of 10-15 men were standing around drinking beer and cheering on the footy like they thought they were a their local pub.

No worries, I thought after a few loud whoops, I'll go into a meeting room, where it's usually a bit quieter. The lounge angel booked me into Meeting Room 2, and I took out my gadgets to do a bit of work. Then I met Charlotte and her parents, who in a practical sense were in Meeting Room 1, but were so loud I heard every word of their conversation like they were sitting next to me. I take it Charlotte was the first child, as the parents oohed and awed at seemingly her every breath. And things were pleasant enough as I learned about all their friends, upcoming social commitments, etc.

Then, Charlotte did a poo. Mummy suggested that Charlotte lie down on the floor (the Marc Newson designed carpet, no less ...) so that Mummy could change her nappy. Charlotte was having none of this (perhaps she knew even at this early stage of her life that this event is what baby change rooms are designed for?) and started howling. Eventually, things calmed down, and Daddy then emerged from the meeting room into the main lounge area holding the nappy in question. Not in a bag or anything, just in his hands. He headed off in the direction of the bathrooms, so clearly the ability to read signs was not an issue for the couple. Perhaps he washed his hands while he was there, but Mummy clearly didn't feel the need to do so herself. After visions of them changing Charlotte's nappy on the onboard tray table, I was so relieved when the family departed for Auckland and were clearly not on my flight.

I don't know how often the carpets in the lounge get cleaned, so I would be wary of Meeting Room 1 if you are visiting any time soon!

There was a lot of fuss when Qantas introduced the no-thongs-in-the-lounge rule, but I ponder should they go further? "When you're flying with us, your health and safety is our number one concern. Please defecate only in designated areas, which are clearly marked with a symbol of a man, woman, or baby. Suitable receptacles are provided in each designated area ..."
 
Wow, glad I didn’t fly out that night!

First World Problem, though. I’m sure many waiting out near the gate would love to be able to use the lounge even if it is noisy in there.

Hope your flight was good.
 
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Wow. Just wow.

While i understand being a parent can be hard i still think they should respect the place they are in and use the bathrooms and change room provided.
 
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How do you know they didn't have a mat for the nappy change? These things are standard issue for all parents. Mat goes down, change nappy, wipe down with baby wipe after use. Really easy, better to in in the room than inflict the smell of poo on the lounge by going to the toilet. They also have this stuff called hand sanitiser these days. Something that parent with young children use frequently.
Noise can be a problem, but I suggest you're going way too far in your assumptions.
 
Ummm, as a bogan, let me point out that the great unwashed (hands) and boorish were FFers/pointy end people and not my people.

Bogans are generally oohing and ahhing over the delights of the lounge, if they ever get in that is, and taking facebook snaps to show their friends how the other half lives while whispering among themselves, "Its free? I dont have to pay? Quick, put this in your bag for later."
 
The mobile Phone guy would be a nuisance and I’d expect the staff to say something. Some lounges have signs at the restaurant indicating that mobiles cannot be used, eg. FCT at FRA.
The acoustics in those meeting rooms are dreadful, put on the QC30s problem solved. Don’t think I would have noticed or cared about the baby change, I’m sure the parents had a bag, mat, wipes etc and hand gel as mentioned above.

I try pretty hard not to notice or let the behavior of others affect my own enjoyment of my travel and most of the time that works out ok :)
 
There was a lot of fuss when Qantas introduced the no-thongs-in-the-lounge rule, but I ponder should they go further? "When you're flying with us, your health and safety is our number one concern.

That's still just a domestic restriction right?

Personally if I'm flying somewhere tropical internationally I prefer to travel wearing flip-flops, much easier for showering in the lounge and relaxing on board.
 
Love the story.

Wife always has a baby cloth/blanket for changing daughters nappy but she usually goes to the baby change table as it's easier to change nappy there.

I was in the BNE domestic business lounge last Friday and a lady came to sit down next to me. She made 4-5 phone calls in 15-20 minutes and headed off to gate early even though flight was delayed. Why visit the lounge if your only intention is to talk to people on the phone?
 
.... "Its free? I dont have to pay? Quick, put this in your bag for later."

Clearly I'm a bogan. Was in the MEL F Lounge on Sunday and requested a bottle of water to take with me. The response of "Sorry, we no longer provide bottles of water." quickly put me back in the social pecking order.

So pleased I'm more interested in the soccer on the screen than entertaining in Meeting Room 1!!

Regards,

BD
 
Lucky those walls are paper thin, otherwise you would have been none the wiser about the baby being changed on the carpet and had one less thing to complain about.

I don't know if you have kids yourself but as parents we get pretty good at changing nappies without getting s**t everywhere. Plus there's hand sanitiser to clean up afterwards. As a frequent lounge user I'm more concerned about touching the curry and salad servers after the mid-40s to mid-50s businessmen who have just used the bathroom and exited without washing their hands (I have no idea if women do this frequently as I have never been in the women's wash room, but trust me, for the guys it happens a lot!)
 
There was four on the phone over breakfast at the Flounge in LAX a couple of days ago and unfortunately one of them was me! Some circumstances dictate things we don't want to do, but putting together Board papers for a NASDAQ company urgently before leaving to HKG was bit of a priority. i made sure i was at the furthest point away from everyone, out of courtesy and not wanting to be overheard. The staff was quite nice and understanding as i made sure i thanked them.
 
First World Problem, though.

Most definitely a first world problem ... or potentially a second world problem. I do consider myself lucky to live in a county where there is sanitation, should one choose to utilise it. ;)

How do you know they didn't have a mat for the nappy change?

Unfortunately I have eyes as well as ears. :rolleyes:

Really easy, better to in in the room than inflict the smell of poo on the lounge by going to the toilet.

as parents we get pretty good at changing nappies without getting s**t everywhere.

Please, please tell me you're just trying to wind me up! Where is the emoji for running out of the room in horror?????

For anyone that is taking this too seriously or considering starting a parents nappy-changing rights movement to put F travellers in their place, please re-read the second paragraph of the OP ...
 
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Matt_01 - just attempted to send what I think is a personal message to you (is that what "starting a conversation is"???) If you did not get it please send me a PM however that is done now.

It relates to your thread, it is not an ask for pass :)

And good on you for this!
 
Unfortunately I have eyes as well as ears. :rolleyes:
Really? You could see into meeting room 1 from meeting room 2? It's like a gold fish bowl? with you sitting there watch what is happening in the other room. I find it very hard to accept that you were watching the nappy being changed.

Please, please tell me you're just trying to wind me up! Where is the emoji for running out of the room in horror?????

For anyone that is taking this too seriously or considering starting a parents nappy-changing rights movement to put F travellers in their place, please re-read the second paragraph of the OP ...
Not a wind up, I've been trapped many places with the smell of a child needing a change. Not nice at all. Most parents try to not inflict that on people.
this has nothing to do with rights, just providing correct information about is involved with changing nappies. There are a number of misconceptions on this topic. Hopefully, you aren't being too serious in suggesting people are fighting to put F travellers in their place.
 
When I was a WP with our new Little Miss I can tell you that I only used the Baby Change table once, showers (suite 8 IIRC) at the SYD First Lounge. Other times it was being used and the one time I used it the large nappy bin was over flowing with nappy bags and smelt like it had not been emptied all weekend. I did raise the issue at the front desk but I do not know if anything was done about it.
IMO changing on the floor in a Meeting Room, using a mat of course, is totally acceptable. But would still go and wash my hands after changing.
 
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