Originally Posted by
pinworm
"Exclusivity" has nothing to do with price. It has to do with it excluding most people from access. It is therefore quieter, far from crowds, and provides decent service for a select few. It could cost 2pence and still be exclusive, depending only on the requirements of access.
Someone who needs to beg strangers to be buddied in is obviously excluded from access.
We'll have to agree to disagree on the 'exclusiveness' of it - given that anyone can join an airline lounge for a cheap price. My guess is even infrequent flyers would do it if they knew they were facing a long delay.
And truthfully I've been in airline lounges that are so crowded & noisy that it's a toss-up on which is better, the concourse or the club. So again I'm in disagreement w/ you.
BTW - I
do belong to some private clubs. Those require letters of recommendation amongst other criteria & have long waiting lists for admittance. So in those cases I'll go w/ the exclusiveness angle.
Note - none of them are airline lounges
But on a simple airline lounge that every Joe/Jane Schmoe can get into based on anteing up a few bucks, eh, not so much. (shrug)
The OP was flying J & therefore had entry into the appropriate J club of whichever airline s/he was flying. Not into F.
Whether inquiring on a BB if it's appropriate to ask someone who has legit access to J but would like access to F doesn't constitute begging to me, but to each their own on interpretation. If the OP held a sign to his/her chest outside the F lounge saying only J, please let me in I might agree
Cheers.