Edgerfly

I'm on the 9:10pm HGK-DXB via BKK and onto SEA, but my hotel made me check out at 2pm. No problem, I thought, I'll just go to the airport and hang out in the Emirates lounge. At check-in the agent informs me the lounge closes for "cleaning" from 5:30 to 6:15. Yeah sure, whatever.

When I get to the lounge the lounge agent also informs me they'll be closing the lounge. 'Okay, I can't just wait at a couch in the corner while you do your cleaning,' I thought? Sure enough at 5:30 she kicked out about five of us in the lounge. She was also quite nasty about it.

So I go across to the Premium Plaza Lounge with my Priority Pass. I figure ill wait here, or indefinitely, depending on the lounges offerings.

As I'm sitting on my computer doing work, I see about 25 Emirates flight attendants, and cabin crew (including a pilot) strut in and walk into the Plaza Premium Lounge, and go off to a partitioned area. They partook in the food, drinks, and it seemed to be their dinner. They were closely followed by a Kenyan Airways flight crew also having dinner.

I just found the whole experience odd. First of all, I've never been kicked out of a lounge before. You'd think for a $20,000USD ticket they could allow people to just sit in the lounge while they do their cleaning, or do it after the last departure of the day? Secondly, do airlines routinely have their cabin crews go to lounges at airports for food and drinks before flights? Surely they can offer them something better at a real restaurant? Those flight attendants put in hard hours.

Just to be clear, I'm not complaining. In fact it was an interesting, ironic experience, and something I've never seen in my 15 years as a frequent flyer.