Originally Posted by
Flumps
I am always mystified why people don't say something in these situations. How hard, really, can it be ?
I accept saying something on the NY Metro at 23:00 is not a good idea and could end up with you in hospital - or worse - but in a lounge I think it's a reasonable assumption that the worst you're going to get back is some backchat.
"Excuse me, I'm afraid that the noise from your smartphone is disturbing everyone - could you wear your earphones please and then everyone is happy, including you ?"
Same with feet on tables and all the rest of it. If you don't say anything, your behaviour is reinforcing theirs because they are not receiving any feedback that what they're doing isn't, really, acceptable.
It's disappointing how often this doesn't work. I once challenged a gentleman who was using his iPad without headphones to Facetime with a toddler in the Plaza Premium Lounge in LHR T2, only to be told by him that if I had a problem with the noise I should be the one wearing headphones (fortunately, others then piled in on him which forced him to back down). Similarly, I once asked a lady to stop chatting away on her phone in the quiet carriage of a train (which was mostly empty and had 7 other carriages which were not "quiet") only to have her justify her actions by pointing out that someone else (whom I hadn't spotted or heard) was also on their phone a few rows away. She refused to shut up.