If all children should be banned because some are obnoxious, then all adults should indeed also be banned.

I would prefer to police behavior in general, but honestly I've never see that happen in a MLL - whether it's marauding through the lounge screaming into a zoom meeting, or grabbing food with bare hands, or even licking serving utensils, I have yet to see anyone asked to either stop doing something, or told to leave the lounge. Unless the staff are going to start intervening with behavior problems regardless of age, then we need some basic guardrails in the meantime.

I understand that you say you've never seen a poorly behaving child being disciplined - but are you asserting that you've never seen a well behaved child in a MLL?

I can't really comment on what you have or haven't seen ... but I can assure you that I have seen numerous well behaved children in MLLs.

Your point seems to be that MLL lounge staff don't enforce the rules, but in that case I'm struggling to see how introducing a new rule (no kids near the buffet!) would help. The lounge would just have more unenforced rules. :)

But the discussion is about misbehaving children (and adults). Sure there are plenty of well behaved children - and pets - but while adults can be annoying with unsanitary behavior or screaming into a phone, I have yet to see an adult running in circles, knocking things over, jumping up and down on seats, etc. But I have seen children do that.

Either way, I would just like to see the MLL staff step up and start enforcing some basic standards regardless of age.

I have seen lounge rules (especially the former quiet zone) enforced in the YVR Dom MLL, but that is not consistent and has been the exception.

A counter example would be kids running around the LHR MLL and actually going headlong into someone with food, spilling it all over them. Mumbled apologies from the parents, temporary calming of children (but not for long) and zero involvement by the lounge staff. Policing, not so much.

TBH I would 100% rather children jumping up and down on seats, than be subjected to some mid-level manager's noisy Zoom call.

Even if it's inconsiderate, at least the children are having fun... and maybe it's good for them to get some of that excess energy out before they get on the plane.

I believe you do need to be 18+ or 19+ to enter the lounge, because alcohol is served, unless the child is accompanied by an adult, who is supposed to monitor and supervise the child.

I doubt AC can realistically or willingly do anything, because nowadays everyone has too much “rights”. Just think about why masks weren’t widely enforced during Covid, TTC stopped caring about fare evasion, or large retailers stopped caring about shop liftings.

Imagine such a bad behaviour in a restaurant or in a bar, do you think the staff would intervene? I believe they would. But it does not happen in those places... Plus the dogs are not allowed in restaurants and bars. Now I feel safer in an airport restaurant than in a lounge. Even though I still sometimes go to the lounge to feel sooo special.

I don't think you need to point out "mid-level"... low-level, mid-level or high-level - do not need a noisy Zoom, Teams or whatever call so everyone can hear. It is simply ignorant and arrogant when people "of all levels" do that.

Some of the worst offenders I have seen / heard have been parents or grandparents talking to various children over FaceTime. On speaker, turned up to 11.

The exact wording is:

"For the safety of our younger guests, each lounge strictly adheres to local laws and regulations regarding the serving of alcoholic beverages. Minors must be accompanied by an adult lounge guest."

All this talk about kids in the lounges reminds me of the stories that jlisi984 shared (10yrs ago?) about his difficulties getting into the lounge as an unaccompanied minor. Pretty sure he's travelled more of the world by age 15 than I ever will in my lifetime. :D

In the YWG lounge today and the person sitting next to me in the business centre area feels it's OK to have a Teams meeting with who appeared to be their manager sans earbuds. They were even talking about personally confidential info. I sooooo wanted to join the call :)

.... that's when you lean in from the side, slowly with a pad and paper, and quietly ask....what was that name again please lol