Lounge etiquette
Apr 13, 2017, 2:35 pm
#31
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: It's hot here
Posts: 4,284
I've seen it denied at the Sky Club many times as well. Personally, I don't want to smell your McDonalds, the lounge isn't a restaurant. People aren't going to pay to sit in a fast food restaurant and it might detract from the overall feed. Plus, some people just make sure huge messes. I think that if everyone brought in a bag of food, the lounge staff would really have to keep up with cleaning constantly and it would be a lot of crap everywhere at peak times. Just my opinion, I'm totally okay with not allowing outside food.
Eat and then go to the lounge and have some drinks. That's my plan.
Eat and then go to the lounge and have some drinks. That's my plan.
Apr 13, 2017, 2:43 pm
#32
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Somewhere over the rainbow
Programs: Airline Free Agent, Bonvoy Platinum, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 3,811
I like Admirals Club for this reason as they usually don't care if you bring in outside food. Really helpful when there's no areas to sit and eat comfortably in the terminal (ex. PHX).
Not sure if I'd do this at SEA though as their food court in the central concourse is quite large with plenty of seating.
Not sure if I'd do this at SEA though as their food court in the central concourse is quite large with plenty of seating.
Apr 13, 2017, 2:53 pm
#33
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To get this back to the original topic, AA's house rules also formally state that food and alcoholic drinks may not be removed from the lounge.
https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...conditions.jsp
"Complimentary food, alcoholic beverages and periodicals provided by Admirals Club are for consumption and use inside the Admirals Club only and may not be removed."
So more permissive in one way, but no stealing of free stuff, please
https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/...conditions.jsp
"Complimentary food, alcoholic beverages and periodicals provided by Admirals Club are for consumption and use inside the Admirals Club only and may not be removed."
So more permissive in one way, but no stealing of free stuff, please
Apr 15, 2017, 1:43 am
#36
Join Date: May 2015
Location: ATL/MCO
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Exactly why I love AC's as well, I like the comfy place to sit in and for free wifi, but sometimes the standard snack offering isn't enough and I don't want to order anything from the overpriced menu they have there.
Apr 15, 2017, 1:01 pm
#37
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: BNA, ATL
Programs: AS MVPG, LH, Marriott Titanium, National Executive Elite
Posts: 118
I pity the fool who takes a gallon ziploc of trailmix from the lounge. If I were to see that I'd give the guy a nod make a comment like "The struggle is real!" or "First World problems!"
I can imagine how the lounge employees watched in horror as 17 cents worth or trailmix disappeared and they had to go in back in refill it from the 100 lbs bag they keep back there.
Apr 16, 2017, 1:30 am
#38
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 1
Discouraging people from bringing outside food
I have noticed that the Amex lounge does not have to go cups but the Alaska lounge does and on the many occasions when I have left with coffee in one, I have never been stopped as I walk by the front desk even when I have also had a muffin in hand.
What seems odd to me is that the Alaska lounge does seem to be very strict about bringing food in. I think the main advantage to a lounge is that I don't have to wait in a long line to buy over priced food, but my 19 year old daughter does not see it that way. She likes to buy a bagel sandwich at the airport and has tried on several occasions to take it with her into the Alaska lounge. She has even tried sneaking it in and they will catch her and insist that she leave with it. I told her to stop embarrassing me and eat the bagel outside the lounge which she now does. Still, neither one of us can figure out the reason for the rule. Usually when outside food is banned it is because the venue is selling food but this lounge doesn't sell any food.
Not a big deal but it does puzzle me.
What seems odd to me is that the Alaska lounge does seem to be very strict about bringing food in. I think the main advantage to a lounge is that I don't have to wait in a long line to buy over priced food, but my 19 year old daughter does not see it that way. She likes to buy a bagel sandwich at the airport and has tried on several occasions to take it with her into the Alaska lounge. She has even tried sneaking it in and they will catch her and insist that she leave with it. I told her to stop embarrassing me and eat the bagel outside the lounge which she now does. Still, neither one of us can figure out the reason for the rule. Usually when outside food is banned it is because the venue is selling food but this lounge doesn't sell any food.
Not a big deal but it does puzzle me.
Apr 16, 2017, 8:02 am
#39
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Apr 16, 2017, 10:32 am
#40
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Seattle
Programs: AS
Posts: 2,293
To take this in a different direction...also related to Lounge etiquette.
When enjoying the Lounge and drinks from the bar, do you tip the service person?
I know AS Lounge employees are not supposed to accept tips. Never sure if offering them a tip just puts them in a position to remind me of AS Policy.
How do others handle this?
When enjoying the Lounge and drinks from the bar, do you tip the service person?
I know AS Lounge employees are not supposed to accept tips. Never sure if offering them a tip just puts them in a position to remind me of AS Policy.
How do others handle this?
Apr 16, 2017, 11:38 am
#41
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Seattle, WA & Red Lodge, MT (USA) and Cumbria, England
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In a completely different approach, I was in the AA Admirals Club at RDU not too long ago, and I saw the bartender fastidiously placing a dollar bill on the bar every 2 seats (no one was sitting at the bar at the time), to make it look like the person before had left a tip -- I'm assuming to prompt anyone who came up to get a drink to do the same.
Apr 16, 2017, 12:15 pm
#42
Join Date: Mar 2007
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Posts: 2,203
Apr 17, 2017, 3:30 pm
#43
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: YYF/YLW
Programs: AA, DL, AS, VA, WS Silver
Posts: 5,950
Taking food and/or beverage out of the lounge is something that can be done in moderation like I've taken one or two cans of soda or water bottles and very few packs of snacks, but filling water bottles with anything other than water or taking the whole food spread with you is over the limit...
American did ban carry-in food in lounges before they started selling hot food, on the basis of keeping smelly food out. Once they started selling smelly food, they also started allowing guests to bring food in. A remarkably fair, non-greedy, and sensible approach, I think.
Apr 19, 2017, 3:32 pm
#44
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Savannah, GA
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