Is / or should there be a dedicated “quiet zone”in GF.

Over the years of travelling (flights and commuter trains) it does amaze me that some people spread lots of confidential papers around them (making it hard to avoid seeing them) and discuss on phones about confidential deals. The AMS flight in particular with staff from a couple of the UK largest FTSE's travelling back and forth.

Was he negotiating a discount? ;)

Maybe creating a People of Walmart for British Airways passengers would get better behavior in the lounges and onboard?

I had a man in LBA loudly telling his family how much he would miss them, talking to grandchildren etc. Next call was to a prostitute/taxi service combined (ordered car type and woman-he seemed to know them all by name) at his destination in Thailand. The whole lounge was either mouth wide open or trying to suppress a laugh. An elderly woman said to me that she didn't know this combination was possible and you learn something new everyday.

A lady was having a very loud conversation with no headphones in a lounge. Mr W (6ft2 and rather well built) went over and very politely interrupted the call (apologising to the other person too!) to offer her a pack of unused and sealed earbuds, since she didn't have any. She was rather taken aback and brushed him away brusquely. On his walk back to me, he got a round of applause from those around. She did shut up soon after that.

Funny thing was that we ended up queuing on the jetbridge behind her. She seemed most uncomfortable with much harrumphing and tutting generally, but nothing directly aimed at us.

Wow - that's special! I have a couple of times overheard sequential calls to wife followed in short order by calls to someone who was clearly the mistress (pretty funny / daft / gross); but that's really something!

as for the more general topic - I totally get that it's sometimes essential to make calls etc. from the lounge: we've all had to do it, especially when travelling on business (which tends in my experience to happen around times of high deal activity - negotiations and the like) - but some obvious rules:

1. use a headset
2. use a high quality headset that doesn't require you to speak any louder than quiet conversation volume!
3. go to a quieter corner of the lounge / terrace if you can find one
4. be unobtrusive - I tend to hide in one of the apron-facing armchairs in GF if I have to make calls; walking around with your headset on barking out stuff is just dumb
5. keep it CONFIDENTIAL - I cannot tell you the number of times I overhear things which are clearly very confidential...in a couple of cases related to deals where I'm working for another party...the mind boggles.
6. bottom line - no-one else is impressed by you, or your work, or your life; however important you may be to yourself and your loved ones, to everyone else you are just a piece of lounge furniture, an incidental feature of their own life and journey through the airport; meat in the room - don't burst their bubble; the minute anyone else notices you, it's because they think you're annoying, not impressive...

Er, that's it. Some people never learn.

I do work in IT industry and we use a similar platform to Slack. However, complex technical scenarios or discussions can be easily solved in a short skype, phone or whatever platform call rather than typing forever, and ever, and ever. So yes, you might hear me talking on the phone (needles to say with a headset) when I'm in the lounge, because I'm trying to work done instead of sipping champagne. Still I'm trying not to disturb others and talk relatively quiet.

I wish GF would have a dedicated work zone, that is separated with cubicles (think CX The Pier). Not because I have sensitive information to share, but rather to be a lesser burden for others, who might enjoy a quiet time.

Erm, there is a dedicated work zone in GF - left of the Champagne Bar...granted it could be a little bigger with some more "no computer/just calls" chairs, but it is there!

I do fairly often have to make calls from the airport (whether it be phone/FT/Skype), although I always find a quiet corner in the lounge in which to do so. I'm yet to witness any overly obnoxious behaviour in a lounge, a few loud phonecalls in GC (but it's hardly a quiet lounge anyway), and the only peace disturbances in the CCR have been from babies that were crying. It's quite nice for the latter when the parents are attempting to put a stop to it or use the quiet room in JFK of a Cabana in LHR, admittedly a little frustrating when they take the tack of ignoring the child in the hopes that they'll stop, but hey we were all the crying baby once :D

People wearing airpods (and other discrete wireless headphones) and talking whilst looking at me confuse the hell out of me!

When I am busy and trying to work/get some peace and quiet it can be a bit annoying when I see groups of people treating a GC as some sort of big night out, getting pissed, being loud and generally adopting a "look at me aren't I important" type attitude. Then again, that's just occasional, and on those occasions it's fair to say I am being a grumpy old man. And it is also fair to say that on occasions I have been in the lounge with friends, and the alcohol has been free flowing, and the atmosphere has been jovial, so at the end of day I say live and let live.

But, yes, all of the things mentioned by the OP can be quite annoying, to varying degrees. I'll add another. People who stand by the buffet inspecting food closely but not seemingly with any intention of serving themselves, and seemingly oblivious to the fact that there are around six people waiting behind them to serve themselves. They should be sin binned.

Or a Regimental Mascot, that would be okay!

Slightly off topic as it's post lounge behaviour. One that I've noticed is when on a bus gate for a departing flight and not long after the bus departs it seems there is always someone saying where they are flying to next. Of course it's always more exotic than where we're all flying to...