Manners in the CCR
Aug 27, 2018, 12:14 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: BA GGL, GfL, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Lifetime Globalist, AllAccor Diamond, Marriott Ambassador Elite
Posts: 1,042
Manners in the CCR
Last three visits to the CCR:
I had to ask the bloke in the dining booth next to me to stop using his iPhone on speakerphone. He was shovelling kippers into his mouth whilst discussing wallpaper with his wife.
I had to ask the staff to deal with a guy watching a film on his iPad at full volume on the terrace. After a lot of diplomacy he agreed to use his headphones.
Someone came and sat next to me at the bar and started playing a computer game on his phone, again at full volume. Before I could moan again, he was politely and firmly told to stop it.
Is it me or is it get much, much worse?
I had to ask the bloke in the dining booth next to me to stop using his iPhone on speakerphone. He was shovelling kippers into his mouth whilst discussing wallpaper with his wife.
I had to ask the staff to deal with a guy watching a film on his iPad at full volume on the terrace. After a lot of diplomacy he agreed to use his headphones.
Someone came and sat next to me at the bar and started playing a computer game on his phone, again at full volume. Before I could moan again, he was politely and firmly told to stop it.
Is it me or is it get much, much worse?
Aug 27, 2018, 12:56 pm
#2
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 7,464
There was 2 people (at two different times!) on Saturday evening having full blown FaceTime conversations without headphones, sitting at the bar.
One of them proceeded to share every mouthful of wine and food he consumed with his FaceTime partner. Clearly the person on the other end of the phone was not interested in having all this information shared whatsoever but he continued to share anyway.
The other was having some sort of domestic argument (in Spanish) with a family member - which became very heated.
#classy
One of them proceeded to share every mouthful of wine and food he consumed with his FaceTime partner. Clearly the person on the other end of the phone was not interested in having all this information shared whatsoever but he continued to share anyway.
The other was having some sort of domestic argument (in Spanish) with a family member - which became very heated.
#classy
Aug 27, 2018, 12:57 pm
#3
Join Date: Jun 2018
Programs: BA Gold; Surrey CCC
Posts: 97
Last three visits to the CCR:
I had to ask the bloke in the dining booth next to me to stop using his iPhone on speakerphone. He was shovelling kippers into his mouth whilst discussing wallpaper with his wife.
I had to ask the staff to deal with a guy watching a film on his iPad at full volume on the terrace. After a lot of diplomacy he agreed to use his headphones.
Someone came and sat next to me at the bar and started playing a computer game on his phone, again at full volume. Before I could moan again, he was politely and firmly told to stop it.
Is it me or is it get much, much worse?
I had to ask the bloke in the dining booth next to me to stop using his iPhone on speakerphone. He was shovelling kippers into his mouth whilst discussing wallpaper with his wife.
I had to ask the staff to deal with a guy watching a film on his iPad at full volume on the terrace. After a lot of diplomacy he agreed to use his headphones.
Someone came and sat next to me at the bar and started playing a computer game on his phone, again at full volume. Before I could moan again, he was politely and firmly told to stop it.
Is it me or is it get much, much worse?
This behaviour really doesn't look good, especially when you think back to the days of the 70s and 80s when flying First was really the preserve of the upper classes. I remember one of my first flights as a child to Mumbai (in the Landor 747), when people wore shirts and ties in Economy.
Aug 27, 2018, 1:01 pm
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2007
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 12,046
I am deaf.
And as people get older they stand a chance of getting deaf too, whether they admit it or not.
The average Concorde Room passenger must be getting on a bit too - by and large you don't become wealthy or important enough to fly First when you are young.
So a typical passenger in the Concorde Room may be more likely than average to be deaf.
And when you are deaf, what sounds normal to you is loud to everyone else - even with hearing aids.
So if I could hear well I would give these passengers benefit of the doubt.
But of course I don't hear well, so I don't really mind!
And as people get older they stand a chance of getting deaf too, whether they admit it or not.
The average Concorde Room passenger must be getting on a bit too - by and large you don't become wealthy or important enough to fly First when you are young.
So a typical passenger in the Concorde Room may be more likely than average to be deaf.
And when you are deaf, what sounds normal to you is loud to everyone else - even with hearing aids.
So if I could hear well I would give these passengers benefit of the doubt.
But of course I don't hear well, so I don't really mind!
Aug 27, 2018, 1:12 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 17,455
I am deaf.
And as people get older they stand a chance of getting deaf too, whether they admit it or not.
The average Concorde Room passenger must be getting on a bit too - by and large you don't become wealthy or important enough to fly First when you are young.
So a typical passenger in the Concorde Room may be more likely than average to be deaf.
And when you are deaf, what sounds normal to you is loud to everyone else - even with hearing aids.
So if I could hear well I would give these passengers benefit of the doubt.
But of course I don't hear well, so I don't really mind!
And as people get older they stand a chance of getting deaf too, whether they admit it or not.
The average Concorde Room passenger must be getting on a bit too - by and large you don't become wealthy or important enough to fly First when you are young.
So a typical passenger in the Concorde Room may be more likely than average to be deaf.
And when you are deaf, what sounds normal to you is loud to everyone else - even with hearing aids.
So if I could hear well I would give these passengers benefit of the doubt.
But of course I don't hear well, so I don't really mind!
Aug 27, 2018, 1:15 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2010
Programs: AA
Posts: 14,734
This. When I call my mom, she frequently insists on talking to me via speakerphone, which makes it harder to hear her on my end. She also has troubles hearing me too.
Aug 27, 2018, 1:18 pm
#7
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: London
Programs: plenty - ggl, ccr, etc, etc.
Posts: 1,704
Last three visits to the CCR:
I had to ask the bloke in the dining booth next to me to stop using his iPhone on speakerphone. He was shovelling kippers into his mouth whilst discussing wallpaper with his wife.
I had to ask the staff to deal with a guy watching a film on his iPad at full volume on the terrace. After a lot of diplomacy he agreed to use his headphones.
Someone came and sat next to me at the bar and started playing a computer game on his phone, again at full volume. Before I could moan again, he was politely and firmly told to stop it.
Is it me or is it get much, much worse?
I had to ask the bloke in the dining booth next to me to stop using his iPhone on speakerphone. He was shovelling kippers into his mouth whilst discussing wallpaper with his wife.
I had to ask the staff to deal with a guy watching a film on his iPad at full volume on the terrace. After a lot of diplomacy he agreed to use his headphones.
Someone came and sat next to me at the bar and started playing a computer game on his phone, again at full volume. Before I could moan again, he was politely and firmly told to stop it.
Is it me or is it get much, much worse?
generally a mix of older or people who are selfishly unaware of others. I finds a firm but polite ‘please use headphones’ works well.
Sometimes it can be fascinating ... like the idiot in the Concorde business room today at 1030am discussing a refunding of a real estate deal so Capital and AB can exit it. Full details of planned cash raising with numbers and targets spewed out too, as clearly anyone in jeans nearby doesn’t understand this stuff. All this while said individual also stuffed a full breakfast down and carried on the call - masticating his food for all to see.
At least those kind of idiots are interesting. Their self importance seems to over ride any confidentiality that should be required. Clearly no one else in the area understands that stuff.
Once on board the amount of non public sensitive stuff that gets read in full view is also astonishing (Deutsche Bank and Barclays staff seem to do this a lot, in my experience). I’m surprised some hedge funds don’t just employ staff to pick up the tit bits to trade against these people (as clearly it’s all meant to be public anyway if shouted down phones and notes left out for all to see).
Aug 27, 2018, 1:26 pm
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brighton. UK
Programs: BA Gold / VS /IHG Diamond & Ambassador
Posts: 14,196
A friend of mine get so irritated by *those calls* that after hearing a few details he sometimes stands near to the guy and pretends to make a phone call so the guy could hear
'Hi Jerry (the guys bosses name) I'm in the lounge / on the train and can hear Fred (the guy) and he's talking about the mega deal we are putting together for anyone to hear. I want him removed from the project NOW'
Within seconds the call was terminated.
And of course there is the story of some buying up various internet domain names they overheard from a loud meeting held in a coffee shop.
'Hi Jerry (the guys bosses name) I'm in the lounge / on the train and can hear Fred (the guy) and he's talking about the mega deal we are putting together for anyone to hear. I want him removed from the project NOW'
Within seconds the call was terminated.
And of course there is the story of some buying up various internet domain names they overheard from a loud meeting held in a coffee shop.
Aug 27, 2018, 1:35 pm
#10
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 8,770
Aug 27, 2018, 1:35 pm
#11
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 756
Last week I was in the LHR CCR and an elderly gent was getting very agitated because he was waiting for his wife to finish shopping downstairs before having breakfast, but time was pressing on. Every few minutes she'd call him on videophone, and he'd shout "just get up here, love, I WANT MY BL**DY BREAKFAST." And every time, upon hearing this, a staff member would come over to him only be told "no, I don't want my breakfast yet, because my BL**DY WIFE IS STILL SHOPPING."
It was quite amusing at first. Not so much after the third time.
Aug 27, 2018, 2:20 pm
#15
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Somewhere between SFO and LAX...FYI aka FAT
Programs: BAEC - back to lowly blue. Marriott - Lifetime Platinum
Posts: 466
I wonder if the rise of the speakerphone conversation coincides with the rise of video calls, where most devices default to the external speaker?
Last week I was in the LHR CCR and an elderly gent was getting very agitated because he was waiting for his wife to finish shopping downstairs before having breakfast, but time was pressing on. Every few minutes she'd call him on videophone, and he'd shout "just get up here, love, I WANT MY BL**DY BREAKFAST." And every time, upon hearing this, a staff member would come over to him only be told "no, I don't want my breakfast yet, because my BL**DY WIFE IS STILL SHOPPING."
It was quite amusing at first. Not so much after the third time.
Last week I was in the LHR CCR and an elderly gent was getting very agitated because he was waiting for his wife to finish shopping downstairs before having breakfast, but time was pressing on. Every few minutes she'd call him on videophone, and he'd shout "just get up here, love, I WANT MY BL**DY BREAKFAST." And every time, upon hearing this, a staff member would come over to him only be told "no, I don't want my breakfast yet, because my BL**DY WIFE IS STILL SHOPPING."
It was quite amusing at first. Not so much after the third time.