Heathrow T5 BA Lounge [consideration to others during peak periods]
Mar 6, 2019, 10:46 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2019
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Heathrow T5 BA Lounge [consideration to others during peak periods]
Ok, so I am sitting in the lounge reading my paper and minding my own business in a seating group of 4 people (non of who know each other) when a lady of the group decides to shout down her phone in Italian without any regard for any of the others seated near her. Many looks of discuss and irritation but nobody says anything to her. Having had enough of the noise level I had to rather loudly 'Oi' her to get her attention and tell her to pipe down.
Move on 10 minutes when one of the other 4 people sitting in the group gets up and leaves but is promptly replaced by another person who then proceeds to Facetime someone, again rather loudly. I tap this person on the shoulder and ask if they can take the conversation elsewhere as we don't all need to listen to him. He then says I am rude for the way I spoke to him and then the lady I had to ask earlier decides to chip in with, yes you are very rude!!
I can't type what I said to both next but rather elaborately explained that perhaps if they had any consideration for others I would not have to have been so rude.
Question is, am I the one in the wrong here and are other people just as hacked off having to endure this type of behaviour?
Before I get the usual barrage of keyboard warriors, yes I am aware it is a business lounge and I too was on business and made a couple of calls but did not broadcast them!!
Move on 10 minutes when one of the other 4 people sitting in the group gets up and leaves but is promptly replaced by another person who then proceeds to Facetime someone, again rather loudly. I tap this person on the shoulder and ask if they can take the conversation elsewhere as we don't all need to listen to him. He then says I am rude for the way I spoke to him and then the lady I had to ask earlier decides to chip in with, yes you are very rude!!
I can't type what I said to both next but rather elaborately explained that perhaps if they had any consideration for others I would not have to have been so rude.
Question is, am I the one in the wrong here and are other people just as hacked off having to endure this type of behaviour?
Before I get the usual barrage of keyboard warriors, yes I am aware it is a business lounge and I too was on business and made a couple of calls but did not broadcast them!!
Mar 6, 2019, 12:23 pm
#2
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges and Environmentally Friendly Travel
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Welcome to Flyertalk, Ianintgettingonnoplanefool
Please follow this thread as it moves to the British Airways forum
Prospero
Moderator: Airport Lounges forum
Please follow this thread as it moves to the British Airways forum
Prospero
Moderator: Airport Lounges forum
Mar 6, 2019, 12:29 pm
#4
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
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I think "oi" isn't a good interjection in my opinion, but a calm, smiling explanation that the noise is a bit loud may be helpful, it tends to work for me at least. The other possibility is to start singing out aloud, which requires some nerve but it does get the message across. Over the years you discover that different cultures have different approaches, so Japan is at one end of the spectrum, where loud telephone calls would be considered extremely bad manners, through to places like Italy and Argentina where even sod-casting is considered a temporary but necessary interruption.
Mar 6, 2019, 12:30 pm
#5
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: UK
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Ok, so I am sitting in the lounge reading my paper and minding my own business in a seating group of 4 people (non of who know each other) when a lady of the group decides to shout down her phone in Italian without any regard for any of the others seated near her. Many looks of discuss and irritation but nobody says anything to her. Having had enough of the noise level I had to rather loudly 'Oi' her to get her attention and tell her to pipe down.
Move on 10 minutes when one of the other 4 people sitting in the group gets up and leaves but is promptly replaced by another person who then proceeds to Facetime someone, again rather loudly. I tap this person on the shoulder and ask if they can take the conversation elsewhere as we don't all need to listen to him. He then says I am rude for the way I spoke to him and then the lady I had to ask earlier decides to chip in with, yes you are very rude!!
I can't type what I said to both next but rather elaborately explained that perhaps if they had any consideration for others I would not have to have been so rude.
Question is, am I the one in the wrong here and are other people just as hacked off having to endure this type of behaviour?
Before I get the usual barrage of keyboard warriors, yes I am aware it is a business lounge and I too was on business and made a couple of calls but did not broadcast them!!
Move on 10 minutes when one of the other 4 people sitting in the group gets up and leaves but is promptly replaced by another person who then proceeds to Facetime someone, again rather loudly. I tap this person on the shoulder and ask if they can take the conversation elsewhere as we don't all need to listen to him. He then says I am rude for the way I spoke to him and then the lady I had to ask earlier decides to chip in with, yes you are very rude!!
I can't type what I said to both next but rather elaborately explained that perhaps if they had any consideration for others I would not have to have been so rude.
Question is, am I the one in the wrong here and are other people just as hacked off having to endure this type of behaviour?
Before I get the usual barrage of keyboard warriors, yes I am aware it is a business lounge and I too was on business and made a couple of calls but did not broadcast them!!
Mar 6, 2019, 12:33 pm
#6
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: UK
Programs: BA Blue, IC Spire Ambassador
Posts: 5,228
Well done to the OP! There has to be give & take both ways but if someone is being loud / inconsiderate, politely asking them to keep it down or go to a vestibule / public area is perfectly reasonable in my view.
Mar 6, 2019, 12:37 pm
#7
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: UK
Programs: IC Hotels Spire, BA Gold
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Welcome to Flyertalk and welcome to the BA forum ianintgettingonnoplanefool, it's good to see you here and I hope we will see more of you in the future.
I think "oi" isn't a good interjection in my opinion, but a calm, smiling explanation that the noise is a bit loud may be helpful, it tends to work for me at least. The other possibility is to start singing out aloud, which requires some nerve but it does get the message across. Over the years you discover that different cultures have different approaches, so Japan is at one end of the spectrum, where loud telephone calls would be considered extremely bad manners, through to places like Italy and Argentina where even sod-casting is considered a temporary but necessary interruption.
I think "oi" isn't a good interjection in my opinion, but a calm, smiling explanation that the noise is a bit loud may be helpful, it tends to work for me at least. The other possibility is to start singing out aloud, which requires some nerve but it does get the message across. Over the years you discover that different cultures have different approaches, so Japan is at one end of the spectrum, where loud telephone calls would be considered extremely bad manners, through to places like Italy and Argentina where even sod-casting is considered a temporary but necessary interruption.
Mar 6, 2019, 12:52 pm
#9
Join Date: May 2016
Programs: BAEC - Gold, IHG - Spire Ambassador
Posts: 576
In the Flounge on Saturday with my little boy, no seats together. Lots of seats with coats and bags on. I ask a chap if a seat next to him, taken by his coat is free, he says no. I sit opposite and my son sat a few seats away. In the next 90 minutes the seat next to this man is not taken, yet remains occupied by his coat. As this complete tosser left the lounge for his flight, I was on the phone to my mum. I remarked that his imaginary friend had failed to turn up now so my little boy could sit next to me. At least the man with his (cheap and nasty) coat looked suitably embarrassed. People are so rude and thoughtless.....
Mar 6, 2019, 1:26 pm
#10
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: AA Plat, UA 1K>Plat>moving to Silver
Posts: 2,089
In the Flounge on Saturday with my little boy, no seats together. Lots of seats with coats and bags on. I ask a chap if a seat next to him, taken by his coat is free, he says no. I sit opposite and my son sat a few seats away. In the next 90 minutes the seat next to this man is not taken, yet remains occupied by his coat. As this complete tosser left the lounge for his flight, I was on the phone to my mum. I remarked that his imaginary friend had failed to turn up now so my little boy could sit next to me. At least the man with his (cheap and nasty) coat looked suitably embarrassed. People are so rude and thoughtless.....
Mar 6, 2019, 1:29 pm
#11
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: USA
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 812
This is so true. In Italy it is not considered rude at all to have a very loud telephone conversation or facetime exchange in public. They also have lots of little sub-meetings during a main business meeting, even when someone is presenting there can be 2-3 people talking quite loudly to each other - this would be considered quite rude in the UK. I can recommend a great book on this called "When Cultures Collide" that goes into the general people and business habits, cultures and general "do's and don'ts" for each culture. Always helps to understand the culture, then less offence is taken.
Mar 6, 2019, 1:31 pm
#12
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: LHR
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Posts: 418
Many are just rude. The only consolation is that, generally speaking, what happens outside the lounge is worse so I put up with the occasional clowns in the lounges.
Mar 6, 2019, 2:41 pm
#14
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,210
As c-w-s said the volume button does seem to be stuck on high in my part of the world so what the OP describes wouldn't bother me in the slightest.
It would take something really annoying like my lounge seat neighbour playing a droning Corbyn interview on their ghetto blaster before I would feel the need to intervene.
It would take something really annoying like my lounge seat neighbour playing a droning Corbyn interview on their ghetto blaster before I would feel the need to intervene.
Last edited by HIDDY; Mar 6, 2019 at 3:34 pm Reason: To add a smilie to show it was meant in jest. ;)
