canadave

Last night had a 5-hour stay at YYZ Terminal 3 Plaza Premium lounge while flying Westjet from FLL to YEG (I think there's more than one...this is the one by gate B23). This is my first stay at a Plaza Premium lounge--I've only visited a lounge one other time (the Maple Leaf YYZ lounge). So I'm just inside the lounge door chatting on my mobile phone, and I see a German cockroach crawling up the wall inside the door at eye level. I alerted the lounge greeter staff, and at first they just stared at me not comprehending. I had to literally point to it. I walked away once I saw they were responding, so I don't know what happened after that. Should I have done anything else?

I have to say...even from before the cockroach, I wasn't impressed. The lounge was kind of drab, the washrooms in the airport were better than the ones in the lounge, and the lounge just overall appeared kind of rundown and not well taken care of. Westjet needs to up their game and get their own lounges...I would really think twice about visiting a Plaza Premium lounge.

tracon

What would you have done if you saw a mosquito?
Bugs are a fact of life and this one didn't appear to be near the food.
You must be quite the entomologist if you can identify the types of cockroaches.

canadave

I wouldn't have done anything if I'd seen a mosquito. I don't know what to tell you if you can't see that a cockroach in a lounge where there is food laid out for people (whether it was in the immediate area of the food or not) is substantially different than a mosquito. The food area was maybe 15-20 feet from where I saw the roach. You're okay with eating food that's out in the open in a place like that?

And most people know there is a difference between German cockroaches (typical house-dwelling roach) vs. larger waterbugs or American cockroaches. I felt it was relevant to point out what type it was. Sorry if you disagree or don't understand the difference.

jkordyback

Well isn't that wretched? Food based diseases are only one disease transmission route for cockroaches. Inhalation and touch from cockroach feces, saliva, shedding, and vomit are the other ways they can transmit diseases. If you're an asthmatic then you really need to avoid them as well since they trigger severe allergic reactions. They are nasty buggers.

You did the right thing telling the lounge staff but I would contact the airport authority. They can spread a variety of diseases like salmonella (including typhoid), e.coli, enterococcus (meningitis), and polio. Not the sort of thing you need in an airport.

maxjasper

Last season Canada CBC Marketplace documented that WestJet seats, trays, head-rests, blankets, pillows were dirtiest among several airlines examined for bacteria and viruses in cockpits and toilets. WestJet blankets under UV (Black) light were shining with vomit and other bodily fluids in spite of them being sealed in plastic bags. The forensic scientists examining the collected evidence concluded that WestJet seats head-rests were more contaminated than public toilets!...with similar conclusions on WestJet seats trays and blankets. WestJet at the time was $5B in debt and finally forced to sell it to Onix[?]. If Onix is an East Asian corporation then you never find another single cockroach in WestJet lounges because cockroaches are considered delicatessen by those nations and consumed in luxurious restaurants....hahaha...Bonne voyages...

Fiordland

Don't the ones with blackberries frequent the lounges in Terminal 1. We are talking about Terminal 3. .....

In the case of the insect variety, I would not be surprised if they are not a problem in every airport. They just need to work to get them under control.

Arthurrs

Crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, an OK source of protein....

kevflyer

Otherwise known as a meal on UA domestic F

Arthurrs

LOL, fond memories of an era gone by for me!! Glad I was able to burn all my remaining mileage plus miles before the horse left the barn....