Plenty of lounge have quiet sections. They are usually empty, I assume because people prefer the social buzz. On a side note I once sat in LX GVA J lounge, completely full, not a word was uttered by anyone. Very eery

Airport lounges are private clubs (you pay dues to join, or the equivalent) and hence they can set their own rules. So as not to offend anyone, they can bar praying in their lounge. If someone wishes to pray, they should use the public areas of the airport.
Stretching prayer to an extreme, if simultaneously, Moslems, Jews, Hindus and Christians all began to pray--I don't think the lounge experience would be very pleasant.

could you name a few. we have been in a number of biz class lounges, and they are tv/cell phone hives. so much so, we frequently go out into the main terminal to get away from all the racket.

Topic Check
 

In this TravelBuzz thread, the topic is the appropriateness of prayer in an airport lounge. Much broader questions about religious practices are welcome to be discussed but in the OMNI/PR forum and they've been deleted from this thread. Let's focus this thread on the topic. Thanks, Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator.

Somehow, I couldn't find a thread with a master list of lounges with quiet rooms in travelbuzz. May be airline-specific. In any case, I can only think of one offhand - ORD C17 United Club - although I know I've seen more with quiet rooms.

Wouldn't, and haven't on the times I've seen it, bother me if someone choose to indulge in religious practice as long as it doesn't inconvenience others around them, be that in a lounge, a prayer room, on an airplane or saying grace before dinner in a restaurant.

I use lounges for two things: work on computers and taking a shower (oh my god, how I love doing that after landing in London after a TATL flight, reminds me I need to look it up for Paris for Delta). The "work on computers" usually happens in dedicated sections that, even if not designated specifically, people understand to be quiet. I totally don't care if you don't disturb me working. To each his/her own. I will raise an issue with staff if someone is noisy absolutely impartial of what the source of the noise is. I did it before for bringing small children in the computer area. If you chant loudly, I will do the same. If you don't, what it is to me? I even understand they going to this area because it's quieter.

I would personally find it intimidating if people are obviously praying around me in a lounge. It would seem disrespectful for me to talk on a cell phone or drink a glass of beer near them, let alone walk through a bunch of people who are praying, yet that might be the only to leave the lounge from where one is sitting.

Many airports have nondenominational chapels for this purpose. In other airports, one can find a quiet corner away from foot traffic where those practicing their religion are not disturbed and do not disturb others.

Not actually relevant.

As a non religious person... Wouldn't bother me.

On the other hand, with all that concentrated prayer, God/Allah/Yahweh just might appear, and wouldn't that be fun?

AMS KL lounge comes to mind, one of the UA SFO lounges can't recall any other but I don't really have a lounge memory...

I can understand that these are your personal feelings but IMO there's no disrespect being shown by you going about your business. No more than it's a sign of disrespect on their part making you witness their acts of devotion.

Now if you were making hand shadows of the Prophet Mohammad on the wall, that might be another story. ;)


Just think of the lounge as a place to enjoy a drink, a snack and a floor show.

I get it that Muslims pray 5 times a day. I have seen them doing it outdoors, in some rather strange places. However, I doubt that in most of the western world, if they work in an office, they do so in the middle of the "cubicle farm", in a group, 2 feet behind their colleagues who are working.

This was the situation. Personally, I think they should have gone out of the lounge and come back when they were done. I don't care what religion it was.

The thing about airports is that they tend to be full of people not necessarily from the Western world :)