Gig103

OMG so true, both the OP and what you said! My first time in an AA lounge it was such a nice respite from the terminal. Then I saw what they had on offer at LHR and was blown away. Luckily if you are Oneworld, the AA Flagship lounge is competitive to international offerings, but that's not available from any program except J seats.

I was going to surprise my mom with a J upgrade on a trip to Vienna by telling her "I need to book it on my credit card for the trip insurance" then buying J. She ended up not coming with us at all (even before booking, her maybe became "can't go" when I invited her), so I didn't get to experience that excitement. Maybe one day.

mules

Heading OT here: I would like to commend our local Rotary group who has made a real effort to diversify the socioeconomic groups of kids they are sending out on a year abroad and are financially committed to making it feasible. This year 3 low income students are heading out. Rotary is currently fundraising so that these kids have pocket money too for the year. I think that is outstanding.

Uncle Nonny

My wife and son recently flew to meat me in Beijing. My Citi card gives her access to the Admirals Club. My son texted me saying he was having a hard time getting her out of the lounge and to the gate. Between the guac bar and the coffee machine she, apparently, forgot she was there to catch a flight. I switched hotels when they arrived to an upscale Hilton with Executive Lounge. She was assumed I was pampered this way on all my trips. I had to explain how many nights in Hilton Garden Inns, Hampton Inns, and Doubletrees it took to get this level of service. Also, on the return, my son was several rows up from me in J. A few hours in I saw him doubled over and sound asleep. He had no idea it was a lie flat seat. Sorry for babbling.....

FlyingJoy

I was flying in Y on a red-eye LAX-TPE and the other lady in my row struck up a conversation with me. When I heard that she had been up since before dawn and would have a long layover in TPE before another long flight, I spontaneously offered to guest her into the lounges to enjoy a hot shower and a good feed.

IMO the BR and SQ lounges in TPE are quite nice (BR - fabulous showers with back massage nozzles, L'Occitane toiletries, tasty local style food. SQ - nice breakfast food, not crowded). We went to SQ first. I had to reassure my new pal twice that she could help herself freely to any of the food, and that she wouldn't need to clear her own plates and cutlery. She was so excited that she immediately texted her kids and husband to tell them she was in a lounge. I even posed for a photo for her to post on Facebook to tell her other friends about her chance meeting with me

I then took her to BR, which I had recommended as the best one for a shower. Later that day, I received a text raving about the shower and again thanking me profusely. She also said that she felt inspired to be more organised with her mileage, so that she might enjoy more lounge time in the future

I'm a young lady, but I've been flying a lot since I was a baby, so I do sometimes take the whole travel and lounge thing for granted. It definitely made me smile to see someone get so starry eyed about the lounge experience and I'm glad I could make her day with it!

OTD

Well, it was on a beach. The waves were rhythmically lapping at the shore . . . .

Oh, first time in a lounge. Carry on.

rankourabu

I've done this many times if I m flying alone. I really enjoy guesting people into lounges, especially if they have never been.

MissJ

Same. I always fly my mom in first whether I am with her or not. She loves it. If we are together, I take her to lounges and get her whatever she wants.

I've also amazed quite a few coworkers buy taking them to a lounge. It's easy to forget that even a lot of well-off people do not take 100+ flights a year or aren't at all familiar with these perks and tricks. I am only about 30-40 these days but I used to fly twice a week and those habits and that knowledge never goes away. It's just second nature to me, but only when I fly with others do I realize that actually being able to answer the question "hmm... wonder what is good to eat here" when you are in an airport far from home is not the norm.

I love giving people extra drink tickets and such when they are going to expire and I don't need them.