num1bearsfan

I would have LOST IT.. I understand that it probably would have only worsened the situation, but that kind of disregard for other people's possessions is my NUMBER ONE pet peeve. The thing that gets me the most is that he unplugged your laptop and closed it! To me, he made a huge blunder the moment he put his hands on your property but not only was it ignorant to just cast your property to the side like that, but it was done with no regard to what was in progress on the computer! It could have been your work or a game that you were in the middle of, it makes no difference. I've had problems with people disrespecting my personal property in the past and maybe that's why it's a sore spot with me, but when I hear stories like this it makes my blood boil. I live by very few rules, but one of them is that you DON'T TOUCH OTHER PEOPLE'S STUFF.

aktchi

I understand the emotion, but if you didn't see anyone touch your stuff, who would you have taken to task about it having been moved?

anabolism

I've always considered an airline lounge worth paying for (on my own dime) because it's more private and usually quieter than the gate area. Number one benefit is being able to, well, number one, without needing to schlep your bags in with you. I never want to leave my bags at my seat at a gate because I'm afraid someone will call TSA (as if the shoe carnival isn't bad enough).

I do worry about leaving my laptop out in view, but I see people do it all the time; I do it too but I worry when I do.

Wow, what a first post. Er, welcome to FT, I guess. Please, before your next post, take a few breaths and think about what you are saying.

sethb

I consider that my cue to walk over to the first one and loudly say into his phone "You are talking to someone too rude to leave the Quiet Room to make a cellphone call."

MisterNice

After no love from the lounge dragon I did approach the guy but he talked for 5 min before putting his phone away. Thirty min later a really LOUD MOUTHED salesman refused to shut up or lower his volume. I then picked up the Quiet Room sign, placed it in front of the clown but he kept yelling away after turning away from me. The other people in the lounge chuckled, some gave some applause but the guy was too much of a slob to stop.

MisterNice

sethb

You were too nice.

You can't influence the salesman, you have to drive away his customer. That's why you speak into his cellphone.

Or stand in front of him imitating him (silently), making faces, exaggerating arm gestures, etc.

piper28

The OP says the place was packed. Given that, quite frankly, my opinion is the person with bad etiquette is the OP, who left his stuff taking up space for as far as other people could know who knows how long.

If the place wasn't packed and there were plenty of seats available, it might be another issue, but the fact that someone did move the stuff really implies that that wasn't true.

bniu

the only lounge I would even think about leaving my laptop out is an international first class lounge. In those lounges, almost always the pax is someone who travels a lot (makes enough money to not care about stealing laptops) or someone who is really rich and can easily afford to buy 10 laptops on impulse. Occasionally, a leisure traveler (like me) pops by in there on miles. I still would only leave it out to get get a drink from the snack bar and I would still keep it in eyesight or near eyesight (you can easily tell who took it since they'll have to be walking by you anyways. And generally, the lounges are so empty that laptop theft would be easily noticed by others in the lounge since the thief would stand out. But going to the bathroom? i take my laptop with me, it's my "nuclear football". I don't go more than 30 seconds without seeing it.

Fornebufox

Ewwwww... I would have found an attendant, told them what happened and asked them to change the water. And I probably would have blurted something undiplomatic at the guy who did it. Not that I'm germ phobic or anything

Mr H

I was in the BD No 1 Lounge at LHR a couple of weeks ago. There are some nice comfortable chairs with views of the tarmac. Mostly they seemed to be empty, but people had left bags, books, laptops, etc. to claim their entitlement to the seats - denying others the opportunity. I have no idea where these people were given the length of time the seats were empty. It's not as though there was nowhere else to leave bags, books or laptops.

Reminds me of the fabled Germans and beachtowels. That's poot etiquette, IMO.