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Forums Frequent flyer programs The British Airways Club T5 lounges – a useful tool

  • 239 posts
    687 posts

    It has been posted here before, but I had forgotten about it, so thanks for posting.

    Useful link, and I have put it in my calendar for my next T5 flight. Although I think its a safe bet to say the lounge at T5B is always the quietest and most civilised of the J lounges.

    1,506 posts

    I’ve had it as a bookmarked webpage for a while. It is fairly truthful. Although obviously they need to iteratively update to include details of:
    – how many, if any, lounge guests are currently taking voice calls on speaker
    – same, but for Facetiming the kids/grandkids at home
    – how many older guests are watching videos they’ve been sent on Whatsapp with phone speaker on full volume and seemingly utterly unaware said phone speaker is indeed at full volume
    – same, but for those with keyboard click sounds switched on
    – how many poor unfortunate polite junior colleagues are having to sit utterly bored as their senior colleague travelling partner drones on about their own career path like some Apprentice contestant high on their own recent success
    – as above, but how many of those conversations have now escalated after 2 glasses of bubbly to the excrutiating life advice stage of “What about you? What’s your 5 year plan? Why aren’t you demanding a pay rise?”

    Feel free to add recommendations to my list for the web developer

    194 posts

    LOLS. Love this.

    1. How many people are “currently” stopping in front of the food buffet, pondering what they want, and then not moving on within 20 seconds having still not decided what they want.
    2. How many toilets are in use. Don’t know what it is about lounges (in general), but the wait for the toilets is always much longer than any other venue.
    3. How many parents/grand parents/kids/grand kids are reading messages from loved ones audibly to fellow travellers out loud and “awwwwing” in response.

    6,863 posts

    LOLS. Love this.

    1. How many people are “currently” stopping in front of the food buffet, pondering what they want, and then not moving on within 20 seconds having still not decided what they want.
    2. How many toilets are in use. Don’t know what it is about lounges (in general), but the wait for the toilets is always much longer than any other venue.
    3. How many parents/grand parents/kids/grand kids are reading messages from loved ones audibly to fellow travellers out loud and “awwwwing” in response.

    And how many of those in front of the buffet are coughing on it and/or touching everything? Mainly the same ones that are unfamiliar with napkins so use the chairs instead, and their children are climbing on the other ones with their grubby shoes.

    6,863 posts

    @Blair Waldorf Salad – all those mentioned are culpable of spoiling lounges (in a way that they never were) but you have left out children whose parents consider screens as childminders, allowing them to play games or videos at full blast in lounges and restaurants seemingly oblivious to other guests. Perhaps we were very cruel, but we never allowed screens so we didn’t disturb others and the children learnt to converse and interact with other humans. They’re quite grateful for that today as they realise you need those skills in real life.

    2,465 posts

    LOLS. Love this.

    1. How many people are “currently” stopping in front of the food buffet, pondering what they want, and then not moving on within 20 seconds having still not decided what they want.
    2. How many toilets are in use. Don’t know what it is about lounges (in general), but the wait for the toilets is always much longer than any other venue.
    3. How many parents/grand parents/kids/grand kids are reading messages from loved ones audibly to fellow travellers out loud and “awwwwing” in response.

    And how many of those in front of the buffet are coughing on it and/or touching everything? Mainly the same ones that are unfamiliar with napkins so use the chairs instead, and their children are climbing on the other ones with their grubby shoes.

    Yesssss

    11,630 posts

    I’ve only become aware in the past few years that anyone would even consider listening to something without headphones on. I was utterly astonished that anyone can be oblivious to the impact of this on other people. My standard reaction is to fire up my death stare and say “Seriously?!” very loudly in their direction. It doesn’t often have any effect but it makes me feel a bit better.
    The worst example I’ve ever experienced of this was the family sitting at the table next to us at breakfast at the Kimpton Seafire last year. 2 parents, 2 grandparents, 2 little girls. Both girls were watching (different!) films on their ipads, at full volume. Being able to afford $1000 per night for a hotel room clearly has no bearing on one’s standards! My eyeballs nearly fell out with the death stare but they were all oblivious. Or felt that not having to distract their children was worth the opprobrium (total JDB word there) of their fellow guests.

    1,506 posts

    @Blair Waldorf Salad – all those mentioned are culpable of spoiling lounges (in a way that they never were) but you have left out children whose parents consider screens as childminders, allowing them to play games or videos at full blast in lounges and restaurants seemingly oblivious to other guests. Perhaps we were very cruel, but we never allowed screens so we didn’t disturb others and the children learnt to converse and interact with other humans. They’re quite grateful for that today as they realise you need those skills in real life.

    TBH i mostly avoided mentioning kids cos there’s 2 places for them in a lounge. Seated calmly in the dining area under parental supervision, or in the segregated kids playroom. But your point re kids and screens has awoken a traumatic memory of flying AF from MAN T2 and expecting to be sent to the 1903 lounge. Instead I was directed to the Escape lounge where I was subjected to a kid with screen while mum was facetiming. An utter cacaphony. Dad then arrived back, tottering to the table with 5 drinks glasses, sloshing drips hither and tither – two each per parent plus an extra one “to try.”

    1,506 posts

    I’ve only become aware in the past few years that anyone would even consider listening to something without headphones on. I was utterly astonished that anyone can be oblivious to the impact of this on other people. My standard reaction is to fire up my death stare and say “Seriously?!” very loudly in their direction. It doesn’t often have any effect but it makes me feel a bit better.
    The worst example I’ve ever experienced of this was the family sitting at the table next to us at breakfast at the Kimpton Seafire last year. 2 parents, 2 grandparents, 2 little girls. Both girls were watching (different!) films on their ipads, at full volume. Being able to afford $1000 per night for a hotel room clearly has no bearing on one’s standards! My eyeballs nearly fell out with the death stare but they were all oblivious. Or felt that not having to distract their children was worth the opprobrium (total JDB word there) of their fellow guests.

    I have a really weird solution that I read about online and has worked thus far. Recording the noise emitted on your phone as a voice note, then playing it back full volume while looking entirely oblivious.

    It is painfully true though, the thought would not even enter my mind to be in a public space and not use headphones or the phone’s ear speaker.

    53 posts

    All very true on the above…..
    Crisps are another one. They should be banned!!

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