Airport lounges are a great way to grab some eats and drinks before a flight, especially if you’re flying in economy and have to deal with extremely limited on board service.
Food and drinks at lounges are “generally” buffet style. Some of the higher tier options may even offer full dining service for free, but we’re not here to talk about that. The general consensus is that while you technically can take as much as you like, it’s good manners and etiquette to consume only what you need during your visit.
The expectation is that everyone should follow the same guidelines for the benefit of all guests. However there are those few guests who take advantage of a privileged situation like the following gentleman below.
Spotted at one of Miami’s American Airlines Admiral lounges, Instagram user @sobeseth captured this man loading up a large ziplock bag full of cereal. He then shoved his newly acquired rations into his bag before boarding his flight.
In the grand scheme of things, this is no real big loss for the lounge as it might have cost them just a few dollars. However it’s bad etiquette to treat your lounge access like you’re in a supermarket. It’s completely fine to grab a fruit or an extra drink or snack for the flight, but loading up a whole bag is a different story.
The problem with situations like this is that if it were to become common place, lounges would either charge more for the same service, or offer less items, devaluing the experience at the end of the day.
For instance, the Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club in Honolulu is nothing more than a fancy seating area because they offer only coffee and maybe one type of snack at best. Hardly worthy of being a lounge if you ask me. It would be a shame if other lounges adopted this limited offering should people try to take advantage of the system.
Sadly this behavior is becoming more commonplace as credit card partnerships open the door for easier lounge access.
Featured image: sobeseth/Instagram
