If you don’t have airport lounge access and cooked to order restaurant meals bestowed on you like some manna from heaven. If you’ve been to airport lounges you know that most are decidedly mid.
The Amex lounge is fraudulent. It’s never not completely full of chuds and chudettes.
— Terry Schilling 🇺🇸 (@Schilling1776) June 6, 2026
There are exceptions! The Lufthansa First Class Terminal, Air France La Premiere Lounge Paris, Qatar Airways al Safwa lounge Doha for instance. And, for that matter, the American Airlines Flagship First Dining room at Dallas – Fort Worth. The food at the Capital One Landings at New York LaGuardia and Washington’s National airport are pretty good!
American Express, Chase and Capital One have their own lounge networks. Many premium rewards credit cards come with Priority Pass, which pay for one-off visits to pay-to-enter lounges. Most of those are a step down even from what Amex offers, and for that matter a step down from an American Airlines Admirals Club. They’re basic.
And they sometimes look something like this, with used plates, cups, and napkins strewn about, spilled food, and general debris. Because they’re getting paid around $25 per visit, they simply can’t invest much in food, booze, or even staff.
The seats in this lounge remind me of the color of in Plaza Premium at Dallas – Fort Worth, but I don’t think the tables match? That’s from memory. Perhaps some of you can help identify the lounge from this photo. Of course it’s not just one lounge:
The reaction online to the condition of this lounge is overwhelmingly that these passengers are slobs and should be ashamed – and banned from lounge access. “Imagine what their homes looks like…disgusting,” “People are [$#%#] pigs,” “The same people who did this are probably the same kind of people who don’t put their shopping carts back,” and “You actually got in!? Be grateful been almost a year since I’ve been able to use one.”
Here’s a grown man with his feet on the furniture of a United Club in front of a sign that says not to put your feet on the furniture.
Credit: Ari
Money can’t buy class, but money can buy you an overpriced credit card and access to a cafeteria food buffet.
Ahh… good ole filth. Reminds me of the “Please Curb Your Dog” signs all over NYC… only for owners to allow their dogs to literally piss on those signs… (and, on a day like today where temps feel like 90s… oof, the smells…)
“Bunch of savages in this lounge.”
@Gary – I beg to differ. The Flagship Lounge at DFW is usually an overcrowded clusterflunk unless you’re in FF Dining. And while we are on the subject, I have been surprised by the number of people apparently running to throw their money at the new PS lounge when 5-star select service is only $650 plus $150 for each additional person. And while I haven’t seen PS in person, I can’t imagine it’s worth several grand more than that excellent service experience.
@Mike Hunt, @Gary Leff — Any word on FF Dining ever opening up again at LAX? It’s just sad.
@1990 – many months ago there was talk amongst senior leadershio about it, but i haven’t heard anything new in the last six months.
Lounges today are usually overcrowded and staff struggles to keep up. And some of the people? Tuesday at the PIT Admirals Clubs while that lounge is almost always spotless and not all that crowded (surprised AA has kept that lounge opened) in comes three bratty children climbing all over the f’n place. Finally, I just relocated to one of the many empty (and quite) gates at the end of B Concourse.
People are disgusting. Wonder “with no home training” if the areas around the tables in their homes look like this. Have some self respect an decency people. This species is reprehensible. Probably be the first ones to complain if they wanted to sit down and came upon this type of mess.
We basically have been allowed to disrespect everything. I can hear it now “the workers here get paid to clean up, who cares” Smh
@Gary Leff — Wish they’d actually get-on-it. To not have it up-and-running as the World Cup comes to town… I suspect they’ll not even bother before the 2028 Olympics… sheesh.
@George Romey — ‘Kids these days…’
@D Fray — This ain’t Japan… that’s, for sure.
It can also depend when you arrive at the lounge.
I was recently at the Virgin lounge at SFO – I was allowed in because I am Delta Gold and was flying to London. They were not allowing Priority Pass at that time of day. Very decent food that you order off the menu. Here is a link to the menu: https://flywith.virginatlantic.com/content/dam/HelpCentre/at-the-airport/clubhouses/clubhouse-menus/sfo-menu.pdf
After the Virgin flight has departed they open the lounge to Priority Pass members. According to an employee I spoke with, once they let the Priority Pass people in the food offering is massively downgraded.
Gary, agree with you on LH First Class Terminal. We use it two or three times a year. Impeccable service, made to order meal service or buffets. But, what I like most of all are no crowds. For LH group FC passengers and Hon Circle. And I have never seen an empty table with any mess on it. Come to think about it, their first class lounges in MUC and FRA are great, too
A la Peabody Hotel, I may have to set up a pool for my ducks.
Gave up on lounges a while ago. Too crowded and people don’t know how to behave in public spaces. Now if I want food/drink I find my favourite bar. And sometimes actually meet interesting people. But if I want peace, I’m with @George Romey…..I find a quiet gate.
Sad to say that between diluted loyalty programs (now made for the masses) and this lounge lizard mess also made for the masses, the concept of “premium” in both product and consumer are long gone. Good ‘ol corporate greed prevails!
Have lost count of the number of times people are asked not to put their feet on the furniture. And most have that reaction of what the hell is your problem.
@AlanZ — As you have your collection of ducks, I’ve got a shelf of KLM Delft Blue Houses…
Retired Delta Air Lines President Glen Hauenstein is a magician. Not the fun kind with rabbits—he made our complimentary first-class upgrades vanish faster than a bag of peanuts in coach.
Even the great lib @1990 is a snob! Where’s your love for the teaming masses? Anyway I do not use many domestic lounges. PP lounges in Asia are not bad.for when I am not on a Star ticket.
@jack the ladd — Yeah, hey, what gives… I’m supposed to be in a poverty-cult, right?
Gary
In some lounges its not that easy to clean up since there isn’t a clear place to leave your used dishes.
Also, I’d go with the FC lounge at AUH as the best, despite (or maybe because) of its small size.
I had a great time at DL’s lounge at BOS terminal E (wasn’t allowed D1 as I was J on AF). But, I asked staff and found it was very slow that early (my flight was at 5pm). Apparently it goes downhill later in the evening as more pax are around for those later flights.
@1990
“@AlanZ — As you have your collection of ducks, I’ve got a shelf of KLM Delft Blue Houses…”
From the hand of god, to me, I have three on my shelve, too.
@Jon F – I like the AUH F sit down dining.
I would say it doesn’t come close to Air France La Premiere CDG or Lufthansa First Class Terminal. I just happen to really like the design aesthetic of al Safwa.
For a ‘mass consumer’ lounge I like Qantas first Sydney and Cathay’s The Pier Hong Kong (first class side). That Qantas lounge gets busy!! And at some level I think I like the Emirates A concourse first class lounge in Dubai more than Etihad’s in Abu Dhabi just because the sheer scale of the place is such a spectacle, the entire level of the terminal. Although it gets a bit weird, in a ‘night of the comet’ sort of way as though the whole place were hit by a neutron bomb, the physical structure remains but there are no people other than a few staff texting on their phones at duty free.
@alanZ — Not to brag, but between P2 and I, we’ve got 15 (formerly 16, dropped one… whoopsie!)
@Gary Leff — Consider a return to HKG… CX’s recently reopened The Wing is even better than The Pier (First) or The Bridge.
Gary, very nice, Al Safwa is great, but I prefer the more intimate atmosphere of AUH FC lounge.
Haven’t tried La Premiere yet, will have to check it out
After spending way more time than I should have, I believe the picture is from The Club in SEA, Concourse S! Although the table and the location of the plug is kind of throwing me off — perhaps another Club has a similar design.
Also potentially supporting my theory: if the menu has not changed since November, the messy leftovers appear to be the ginger soy tofu with vegetables, the Caesar salad, and dinner rolls.
@L737 — Good eye! Is that the one that ANA uses? It’s been a while, but I’ve been there once! Bah!
@1990 — Yes (according to Google) and very cool! I have never been but looks decent (on the photos and videos without all the leftovers everywhere, heh)
It could also be The Club SEA in A that has the same green chairs by the windows but I wasn’t able to find a good view of that particular section.
Unless you are staying at a Hilton and being evicted at 11 AM, no reason to spend much time in airport lounges.
The AMEX Centurion lounges are generally crowded, as AMEX and their affiliates keep pushing credit cards that enable access. Yet, sometimes the wait to get in is intolerable.
However ,in my experience, the staffs in the lounges do a good job of clearing plates, etc. from tables and keeping tables clean.
Food costs for everyone continue to rise and the offerings in the lounges reflect a desire to control costs. Yet the participating chefs do try to keep offerings somewhat interesting.
@Ron — You been to the Centurion at DEN? They make a mean mac n’ cheese. And, if you’re real nice, they might even throw in some pork. Talk about chef’s keepin’ it interesting… (@L737?!)
@1990 — When I was there I wanted to try the mac n’ cheese but it was a pasta station that night 🙁
@L737 — Yummers, either way!
@denver refugee, love the clerks reference! I say it all the time “bunch of savages in this town” and no one seems to cotton in. Assuming you are referencing clerks 🙂
A good start would be to ban entry currently permitted by credit cards, no exceptions. Let the card companies provide their own standalone lounges for their own crowd.
First and Business lounges for First and Business ticket holders only would sort out the rif-raf pretty smartly too, although that wouldn’t be too popular with those on the treadmill to keep up theit ‘status’ I imagine.
@glenn t – It’ll never happen. These airlines are addicted to the credit card revenue and will continue to shovel bodies into their lounges for it until the fire marshall tells them to stop.
@ 1990
No, you are too irreligious for a poverty cult, but you show no love for the “people.”
@jack the ladd — Ahh, yes, reminds me of History of the World, Part I (1981).
Count de Monet: “Sire, the peasants are revolting!”
King Louis XVI: “You said it. They stink on ice.”
(The King raises his shotgun, preparing for the next target)
King Louis XVI: “But… I love my people!”
(He turns to his servant)
King Louis XVI: “Pull!”
(A peasant is flung into the air; the King shoots)
“Yeah… It’s good to be the King.”
Just enjoyed a broiling 85F Centurian Lounge experience in Atlanta after storms knocked out the power supply unit and a/c for the entire concourse (E) for days…
I asked if they had their own (backup) chilled water or ductless a/c systems but Amex wasn’t allowed to by ATL airport authorities. Front desk said horrified Amex executives were there for World Cup activities and would address the situation with airport executives (Delta)…
@Captain Freedom — Yikes! Glad you survived. (Been wanting to check-out that new-ish Centurion at ATL, but, uh, now I think I’ll wait a little longer…)
as a global traveller, in my experience, the non-USA lounges are still quite fine and people act with dignity while there. In the USA, for most of them, it’s not even a benefit anymore, and even though I can use the high end One World lounges, I won’t bother unless I have a very long layover.