A family in the Seattle Delta Sky Club turned a four-seat cluster into a kid play zone with open suitcases; toys, clothes, and blankets spread out on the carpet; and belongings strewn about. “All of them had their shoes off too.”
Some people think this is fine as long as the kids stay quiet, within this space, and the family cleans up afterward. It’s “not nice to look at, but better than screaming/running kids.” It appears to be in the upstairs area of the lounge, away from the busier main floor.
However, the lounge is not your house, “this is slob behavior,” and many travelers think parents should keep the mess tighter even if the kids are behaving.
Finally, commenters on Reddit also criticize posting a stranger’s family, but in fairness you can’t identify them from the photo, so it captures the incident not the individuals.
Tolerable: if kids were quiet, stayed in that zone, and the family cleaned up.
Not acceptable: because the mess spills outside the family’s footprint and degrades a shared premium space.
It comes down to whether you see an airport lounge as place to cope with layovers with kids – contained space, bathrooms, snacks, and somewhere not to melt down – or a premium refuge from the terminal? That would make the family’s behavior entitled and representative of the broader collapse of norms in society. They really are imposing a cost on other guests even if the kids are quiet.
Here’s how this should work:
- kids are allowed in lounge
- everyone should remain quiet
- your belongings stay inside your seating area
- shoes stay on and feet stay off furniture
- use one or two toys or books at a time, do not fully unpack
- if the lounge has a family room, use it
Delta’s rules say that attire must be in keeping with “good taste and a dignified atmosphere” and that they can remove passengers for inappropriate conduct, including conduct that is “undignified” or “disruptive.” Shoes off is actually breaking a rule. So is belongings spread beyond the family’s own area.
Of course, rules are often underenforced against adults too. Some of the worst lounge behavior is from adults in the lounge, and nobody suggests a blanket rule against adults.
Children running amuck in lounges is nothing new. Neither are the parents that think the world should make accommodations because they decided to have children they do not want to care for.
Shameful. Children’s behavior in the lounge should mimic good behavior at home. So I think they must live in a barn.
2 adults, 2 kids. 4 seat section to themselves to use as they see fit? What’s the problem?
God Gary you sound like a miserable old “get off my lawn” guy. Lighten up a little and have a little sympathy. Everyone isn’t as perfect as you are!!!
It just non-parenting . Not Poor parenting. Kids taking care of kids. If an old man did something like that to them, they be WTF get out of my space. These are the parents who raise the next generation of Violent offenders in schools that will be on the 6:pm news
It just non-parenting . Not Poor parenting. Kids taking care of kids. If an old man did something like that to them, they be WTF get out of my space. These are the parents who raise the next generation of Violent offenders in schools that will be on the 6:pm news
Fascinating. Was it earlier this week that you were saying we should all trust people ON the plane to be good, sensible humans and make respectful phone calls?
I believe, but can’t be sure, that the people you are saying treat clubs like their own home are about to be cooped up on the plane with you.
I agree with you on the club behavior. I disagree with you on trusting people to be respectful on the plane.
@BTN – I did not say ‘trust them’ I suggest making expectations clear and address behavior instead of addressing something only tangentially related to the behavior
Dude writing this article must not have a family
Gary is 100% right. I see this behavior every time I fly. The airline lounges are not play areas. Children as well as parents should treat the common areas with respect and dignity. Most of the time they are not quiet or well behaved.
Nine times out of ten I end up leaving. Most of the time the boarding areas are quieter and more peaceful
You are entitled to a child free life not a child free world. If they were well behaved and cleaned up their mess, there is no issue. Sorry the days of children “must be seen and not heard” are over.
If it would be profitable to have family lounges similar to executive lounges, airlines and credit card issuers would have already done it. Additionally, given the limited space in most airport lounges, having a kid area is wildly taking away from the intended ambiance. This same behavior is seen on aircrafts, by paragraph and their spawn. I don’t know if the answer is raising guest fees for children to adult pricing, or strictly limiting access for guests between 1-16.
@Retired Gambler – No. Nobody needs to “lighten up” here. Poorly behaved kids *do not belong* in airline clubs or the premium cabins of airplanes, period. It’s true that (as someone else said on this site recently) the proletariat have invaded both, but the fact remains they are more expensive and therefore ought to be more both more exclusive and more peaceful environments. Quiet, well-mannered youngsters are one thing, but it seems increasingly common to experience the opposite. And the worst parenting predictably shows up around the winter holidays, spring break, and summer vacation times.
My son has been traveling in Delta Sky Lounges since he was 6-months old. I would never, ever think of monopolizing the space in this way. Have we had spirited games of Uno going on with some fellow traveler’s kids? Yes (ironically, in the Seattle lounge). Have we setup a board game or chess set? Yes. But strewing your belongings everywhere and letting your children run amok shows a complete lack of decorum and social grace.
Our child is raised to understand that the lounge is a privilege, not a right, and he has to earn his “status” with his behavior. If your kids need to “get their willys out” that much, there are plenty of things to go run them around in most terminals with such as escalators, moving walkways, elevators, etc.
This just looks like some third-world country $#?! right here. There is NO WAY a properly parented child would make this kind of mess — or need to.
The first offenders I’ve ever encountered, always, have been drunk adults. Always. Not two year olds. Not infants that don’t how to equalize the pressure in their ears. Adults who chose to be drunk. Always.
@mike hunt If you think that you’re entitled to special environment because its more expensive, then anyone with the money to afford it can share your space. Stop whining that that you are exposed to poor people. Manners are manners and they do not correspond to economic status. Period.
All humans children and adults need to learn how to be human in public settings. This is not your living room. In addition, most establishments and even airlines require shoes at all times.
“belongings sprewn about.”
Count on Gary’s sloppy prose and slipshod editorial review to misspell and/or butcher at least one word each post as he frantically writes and uploads for clicks and $.
The word is strewn.
Having kids is a choice adults have. Taking care of them is an obligation. Nobody should be compelled to stand other people’s children. The same applies to bare feet. What next. If you live like a pig, lounges should be off limits.
Delta-only flyer here—SEA based. The club in the photo is the original Sky Club at the A/B intersection, and the upstairs area is usually quiet and out of the way—also where I tend to sit.
But let’s be real—there’s nothing wrong going on here. If a family is using that space, it’s theirs while they’re there. Full stop.
My husband and I are on our parenting journey, and we fully plan to keep flying Delta domestic First with kids. I genuinely don’t know where this idea came from that First Class cabins or Sky Clubs are supposed to be child-free zones.
If anything, it’s the opposite. During the infant stage especially, I feel more justified paying for First Class to have the space to hold and care for a child comfortably. And the Sky Club? Same logic—it’s there to make travel easier. That includes families too.
JFK T4 this morning: Pre-6AM arrival, security less than 10 minutes total with CLEAR+ with PreCheck and TouchlessID, less than 5 minutes wait for entry to SkyClub at B31 with First. Yes, lotta babies inside here, of all ages, some screaming, some playing nicely. Nice sunrise at least. Safe travels everyone!
@Tim Dunn — Why is the WiFi code at JFK SkyClub “magnolia”? Is that a shot-across-the-bow at United, which often serves Magnolia Bakery desserts in its First Class? Keep Climbing the Friendly Skies? Huh… if Delta starts providing stroopwaffles, then something is up!
@Megs3190 – I am a parent and couldn’t disagree with you more. Gary is 100% right. There absolutely no reason for this kind of mess on a public space. If you can’t manage otherwise with your kids then you shouldn’t be flying, take a road trip instead.
It’s wild how easy it is to spot the worst parents in this thread. They’re the ones treating basic courtesy like an optional add-on, and acting personally offended that anyone would question their ‘right’ to let their little monsters turn a premium experience into a daycare free-for-all. Sorry, but if you think that way, you are an entitled loser raising terrible humans who will end up just as narcissistic as you are. If we aren’t going to have age limits, the folks who facilitate the lounges ought to be trained and fully enabled to eject families who can’t properly behave.
Mike Hint its easy to see who the pretentious single people with no kids are. See the behaviors described here are normal kid behaviors and if you had one you could understand that. The airline is not some personal area of yours. There are different beliefs and cultures. My kids will enjoy their childhood and some douche who thinks he is smart will not stop that. Take the bus for all I care.
I can tell from the comments the responsible adults and those recalcitrant parents that would exhibit the same boorish, slovenly behavior l.
Let’s have Gary write an article next week on the everpresent loud phone talkers. The endless, inane conversation. 100:1 more a problem than families.
This world is about having and raising children. The world should accommodate those with children, NOT the angry morons that have been brainwashed to think a career is more important than kids and family. Anyone complaining about this has been brainwashed by the global cabal’s propaganda. Reading some of these comments makes me sick. When you are on your death bed all alone and you finally understand where you went wrong, I wish someone would read your comment to you from this article.
Clubs need children-friendly and child-unfriendly zones in clubs. Unfriendly zones should include sharp corners, underfed alligators, crates and items to ensure proper behavior.
Your decision to breed and travel with your brood is not my problem. You paid for chaos and I paid for tranquility and exclusivity. You needs do not usurp mine.
@Parker — “Breed” LOL.
And guess what, if they had child-friendly zones, they’d likely look like that photo….and parents with kids wouldn’t want to go there. Bottom Line: public decorum is paramount for adults and kids alike. Kids need their parents to parent them….at home. You can always tell when ‘inmates run the asylum’!
Yea, no.
Go to gate 11. Plenty of room for your rugrats to play and build a blanket fort.
For the “you must not have kids” brigade — Plenty of people have kids, travel through airport and are respectful enough to to impose Little Timmy’s play time and play area onto other people.
People who don’t respect other people are worthy of judgment and scorn.
banket rule…nice ending pun
Imagine what their home looks like
Just because you’re not legally allowed within 1000 feet of children doesn’t mean the rest of the world has the same hatred of them.
If the very sight of children peacefully minding their own business drives you to such rage that you demand they be banned from public, the issue is you, not the children or their parents.
I need to find an inexpensive, compact bullhorn I can gift to kids with these kind of non-parents.
I’d like to give a different perspective to the posters that say the kids aren’t their problem and the would prefer child free spaces. I completely hear your frustration, But we as a society need kids. Without them who is going to care for us when we are old? You are looking at future doctors, cashiers, plumbers, etc. I completely respect your desire for child free areas. The people that have chosen to have children are making big sacrifices for society as they choose to prioritize their children’s lives. Do I think the lounge looks messy? Yes. If they clean up after themselves, then not such a big deal to me. After the curveballs I have been thrown while raising children, I am going to do my best not to judge and try to remember that I have no idea what they are dealing with in that moment time.
Airport lounges have become slob hangouts for those dumb enough to stand in line for what, I don’t know. I now prefer to find a comfortable table in a terminal restaurant with proper food and beverage. I’ll leave the lounges to the easily impressed and rookie travelers.
@1990, watch the Masters next weekend and then you’ll know why it is magnolia.
@Jeremy Swiecicki – Correct, airlines and the lounges are not a personal area of YOURS. Having kids doesn’t exempt you and them from basic manners. ‘Kids will be kids’ isn’t a parenting philosophy, it’s a cop-out for a WEAK PARENT. No one’s asking for total silence, just baseline respect for a shared space people paid a premium for. It’s always interesting how ‘different beliefs and cultures’ somehow only get invoked to defend behavior everyone else just calls inconsiderate. Teaching kids how to exist in shared spaces is part of letting them ‘enjoy childhood,’ not the opposite.
Bad parents have gotten way out of control lately. It’s like they think everyone else disappears the minute they decide to have kids, and the whole world owes them something. I can’t count how many times I’ve seen a toddler running full speed down a walkway at a PUB of all places. I say make it legal to bear mace parents whose kids are ruining it for everyone else, and it’ll stop pretty quick.
We just tried to get into the delta lounge in Phoenix. You had to scan a bar code to get on a waiting list. What is that all about???It’s a perk with a cost. Not sure that lounge perk is a great deal anymore.
No description gives you the description…
I just remember my first flight in the late 60s when I was six years old. I was very dressed up and definitely on my best behavior. Even in the 70s and 80s I still would plan special outfits for flying. I miss that flying is not an occasion anymore.
BARBARIANS !!!
Whether the kids are keeping to themselves or not, its highly inappropriate. A singular toy they can play with at the table or a book is sufficient. Normal people, who arent animals keep their shoes on when in public. The lounge is essentially a bar/restaurant. Shoes remain on your feet at all times and volume levels to a minimum. Having children is a choice. Your choice should not impact my experience. Maybe its time to designate a separate family lounge or just ban children under 16 from lounges all together and enforce the rules about behavior? If it was a beach or a park, by all means, let the kids run free, climb, and just be kids. An airline lounge is a “business” area. There is a place for everything.
@Matt. You are exactly on point. Truer words were never spoken!
I travel a lot, but mostly outside the USA. I encounter a lot of families with kids in lounges, but I have never seen anything like the situation depicted in this photo.
I spent a fair chunk of time in airport lounges as a kid, and my parents never did anything like this.
I don’t understand the mentality here in the comments section that this is somehow normal behavior and should be expected or encouraged, or that this is just a required component of the social contract. In my experience, it is not. I just don’t see parents doing this in any other country, where everyone seems to get by just fine behaving in more considerate ways.
Wow. These comments are largely made by a bunch of intolerant people way up on their high horse. Airports do not provide places for kids to play. There are no playgrounds or places to run to get the energy out. This family probably just got off of a long cooped up flight and are preparing for another. If they clean up their mess after then what’s the problem? BTW, we as a nation keep complaining that less people are having kids. Yet disgusting articles and posts such as these ostracize parents and make them feel awful for having kids with physical and emotional needs that they are likely trying their best to accommodate. How can we be a nation of increasing birth rates when we as a society aim to squash any semblance of the existence of children? The lack of support and understanding is gross.
Returning from TPA last week found better space to wait for a delayed flight (windows to outside, high ceiling, table and chairs) in the terminal than was available in the small, busy SkyClub. Three grandkids colored or used their iPads and kept their voices down, just as they would have in the Club. Good parenting (and, therefore, good behavior) doesn’t need Club walls.
This is not about an airport lounge, children, parents, or other adults. It is a full-blown societal issue.
For many, the world is viewed as “all about me” because they have “rights”. However, why is it acceptable that anothers “right” can impinge on my own?
Inclusive societal behavior degrades (on both sides of the equation) when it violates the rights of others and goes against accepted norms of behavior. What is deemed “accepted”, now appears to include a very wide range.
Good behaviour is not inherent, it is taught. The ability to read social situations and to assess/act appropriately is usually at the top of all essential learned behaviors.
I travel frequently and, by all indications, this essential behavior has not been taught for quite sometime.