One of the things I enjoy the most about flying is taking advantage of the ground hospitality. That means visiting the airline lounge and availing myself of the complimentary meals and drinks. That being said, it’s interesting to watch who steals food from the lounge, especially considering the apparent calibre of people who are inside.
While everything from the Wi-Fi to the electricity to charge your phones is on the house, how far does it stretch? Should you be taking things out of the lounge with you?
Well Heeled Thieves Everywhere!
Once upon a time I was sitting in the lounge casually passing the time on my laptop when I spied a group of business people getting up to go to their gate for their flight. One of them paused at the food section and loaded his bag with at least three packets of crisps and a couple of pieces of fruit. There was no subtlety involved and it was all quite brazen while chatting away to nearby colleagues.
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- Is everything fair game? Would you leave with a designer lamp?!
Online forums devoted to airline travel reveal the art of the steal is alive and well. There are reports of people loading up their bags with cans of beer, various foods and some even say they have seen large bottles of booze decanted into plastic bottles for take away. It is mind boggling what people will stoop to!
Who Steals Food And Is It Actually Stealing?
There are two schools of thought on the matter. One is what airlines intend, which is food and drink available in the lounge should be consumed in the lounge. The other, of course, is that it is available and expected to be consumed so taking some with you is perfectly acceptable.
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- How about a fetching cushion to enhance your home decor?
It does beg the question as to where the line should be drawn. A bag of crisps, piece of fruit or bottle of water to tide you over is probably more acceptable than taking half a dozen beers or sneaking out an entire unopened bottle of wine. It is perhaps less acceptable to remove glasses, plates, cutlery or furniture of course, though I bet this does happen.
Overall Thoughts
For what it’s worth, I think food and drink should be consumed in the lounge. Part of the reasoning for my thinking is that usually I’m flying in business class so I’m going to get even more to eat on the plane, so why be any greedier?
I’m not a person who steals food as a general rule. However, that being said, taking a bottle of water or a bag of crisps with you is completely fine. I’ve liberated the odd bag of crisps when the mood has taken me. Removing everything that is not nailed down is unacceptable and goes against the spirit of what the lounge is there for.
The amount of people with airline spoons, plates, cutlery or mugs is actually a lot more than you think. Airlines expect breakage and items to go missing, so who knows, maybe it’s all accounted for at the end of the day.
What do you think? Are you someone who steals food or is very strictly eat it in the lounge? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Many times, there is not enough time to eat and drink, so taking food/drink is acceptable. Many lounges have gone away from cans and bottles for drinks, and many also supply paper cups with lids, this implies that you are welcome to take drink with you. If you are paying for memberships, then you aren’t stealing!
Oh sure, I guess if you’re paying for it, it changes things differently. And a good point you make there with the take-away cups. I’ve seen those in the US but not so much in Europe. That certainly does imply to have at it! Thanks for the comment.
It is either theft or it is not. Saying it is OK to take something at all, but not something else just sounds like it is alright for whatever you take, but not someone else doing differently.
Giving examples that you then say you are sure will have happened, but you have never seen, is just fantasy land.
If there is no notice to that effect, it would appear that the lounges expect and condone it, but they assume moderation.
Hence the conundrum in certain instances. Some lounges do say food and drink is for consumption in the lounge only, and people respect that. Others don’t and they don’t. But is the rule still there? Thanks for the comment, very fair points you’ve made there.
Or you can be a little more covert and pour the unfinished glass of chardonnay into a blue squeeze sports bottle to enjoy on board the plane. I observed this at an airline lounge in Austin.
Haha – I love hearing what people have witnessed. I think it’s not bad for an unfinished glass, unless the person topped it up after that, I guess. At the end of the day it’s a case of live and let live, I think. Thanks for that!
I think the general practice to follow is if it’s something wrapped like a granola bar or package of cookies (or maybe one piece of fruit), it’s OK to grab one for your flight (especially as most US domestic flights don’t serve any meaningful food even up front). If it requires a plate or fork to eat, leave it.
I think that makes a lot of sense. I would be shocked if someone was scooping out of the buffet and bringing it on board with them in containers, but I’m sure it’s been done! Thanks for the comment.
It’s tacky. As tacky as taking items from the hotel buffet or a towel from your hotel room. If you can afford to fly business/first/enough money to get the miles to get status, then you can afford to buy a sandwich and a drink. Those people are why we can’t have nice things.
So true, I can say I’ve never ever taken towels or robes or anything apart from the products from a hotel room. Can’t say that for others, that’s for sure!
I have 1,500,00 plus miles on Delta, flying in Comfit, on most flights Delta gives you a few cookies. I pay around $700.00 per yr, to enjoy the Skyclub, I have no problem taking a sandwich for a flight. I am sure Delta prefers me paying them $700.00 per yr, then not and buying a sandwich at a shop by the gate.
Oh I agree with you completely if you’re ponying up for lounge access!
As a non coffee drinker, I’ve taken quite a few tea bags from the Aer Lingus lounge in DUB as it only occurs to me at the airport that I should have brought some decent Irish tea with me for my trip. Tea abroad is generally pretty bad!
That’s fair! I’ve taken a couple of green tea’s from a BA lounge before to use on a trip as well, so I hear you on that. I wouldn’t be one to take a whole box of tea away with me.
As they say over here in the U.S., “You can take the boy out of the trailer park but you can’t take the trailer park out of the boy”.
Hahahahaha!