[Gin&Tonic]

I used to travel weekly back home to Man from Lhr, what always use to make me smile was the calls from the lounge back to the office from visiting “business men” who had always had “brilliant meetings” with the customer or colleagues. No one ever was heard to say “no it’s the worst day of my business life” they have only ever had great days….. I wish !!!!! And if a flight was ever 10 minutes late that would always create a huge number of calls back home.

[LuganoPirate]

Simon, you’re showing your age with that old Dictaphone joke! Have to admit though, I remember it as well!

Jim, I remember some years ago sitting on Eurostar in first, with two people who were on a conference call with someone else as they discussed plans for the European launch of an ice cream brand. They kept saying how these plans had to be kept secret and no leaks could be permitted etc. I think they arrogantly dismissed me as a nobody as I was dressed in my travel uniform of chinos and old shirt.

I was on my way back from a British Swiss Chamber lunch in London, at which the guest speaker was the then chairman of Nestle. As a result I had a few Nestle cards on me from various Nestle people at the event and it was with relish I put one of these on the table as we pulled into Paris. Imagine their shock and embarrassment, which was priceless as I added “thanks very much for that”.

[robsmith100]

I sympathise with all of you on this topic. However how many of you have fallen in to the trap and done the same yourselves without realising it?
I know I most certainly have as it is very easy to do.

A colleague here in the office has pointed out that when you are out in any open public space, it’s very natural to talk louder regardless of how quiet the background noise is and depending on the acoustics of the room/carriage your voice will naturally project across it even if you talk quietly.

[LuganoPirate]

And to reply to seasoned traveller. I’m one of those people who are embaressed to use a phone in public. When I’m in a lounge such as Milan or Frankfurt, where everyone is on the phone, I tend to use it then if I have to. If it’s a quiet lounge then I either go to an unoccupied corner or else speak soto voce. I never understand why it’s necessary to have to shout in the things anyway.

[jamesay]

Cant wait to avoid you Mr Disgusted !

[jamesay]

I’m with you Seasoned Traveller ! The more loudmouths get away with it the more they do it! I was in a lounge at LHR and this lawyer guy gave ALL his client’s info away on the phone – at end of his call, I asked him for his card as I was looking for a lawyer – I then went across the lounge, to the phone zone and called his boss and told him his employee had broken several codes of conduct and I would be informing all my colleagues and friends to avoid their company! Idiots that shout have no clue that billions is spent on making mics sensitive, they dont care, they are part of what I call
The i-Generation…. whose attitude is “i” am going to do what I like! God help us when the airlines allow these “t*ssers” to make calls from their seats on overnight flights – THEN we will see air rage! Happy and Safe travels !

[SimonRowberry]

James – what a brilliant post! Thanks.

I was on a train today, in the Quiet Zone, and two of said i-geneation tossers thought it perfectly acceptable to tap away loudly on their keyboards. Selfish, thoughtless bar stewards.

Happy (and quiet) travelling to all (if Disgusted will allow it, that is)

Simon

[PatJordan]

Lugano, what a great post! I can just imagine the look of horror on the ice cream peoples’ faces. Just a pity you didn’t have a camera!

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

Guys, its your choice; if you wish to generate moral outrage and stress yourself, go ahead.

I’ll be the guy in the corner, typing on his laptop and listening to music on sound cancelling headphones.

Only you can choose to be upset/annoyed/stressed etc.

James0330, what an infantile comment – “Cant wait to avoid you Mr Disgusted !” Can you really judge me on the basis of an internet post?

I was sitting in a lounge at EDI 3 years ago and a similar thing happened, but with a different type of professional service provider.

Rather than shop him, I had a quiet word (as a fellow professional) and asked if he realised the whole lounge could hear about his business.

RobSmith100 is correct in commenting about our natural tendency to speak louder in open spaces.

The outcome of that encounter was that I made a friend, who subsequently recommended me to one of his clients, with a billing of 70Ko € over the next 2 years.

What did your action achieve, James0330?

[macman147]

The ones that get me are the walkers. They can’t talk on the phone unless they are on the move. That way they can annoy even more people over a much wider area while shouting into a mobile.

Up and down they go back and forth. You hear them coming then you get a bit of peace then back they come. As if they are the only living thing on planet earth.

It doesn’t matter how hard you try to find a quiet spot they always manage to come past you every 20 to 30 seconds or so depending on the size of the lounge.

[kevin46]

As retired cabin crew, allow me to share my profile of the ‘wally’ business class passenger. He’s the one boarding at the last minute, laptop slung over his shoulder, suit cover (full to bursting) on his arm and of course shouting into his mobile as he walks down the jetway. Producing his boarding card is then a huge problem and he will need to be asked at least 3 times to switch off his phone before take off! How I miss him!!

[Potakas]

Macman, unfortunately i am a walker but i never speak loud and most of the time i take my way out of the lounge. Although i can understand that this could be very annoying if you are sitting on a sofa and have someone walking all the time around you-that’s why i going out of the lounge.

I cannot decide if i am with Disgusted on this or the others, for sure i am not with James as i think that a post of this kind ”Cant wait to avoid you Mr Disgusted !” has below of minus contribution to this thread.

Disgusted has his own point of view which actually shouldn’t bother anyone as the only think he wants is his privacy and he is taking his actions without to have to expect something from others. He avoids stress and makes his living better. That’s life actually and we should not expect anything from others, maybe we should expect from the airliners . .

So i agree with Loyal_BA :

”I think I stand somewhere in the middle here – Lounges are public paces and are generally full of business travellers therefore its unreasonable to expect people to step outside to make calls.”

and with MartynSinclair:

” lounges should be sectioned to allow zones for quiet time, TV, mobile phones, in the same way that some trains have been designed.”

Until then, i think the most relaxed way is my favorite music.

6. Remember, if you find someone irritating, take a look in the mirror and you will see half the problem.

I could agree in terms that is just impossible always someone else to be the problem. Except if it’s me :p

Regards,

[IanFromHKG]

The best way I have found of stopping intransigent callers is to take a pen and paper, sit very close to them, peer intently at them to make it clear you are listening, and start making notes on the paper. Usual reaction is something like “Do you mind? This is a private call!” to which I very quietly respond “Not at that volume, it isn’t”. It’s surprisingly effective…. Most of them look embarrassed, apologise, and drop the volume, and some just walk away (which is even better). Only once had a really angry reaction, along the lines of “WTF do you think you are doing? F*** off!” to which I calmly replied that if he chose to broadcast his business he shouldn’t be surprised if other people chose to take advantage of it. He went virtually apopleptic, staff members came up (by which time, having seen them coming, I was quietly reading a newspaper and ignoring him), hustled him away, then came back to apologise!

[judynagy]

Oh HKIan … how very, very perfect. I refuse to tolerate this kind of behaviour, no matter where I am. I can hardly wait to try your schemet next time one of those self-important bozos starts bellowing into his/her phone. It has been SO difficult to sit there and take this kind of boorish behaviour, now I know EXACTLY what to do! I think it’s perfectly possible that occasionally someone is blabbing on their cell phone and not realizing how obnoxious they are, but anyone with a smithereen of awareness has got to know how they’re showing their lack of class. Therefore, I assume they don’t care and HKIan’s solution is just wonderful. It sure beats looming over them and hissing “go away” which I have resorted to in the past.

[DisgustedofSwieqi]

I would caution against using HKIan’s tactics without considering whether a constable might cause it behaviour likely to cause a breach of the peace.

One might find oneself in custody.

[Author]

Posts