Can you bring your own food into airport lounges?

[Mattg]

I have seen a few airport lounges explicitly state that you can't bring in your own food or drinks (often these are lounges that sell food), but is this a universal rule? Or is it considered poor etiquette to BYO food?

It's not something I've wanted to do often, but I did do it once at the Qantas lounge in Honolulu because the buffet was really poor and I was hungry. I asked the receptionist if it would be OK for me to buy something and bring it back into the lounge with me, and they indicated it wasn't really something they encourage but let me do it anyway.

Occasionally I've seen people eating KFC or a Whopper in the lounge and thought it looked & smelled pretty good!

Understand that you probably can't bring in your own alcohol to drink as lounges are licensed venues.

 

[Lynda2475]

I have bought outside coffee into lounges at airports where the lounge doesn't provide barista made coffee (and it has never been an issue); but I've never felt the need to bring outside food.

At US lounges you will see many a Starbucks or Peets or Kona coffee cup inside.

 

[kamchatsky]

Maybe the lounges should offer Maccas and KFC instead …..i mean Maccas offers salad for the vegans out there. So it is inclusive for all people.

I did remember though VA had bring in Betty’s burgers for a promo in the past.

 

[DC3]

No problem bringing food into AA Admirals Clubs. I’ve seen families bring in huge amounts of food and drink. In fact, probably due to the lack of “free” food provided.

 

[Daver6]

I've done so in the past. Hungry Jacks a few times into the Melb QF dom lounge.

I can't really see why would be an issue. It's not like they're losing sales by people doing so.

 

[Steady]

I’d happily take pizza into the PER J lounge, they wouldn’t recognise it so think I’d be ok

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Perhaps it depends on the lounge?

Airline lounges, where the passenger is a guest of the lounge, there should be no issue.The lounge is for the passenger.

Paid lounges where there might be food for sale, could perhaps understand if they choose to ban outside food. You accept any terms and conditions as you pay to enter.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Very common in JL domestic lounges where the only food is usually rice crackers.

For example at the JL lounge at HND earlier this week, this was on offer.



But I was there around 5am so really needed and bacon and egg muffin to go with it.

There were many people, perhaps one in every eight, who appeared to be eating food from Lawsons (la bit like 7/11) or other airport vendors.

 

[Ktan89]

I'm down for

Maybe the lounges should offer KFC instead …..

I'm down for some fried chicken and drinks

 

[p--and--t]

I can understand some retinance for open slather - what happens if someone brings in durian or dried shredded squid and stink the place out.

What are the liabilities, responsibilities and protocols if either the person or some stranger they shared the food with has an anaphylactic episode and dies.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I can understand some retinance for open slather - what happens if someone brings in durian or dried shredded squid and stink the place out.

What are the liabilities, responsibilities and protocols if either the person or some stranger they shared the food with has an anaphylactic episode and dies.

Agree. I think standard protocols would apply. Pax shouldn’t need to be hand-held on that!

You’d hope if you either have status or are flying premium that you’d know if you have an allergy. Same rules would apply inside the lounge as anywhere else… the responsibility lies with the person with the allergy to manage it, unless there is some duty of care like a carer or guardian relationship.

Morally, what’s the difference if you innocently share food in the lounge and someone dies vs a person travelling with covid and they infect someone who dies?

 

[zig]

I have once taken food into MEL QF lounge as the buffet offerings were dire. It didn't seem to be an issue for anyone.

There were many people, perhaps one in every eight, who appears to be eating food from Lawsons (la bit like 7/11) or other airport vendors.

This is interesting as I wasn't allowed to bring food into the JL Narita lounge.

 

[DC3]

I can understand some retinance for open slather - what happens if someone brings in durian or dried shredded squid and stink the place out.

 

[SheikYerbouti]

KFC or a Whopper in the lounge and thought it looked & smelled pretty good!

 

[Foreigner]

Slightly OT, I suppose you can take your own food on airplane and it wouldn’t offend unless there was pungent smell

barring the durian, of course

 

[elanshin]

Slightly OT, I suppose you can take your own food on airplane and it wouldn’t offend unless there was pungent smell

barring the durian, of course

Yes most certainly especially people with very specific dietary requirements. Also some people just like their own stuff.

I've certainly seen loads of Japanese who bring their own lunchboxes onto JQ flights.

 

[DC3]

I've certainly seen loads of Japanese who bring their own lunchboxes onto JQ flights.

Bento boxes. Yum

 

[kevrosmith]

I had the BNE VA Lounge entry staff tell me once that food from outside the lounge was not permitted, and I seem to recall this may have been during covid when the food offerings in the lounge were very slim. I can’t recall what my reaction was to them, but I’d never heard such a rule before and do remember looking up the Lounge Entry rules afterwards. (I’m pretty sure I didn’t find any such rule).

 

[Mattg]

I had the BNE VA Lounge entry staff tell me once that food from outside the lounge was not permitted, and I seem to recall this may have been during covid when the food offerings in the lounge were very slim. I can’t recall what my reaction was to them, but I’d never heard such a rule before and do remember looking up the Lounge Entry rules afterwards. (I’m pretty sure I didn’t find any such rule).

I do vaguely remember seeing that rule at the BNE lounge during the covid times when the lounge catering was really poor. Maybe they were embarrassed by the large number of people bringing in Red Rooster and other similar things.

 

[Andyc]

I had The House deny me re-entry in SYD a few years ago when I attempted to bring in McDonalds.
I left the lounge to get Maccas because I couldn't eat any of their available food options (allergy) but apparently that wasn't a good enough excuse.