Lounge Etiquette in the Age of Coronavirus

[Flyinfish]

Addressing this to all you intrepid travellers who are jetting off into the zombie apocalypse regardless and who have lounge access.
I very much enjoy my pre flight lounge visits, including getting a feed and drink or two. Would it be rude to spray sanitiser on your plate and utensils? BYO? Avoid the lounge altogether? Or just throw caution to the wind and enjoy the ride?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

What sort of sanitiser would u use which is safe to eat?

Personally... I’d just enjoy the ride. Unless you for into one of the ‘high risk’ category of patient (elderly, immune problems, etc).

If it gets really bad, the lounge will likely take precautions anyway to limit contact with service items.

 

[Austman]

I have had hand sanitiser with me at all restaurants and lounges overseas. Placed on the table. Especially when you have to eat finger food. No-one has blinked an eye.

 

[Flyinfish]

I have had hand sanitiser with me at all restaurants and lounges overseas. Placed on the table. Especially when you have to eat finger food. No-one has blinked an eye.

I’m more concerned with the much handled plates glasses knives forks etc in the communal containers. I’m OK with my hands and hopefully the food.

 

[Citoyen]

I imagine we shall see more lounges move towards wrapped and single serve items and away from food that can be breathed upon.

 

[Austman]

I’m more concerned with the much handled plates glasses knives forks etc in the communal containers. I’m OK with my hands and hopefully the food.

Don't know that plates and glasses get "much handled"? Give the cutlery a wipe over? All of them have likely have come out of a dishwasher. It's all the lids you have to open and the serving ladles, tongs etc that are pretty communal. That's where the hand sanitiser might help afterwards. In many Asian restaurants it's actually OK to wash cutlery in a bowl at your table... Not sure it does much.

 

[p--and--t]

You would be at far greater risk from what's on your hands after touching surfaces on the plane, taxi, terminal, door knobs.

A pocket hand sanitiser I think will become just as important as your mobile in coming months.

Actually, just like cruise ships, I personally think the airlines should install sanitiser dispensers at the doorway to the lounge and in the entry portal of every plane.

 

[p--and--t]

I imagine we shall see more lounges move towards wrapped and single serve items and away from food that can be breathed upon.

Well a bonus of doing that might at least reduce the constant bit..ing on AFF about the style/brand of the metal cutlery used by Qantas

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Depends where you are. The number of infected people in Australia is currently so low that the risk is probably negligible. If you're transitting HKG the risk is probably greater. Hence the problems faced by CX. Generally however in a buffet style lounge where you have to grab crockery from a stack and cutlery from a container there is certainly the potential for transmission as people touch items they leave behind and it wouldn't hurt to carry some wipes to clean the ones you take before using them.
Otherwise fly first and only eat in lounges with à la carte dining!

 

[juddles]

You would be at far greater risk from what's on your hands after touching surfaces on the plane, taxi, terminal, door knobs.

Exactly - the handrail/rubber strip on escalators are particularly notorious for spreading germs - once when heading to the flounge in SYD I actually FELT a slightly burning sensation when I accidentally touched the escalator hand rest. I assume this was due to contamination by SG and others using the business lounge, so I rapidly entered the flounge and rinsed my hands with some Pommery....

 

[Justinf]

Sakura Lounge at Narita last week had precautions in place where attendants with gloves would pour beer, wine and make coffee and only feed that had been prepackaged or wrapped in plastic was served.
I'd imagine all lounges with have this in place now.

 

[dajop]

If plates etc are in a stack, why not just take 2 and use the second one, probably the greatest risk from freshly dishwashed plates is that someone has sneezed/coughed/breathed on a plate. Getting the second one of the pile should substantially reduce that risk. Probably way lower than someone contaminating buffet food.

 

[flydoc]

I imagine we shall see more lounges move towards wrapped and single serve items and away from food that can be breathed upon.

And so it has proven to be...