Should kids be allowed in airport lounges? Traveler sparks etiquette debate about letting children into VIP areas – but many say it’s the ADULTS who don’t know how to behave

Flight etiquette is an ongoing topic of debate, but one traveler has now shifted the focus to airport lounges.

In a Reddit thread Entitled “honest opinion about children in airport lounges,” the traveler explained that they “often hear people complain about children being allowed in lounges.”

Although they visit lounges “about 30 times a year” with an American Express (Amex) Platinum card, they say the kids there are “well behaved” “99 percent of the time.”

Instead, they report that they have seen “adults acting like immature brats far more often,” with the “biggest areas of immaturity” having to do with “rules for lounge access for passengers or their guests,” “berating lounge staff about fact that they are on the waiting list for entry’. and ‘complaining to staff that they had to pay extra for premium drinks.’

In an effort to gather thoughts from other lounge patrons, they simply asked, “Does anyone else agree/disagree?”

The thread quickly racked up more than 1,000 comments, with most Redditors agreeing with the traveler that adults were the most annoying lot.

Many mentioned that adults being loud on cell phones are more offensive than children in the lounges.

Recounting a recent experience, one traveler wrote, “Remember, the businessmen are having loud phone calls on speaker phone.

‘On Friday there was a guy in the London Heathrow Terminal 3 AA Flagship (First) lounge on a loud Zoom call.

“As soon as he hung up, a lot of people clapped loudly and cheered. For a short 30 minutes it felt like we were all friends with Dave in his 1:1. I fully support such disgraceful behavior.”

Echoing similar sentiments, another Redditor wrote, “Usually it’s the loud businessman on the phone that annoys me versus kids.

‘The bigger problem is that non-airline lounges are chaotic now that virtually every credit card offers a priority pass/lounge pass etc. Half the time I won’t even bother and just find a quiet part of the terminal.’

Some parents also joined the discussion.

One mother explained how she approaches lounge visits with her young family to disrupt the people around her as little as possible.

In a Reddit thread titled “honest opinion about children in airport lounges,” the traveler explained that they “often hear people complaining about children being allowed in lounges.”

She revealed: ‘I bring my baby and toddler to the lounges during layovers when we travel as a family.

‘It’s a privilege I pay for [Amex] and usually they let me pay or use a guest pass for my three year old.

‘If it’s super quiet, we always find a spot in the back or far away from most people. When it’s super busy and bustling, we grab all available seats. I always gauge what that lounge looks like that day.

“If it’s loud, I don’t worry so much about the noise they make. I would never just let them run wild, but we walk around to burn off some energy.

‘At seven in the morning after a red eye we usually have breakfast, go to the toilet and go on the road. No one needs to hear my son’s comments about every little thing he sees at that hour.

‘Honestly, I think this is the safest place in the airport to let my little ones walk around, stretch their legs and go to the toilet. If they ever became disruptive, we would leave.

“To be clear, I hate children, except my own. But I’d rather have a kid having fun in the lounge than having a tantrum on the plane.”

Some Redditors said they couldn’t remember ever seeing or being bothered by children in lounges.

In response to these messages, one parent found the conversation ‘very reassuring’.

They explained, “I get nervous when we take our kids to the lounge.

‘We have set expectations to ‘not bother other people’ and use voices indoors, etc., but they’re kids! Thank you for your understanding.’