The Unspoken Rules of Airport Lounges — And Why They Matter

Can you get seconds from the buffet? Do you need to clear the dirty dishes from your table after eating? We receive these types of questions from readers regularly, especially those soon visiting a lounge for the first time.

A few recent travel controversies suggest that not everyone agrees on what is and isn’t acceptable behavior at an airport lounge. Let’s look at lounge etiquette to enjoy the experience together.

Etiquette vs. Rules in Airport Lounges

Rules and etiquette are different. Rules are in writing. For example, the Amex Centurion Lounge rules say you can’t smoke inside or let your service animal sit on the furniture.

Etiquette, on the other hand, is socially constructed. Some norms feel universal, while others vary from country to country. A solid guiding principle is thinking about whether you would want other people to behave this way around you, then using that to guide whether you should act that way.

For example, many lounges have rules against putting your feet on the furniture. What if you creatively lie down so your feet remain off the furniture? This behavior may — or may not — be tolerated by lounge staff. And it may — or may not — bother other guests.

Welcome to etiquette. While this behavior isn’t likely to generate emotional responses from other visitors, some recent examples have reminded us that a discussion about lounge etiquette can be helpful for those who might be visiting an airport lounge for the first time.

Recent Controversies Surrounding Traveler Etiquette

In early July 2025, a social media influencer known as @HellthyJunkFood posted a video from the Delta Sky Club at LAX, urging followers to bring Tupperware or takeaway containers into airport lounges and “plate a bunch of food” to take onto their flight. “If you’re not taking takeout containers to the airport lounges with you, you are getting ripped off,” she said.

Condemnatory comments flooded the video quickly, including people tagging Delta and asking the airline to ban her. Many comments on the video weren’t kind.

A Reddit discussion from earlier this year asked whether taking food away from lounges was permitted, with people indicating they may take 1 or 2 items, like a canned soda, but that taking what you obviously shouldn’t be taking could result in new rules at lounges that hamper the experience for all of us.

On X (formerly known as Twitter), a United Polaris lounge guest snapped a photo of a person with bare feet on a coffee table.

At Perth Airport, an intoxicated lounge guest was denied bar service and removed from the lounge after using inappropriate language.

To be clear, it goes beyond lounges, as travelers have run afoul of both other travelers and even flight attendants after bringing premade meals with strong odors.

What Does Airport Lounge Etiquette Look Like?

Airports tend to be a relatively lawless place, as the saying goes: You can get drunk at 9 a.m. or sleep on the floor if you want.

On the other hand, airport lounges have historically catered to a more affluent crowd, like business travelers and those with elite status. The lounges also have rules, though how rigorously they’re enforced is another discussion.

Lounge etiquette still makes sense even if you aren’t technically violating a rule. Here are some practical guidelines:

• If another passenger did this, would it bother you? Talking on speaker phones, watching movies without headphones, and letting your children run around the lounge making noise are good examples.
• Would you discipline your child for this behavior? Double-dipping in the guacamole on the buffet, touching food with their hands (rather than tongs), and standing on lounge furniture come to mind.
• Does it create an unclean experience for others? Consider whether you want to show up at a lounge and find someone’s bare feet or dirty shoes on a seat you’ll be sitting in later.
• Would you still want to come to the lounge if this became a universal behavior? Put another way, think about how you would feel if you walked into an airport lounge and saw everyone doing (insert action here). Is that a place you’d want to relax before your flight?

Many people visit the airport lounge to escape the constant announcements, noise, and crowds in the terminal and boarding gates. They also want snacks, drinks, free Wi-Fi, and more comfortable seating. If that’s what you want, help provide it for others.

Final Thoughts

There has been a new string of bad behavior in lounges, either ruining the travel experience for others or encouraging others to break rules to get their money’s worth.

Too many incidents can ruin lounges for everyone, creating new rules for who can get in or what amenities are provided to guests. Simply practicing good behavior avoids being the guest that people dislike or the guest who causes the lounge to offer fewer perks in the future.