Airport lounges are adjusting to the our new world by reducing shared spaces, especially those involving food.
I flew though Istanbul Sunday and spent a few hours in the Turkish Airlines Business lounge, one of my favorite lounges in the world. Turkish, like airlines around the world, is taking steps to reduce the transmission of germs in its still-crowded lounges.
Yes, the lounge was still packed. In the midday rush, most seats were taken and the lounge looked like any other day. Coffee stations were still open, though baristas wore masks. Food stations were still open but operated with a slight twist (at least at some stations); a chef will hand you a finished dish (versus you serving yourself).
Self-serve pide and nuts are no longer available.
The buffet, which likely presented the highest risk of contamination considering the hundreds of hands that touched it each hour, has replaced large bowls and platters with individual portions in single-use containers.
Take a look:
Restrooms and showers were still operational, but a cleaner was stationed inside restrooms whose job was to essentially continuously sanitize restroom surfaces.
CONCLUSION
Turkish Airlines offers one of the largest and consistently busy airport lounges in the world. Its steps to minimize the spread of germs are similar, though, to what many airport lounges around the world are now doing. If the situation worsens, it would not surprise me to see many airport lounges eliminate food and drink all together beyond a small number of pre-packaged snacks and drinks. We’re already moving in that direction in the USA.
It will be interesting as the months go by to see how travel adjusts or changes. Hopefully a significant lesson will be density as you pointed out. I think gone are the days that we see a “packed” club lounge, buffets will certainly change on how they present the food items. I was in a grocery store yesterday picking up some fresh produce saw a teenager weighing something and taking three pieces out of the plastic bag placing them back in the bin I stood there wanted to say something to the parent but not wanting a possible adverse reaction walked away. Now do we see the way fruits and veggies are offered or displayed? The same will apply to travel.
Time will tell in the mean time I am grounded by my wife!
I feel sad for all of us if society moves to a place where we are afraid to eat from a buffet, use a water fill station at an airport, or select produce – gasp – without a plastic bag or rubber gloves. Our oceans are already overfilled with plastic waste and paranoia and a move to more single-use stuff isn’t healthy for any of us. This is been the biggest overreaction imaginable and I’m afraid that, long term, society will be worse as a result. Humans have lived together for thousands of years and have spread diseases to one another for thousands of years. No amount of Purell or rubber gloves will stop that.
No, this is not a matter of being scared to eat at a buffet (most readers of this blog have done that routinely); rather the point is to take sensible measures to minimize risk in the face of an indiscriminate and unforgiving virus.
There hasn’t even been any evidence that COVID can be transmitted through food. Also, who doesn’t wash their produce before eating it? I’ve been to several lounges and have either seen similar practices and or severe reductions in offerings. This is no doubt driven by their need to reduce cost. The hygiene theater does have some role to make the general uninformed public who gets scared by the media feel better but let’s not pretend it makes any real difference.
“The buffet, which likely presented the highest risk of continuation considering the hundreds of hands that touched it each hour”
All this downtime now on your hands and still one isn’t able (or willing) to proofread. As a small business owner does your partner and/or team handle matters that require attention to detail?
Who has downtime? This blog is a hobby and nothing more. My week has been one of the busiest of the year. I don’t pay attention to detail here precisely so I can place undivided attention to detail on my primary business. Thanks for your concern, though. It is so appreciated.