Updated on 17 April 2026

Airport Lounge Etiquette: 12 Unwritten Rules Everyone Should Know

Honestly: the first time I walked into an airport lounge, I had no idea how to behave. Sounds ridiculous, but it's true. Can you just pile up three plates? How long are you actually allowed to sit there? Can you take your shoes off? (Spoiler: better not.) These are questions you won't find on any sign, yet airport lounge etiquette makes the difference between a pleasant waiting area and a place where everyone sits irritably staring at their screen.

Since I started visiting lounges regularly—from Priority Pass locations at Brussels Airport to Centurion Lounges in Miami—I've built up an unwritten rulebook in my head. Not because I'm such a strict person, but simply from observation. You see fairly quickly what works and what doesn't in such a space. The good news: the lounge rules are really nothing more than common sense with a touch of courtesy.

What follows are 12 behavioural rules that aren't officially written down anywhere, but that every experienced lounge visitor knows. Some are logical. A few will surprise you.

Why airport lounge etiquette truly matters

Lounges are getting busier. That's not just a feeling—it's a trend. Due to the increase in premium credit cards with lounge access (think of the Amex Platinum and similar cards), lounges have become noticeably fuller over the past five years. At peak times, especially in summer or during school holidays, you may have to queue for a seat. Priority Pass lounges worldwide registered a rise in visitor numbers of more than 20% in 2024-2025.

That means: the more people share the space, the more important the unwritten lounge behavioural rules become. In a half-empty lounge, it goes unnoticed if someone makes a loud phone call. In a packed lounge at 6 in the morning, it doesn't. It's a bit like being on the train: things only go wrong when it's busy and nobody considers those around them.

I also notice that Belgian travellers who may be discovering a lounge for the first time through their Amex Platinum card sometimes aren't quite sure what the expectations are. That's not a criticism. I was there myself too. But a short guide helps everyone: the newcomer and the regular visitor.

The 12 unwritten lounge rules in detail

1. 01 Always use headphones

   This is by far the most important of all airport lounge tips. No sound from your phone, laptop or tablet without headphones. Not even briefly. Not "very quietly". This applies to videos, but also to the keyboard sound on your smartphone. Every third lounge visit I see someone playing a TikTok video as if it were their living room. Don't be that person.

2. 02 Make calls discreetly, or call outside the seating area

   A quick phone call? Fine. A 40-minute meeting at full volume? Find a quiet corner, or better yet: some lounges have separate phone rooms or workstations. In the Priority Pass lounge at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi I once sat next to someone who conducted an entire sales pitch. It was educational, but not in the way he intended.

3. 03 Take what you eat, eat what you take

   The buffet isn't an all-you-can-eat challenge. Serve yourself a normal plate and feel free to go back if you want more. What you absolutely shouldn't do: stack six croissants on your plate and eat only two of them. Food waste in lounges is a real problem, and it's also simply not courteous to the other visitors who come after you.

4. 04 Don't reserve seats with your belongings

   Placing your bag on a chair to "save" a spot while you walk to the buffet is fair enough. But claiming three chairs with a jacket, laptop and magazine for your travel companions who are still going through security? That doesn't look great, especially in busy lounges at places like Heathrow or Sydney.

5. 05 Respect the time limit

   Most Priority Pass lounges enforce a maximum stay of 3 hours. Some travellers completely ignore this and sit there for half the day. Technically, not every lounge checks this equally strictly, but it's a matter of decency. You're literally taking up someone else's spot. If you have a long layover, it's fairer to step out of the lounge in between.

6. 06 Don't take your shoes off

   I know. Long flights. Tired feet. But a lounge isn't a bedroom. Shoes off, feet on the seat: that's a step too far. Keeping slippers or slip-ons on is already a compromise nobody will comment on. Bare feet on the shared sofa is another matter entirely.

7. 07 Clean up your spot when you leave

   There is staff in a lounge, yes. But that doesn't mean you should leave your plate, cups and napkins on the table like a battlefield. Take your dishes to the designated area. Leave your seat tidy. It takes thirty seconds and it makes a difference.

8. 08 Limit your alcohol consumption

   Free drinks are tempting. I get it. But lounges aren't an open bar in the sense of "drink as much as you can". One or two glasses of wine or a G&T before your flight: absolutely fine. Knocking back six beers and getting rowdy: the staff can and will address that, and rightly so. Some lounges in the United Kingdom have become stricter about this after incidents.

9. 09 Showers: keep them short and tidy

   Quite a few lounges offer shower facilities, especially for long-haul travel. Feel free to use them, but keep it short (15-20 minutes is reasonable) and leave the space as you'd like to find it. Throwing wet towels on the floor and walking out is, to put it mildly, not the intention.

10. 10 Work quietly, or find a workstation

    Many people use the lounge to work. That makes sense. But if you have a call via Teams or Zoom: look for a separate workstation if one is available. Not everyone in the relaxation zone needs to hear your quarterly figures. In lounges like the Amex Centurion Lounge in Miami there are separate work areas, and they don't exist without reason.

11. 11 Children: keep an eye on them

    This is a sensitive topic and I'm not going to share a popular opinion on it. Children are welcome in lounges. Full stop. But as a parent—and yes, I travel with children myself—it's your responsibility to make sure they don't run around the space or scream. A lounge is not a playground. We always bring an iPad and headphones for the kids. Works well enough.

12. 12 Be courteous to the staff

    The lounge staff make the experience. They clean up, serve, and answer the same questions dozens of times per shift. A simple "thank you" or a brief nod costs nothing and makes a difference. I've seen it many times: travellers who treat staff as if they're invisible. Not okay.

Airport lounge access for Belgian travellers: how does it work?

Many of these lounge rules only become relevant once you actually visit a lounge regularly. And then the question arises: how do you, as a Belgian traveller, actually get access? There are broadly three options.

You can pay per visit, which at Brussels Airport amounts to €40-€60 per time. Do that three or four times a year, and you're quickly at €200. The second option is a standalone Priority Pass membership, but that also easily costs €300-€400 per year, excluding guest visits. The third, and for me most logical option if you're already considering a premium credit card: the American Express Platinum card. It includes Priority Pass Prestige (normally ~€500/year) as part of the package. You can access 1,550+ lounges worldwide, each time with 1 free guest.

Through the TravelLux.be referral link you receive the maximum welcome bonus of 150,000 Membership Rewards points, which is more than when you apply for the card directly. Those 150,000 points can then be used for flights with partners like Brussels Airlines, British Airways or Emirates. More about the points system can be found in our guide to Membership Rewards points.

Beyond the lounge access, the Amex Platinum also gives you Fast Lane security at Brussels Airport (worth €169/year), travel insurance through Chubb, no currency conversion fees abroad, and the Fine Hotels + Resorts programme with complimentary breakfast and room upgrades at 14,000+ hotels. The card costs €780 per year (€65/month). Is that cheap? No. But if you actually use the benefits, you earn it back. I've previously written out the full calculation.

Lounge etiquette by lounge type: not every lounge is the same

Something few people realise: the unwritten rules differ subtly by lounge type. A busy Priority Pass lounge at a budget airport in Asia (think Kuala Lumpur or Ho Chi Minh City) has a very different atmosphere than a Centurion Lounge in the US or a business class lounge from an airline like British Airways.

In Priority Pass lounges things are generally more relaxed. The crowd is more mixed: business travellers, families, backpackers with a premium credit card. The etiquette is less formal, but the basic rules (noise, food, space) apply everywhere. What I've noticed: in Asian lounges the noise level tends to be a touch more lenient. In European and American lounges, fellow visitors expect more quiet.

Airline lounges (such as the Thai Airways Royal Silk Lounge in Bangkok, or the Qantas lounge in Sydney) are typically a step stricter. There, for example, the time limit is actively enforced, and staff will address you more quickly about disturbances. Those lounges are also smaller, which makes it logical that expectations are higher.

The premium lounges—Centurion Lounges, Polaris Lounges, some First Class lounges—maintain an almost hotel-like atmosphere. There, you're expected to behave as if you're sitting in a restaurant: speak quietly, eat neatly, don't put your feet up on the furniture. Admittedly, if you're visiting that kind of lounge, you usually already know that. But it doesn't hurt to mention it.

Practical airport lounge tips you won't read anywhere

Besides the major behavioural rules, there are also some smaller, practical lounge tips I've picked up over the years. Not rocket science, but the kind of things you only realise after a few visits.

Timing makes all the difference. Most lounges are busiest between 6 and 9 in the morning and between 4 and 7 in the evening. Those are the peak times for flights. If you can choose: fly during off-peak hours and you'll have the lounge almost to yourself. At Brussels Airport, the Priority Pass lounge around 10-11 in the morning is often remarkably quiet.

Always check the specific conditions of the lounge you want to visit. Through the Priority Pass app you can see per location whether a time limit applies, whether guests are welcome, and whether showers are available. Not every lounge accepts the same cards, and some are temporarily closed for renovation. A quick check prevents disappointment.

Bring your own earbuds or noise-cancelling headphones. Not only for yourself, but also because they signal to others that you don't want to be disturbed. It's a subtle but effective social signal in a lounge: headphones on means "leave me be". Without headphones you're more likely to be approached by fellow visitors who want to share their travel plans. Sometimes fun, usually not.

One more thing: the food in lounges is free, but not always good. Be realistic. In some lounges you get a decent buffet with hot dishes, in others it's not much more than a few bags of crisps and coffee from a machine. The quality varies enormously. My experience is that lounges in Asia (Bangkok, Hanoi) almost always score better food-wise than European Priority Pass lounges. The lounge at Brussels Airport is honestly mediocre in terms of food selection, but the coffee is decent and the peace and quiet is worth it.

What if someone doesn't follow lounge etiquette?

This happens. Regularly, even. And then the question is: what do you do?

My honest answer: in 9 out of 10 cases, nothing. You're not the lounge police. If someone is making a slightly too loud phone call, move yourself. If a child is running around, smile. It's a shared space. Not everything needs to become a confrontation.

But there are limits. If someone is consistently causing a disturbance, touching your belongings, or displaying genuinely aggressive behaviour (rare, but it happens), then you speak to the staff. That's what they're there for. In my experience they handle it professionally and quickly. I experienced it in a lounge at Heathrow where someone was politely but clearly asked to speak more quietly. It worked immediately.

What you definitely shouldn't do: throw passive-aggressive glances or sigh loudly. That makes everyone uncomfortable. Whether it's in a lounge or on a train: if something bothers you, resolve it or let it go. In between there's only frustration.

FAQ: frequently asked questions about airport lounge etiquette