{"id":4654,"date":"2026-07-16T09:36:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T09:36:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4654"},"modified":"2026-07-16T09:36:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T09:36:15","slug":"asking-eric-hey-pal-its-a-frequent-flyer-lounge-not-your-personal-office","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4654","title":{"rendered":"Asking Eric: Hey, pal, it’s a frequent flyer lounge, not your personal office"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dear Eric<\/strong>: I\u2019m writing from the Delta Sky Club in Atlanta, where I\u2019m honestly stunned by the number of people taking loud business calls on their cellphones.<\/p>\n

Read more Miss Manners: My husband won\u2019t help me keep his family in the yard<\/a><\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t a case of one person speaking a little too loudly. There are multiple people, all around the lounge, carrying on full-volume business conversations as if the rest of us are simply part of their office. It makes what should be a quieter, more comfortable travel experience feel like a noisy open-floor call center.<\/p>\n

I understand that travel days can be workdays, and sometimes people need to take calls. But there seems to be very little awareness that others nearby may be trying to relax, read, eat or simply enjoy a few minutes of peace before boarding a flight.<\/p>\n

What is the polite way to handle this? Is it ever appropriate to say something directly to the person? Should I ask lounge staff to intervene? Or is this just the new reality of travel, where everyone is expected to tolerate loud business calls in shared spaces?<\/p>\n

\u2013 Headache in ATL<\/em><\/p>\n

Dear Headache<\/strong>: I placed a call to Delta about this \u2013 in an appropriate place. Unfortunately, I didn\u2019t hear back.<\/p>\n

But whether one is in a lounge or some other public space, it\u2019s easy for private conversations to become a public concern, whether it\u2019s because of sheer volume or one person\u2019s volume.<\/p>\n

If someone is being particularly loud, you might ask them to keep the volume at a conversational level. Or, if the call is on a speaker, you might be better served talking to a staff member and finding out what their policies are. The staff will also be able to direct you to a more peaceful place in the lounge.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

When all else fails, remind yourself that at least it\u2019s quieter in the lounge than in the rest of the terminal.<\/p>\n

Dear Eric:<\/strong> I\u2019m 70 and very happily married (together 38 years). We both love music, and sometimes after we see a performance, there\u2019s a meet-and-greet with the musicians.<\/p>\n

A particular musician and I have chatted several times. The last time, I got an autograph and a hug. I am on cloud 9!<\/p>\n

I love my spouse (I would never cheat) and I have assured my spouse it\u2019s like when I was a kid and loved Paul in the Beatles. But now I just can\u2019t shake my infatuation and look forward to meeting this musician again.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

How do I handle my feelings?<\/p>\n

\u2013 Infatuated<\/em><\/p>\n

Dear Infatuated:<\/strong> Try to right-size your feelings by reminding yourself that what you\u2019re responding to is a sometimes-intoxicating combination of performance charisma, talent, perhaps celebrity and music, which we all know carries a lot of emotional weight. In short, you\u2019re not really responding to the musician as a person; you\u2019re responding to the way the musician\u2019s craft and presence make you feel.<\/p>\n

Read more Defending champion Argentina reaches World Cup final by beating England 2-1<\/a><\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t seem like your spouse has any jealousy about it, nor reason to. This is good. The crush does appear to be wholly innocuous.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s common to develop a parasocial relationship with a celebrity \u2013 or even a non-celebrity \u2013 when we get glimpses into their lives or enjoy their work. Remind yourself that these giddy infatuated feelings are all part of the act. They\u2019re not fake, but they don\u2019t have anything to do with your life.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t dwell on them, though. It can be unhealthy to give into the temptation to fantasize about another meeting or to spend too much time scrolling through the musician\u2019s social media account, for instance. Instead, redirect it to the music. You\u2019re a fan and that\u2019s fine. That\u2019s what you want and that\u2019s what the musician wants.<\/p>\n

Play the tape out: What do you want to happen next? Probably just another chat, right? You don\u2019t have intentions of running away together. Remind yourself of that.<\/p>\n

You might even make your fandom part of your relationship with your spouse by listening to the music together or even making one of the songs \u201cyour song.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dear Eric<\/strong>: In response to \u201cTired of Being Kept in the Dark,\u201d whose parents manage properties that the letter writer will inherit, you could have directed the letter writer to begin teaching him or herself how to manage income property by reading books or attending apartment owner\u2019s association events near them.<\/p>\n

Real estate courses at community colleges are also great.<\/p>\n

I took over my parents\u2019 real estate holdings when they were still alive and now manage my own.<\/p>\n

I learned on the job, asked questions from veterans and read books. I started 70 years ago, still learning, and going strong.<\/p>\n

\u2013 On the Job<\/em><\/p>\n

Dear Job:<\/strong> I like this. Being proactive about learning the basics may also show the letter writer\u2019s parents that the letter writer will be a good steward of the properties that will one day be inherited.<\/p>\n

Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at eric@askingeric.com or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram @oureric and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Dear Abby: I want my wife to stop ogling men. Her therapist says I\u2019m narcissistic.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are the rest of us just expected to tolerate this behavior?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":94,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advice"],"yoast_head":"\nAsking Eric: Hey, pal, it’s a frequent flyer lounge, not your personal office - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4654\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Asking Eric: Hey, pal, it’s a frequent flyer lounge, not your personal office - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Are the rest of us just expected to tolerate this behavior?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4654\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-16T09:36:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4654#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4654\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Asking Eric: Hey, pal, it’s a frequent flyer lounge, not your personal office\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-16T09:36:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4654\"},\"wordCount\":917,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4654#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/348037f2d10eefdb0c5700288103d0d5.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Advice\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4654#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4654\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4654\",\"name\":\"Asking Eric: Hey, pal, it’s a frequent flyer lounge, not your personal office - 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