"Check your bags" (LAX Metropolitan Lounge)

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Palmetto

Engineer
Joined
May 12, 2014
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2,352
Location
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This is what the staff person in the LAX Metropolitan Lounge was telling people. [I was in there for 11 hours.] She made it sound mandatory. One passenger balked and refused, saying that he had never been told before that checking luggage was a requirement.

When asked why, the staff person said that it leaves space in the luggage rack for people getting on later at stations where there is no checked baggage. And her other constant sentence to passengers: "Tip your redcap" [which I'm sure the redcaps appreciate!]. I found the whole thing bizarre.
 
A perfect example of someone trying to do something useful, but blowing it in the delivery. Suggesting politely to people that checked baggage is available, and would be helpful, makes sense, but not in the manner described. Anyone who has seen my comments before should know I'm a pretty regular advocate for tipping, but soliciting for them is highly inappropriate. A small "gratuities permitted and appreciated" sign would be more in order.
 
I encountered the same idiot LAX lounge 'dictator' this past April. She pretty much forced people to check all their larger luggage going out on #2. One older, slightly dazed lady was forced to check both large bags and had packed her medications in one of them. I heard about her from a couple in the dining car I had lunch with the next AM.

While I've encountered overflow conditions in the luggage rack in Superliners, in my 35+ years of riding Superliner sleepers, the number of times that excess bags were stored in the vestibule is less than 10. However, I have seen a bathroom used for overflow storage as well as the handicap room when it wasn't occupied. The H room is frequently used for dirty bags of linen as well.
 
We have connected through Chicago quite often and the baggage room there is small. We use it only when we leave the station to get lunch and or to buy snacks or ice to restock our cooler. The baggage stays with us in the lounge for the remaining wait time. The solution is for people to use the baggage room when they only step out and from our experiences most do. We have not experienced any problems with the Metropolitan lounge staff.
 
I was recently in LAX in the lounge waiting for #15. They really should simply have no lounge. It was too crowded, when they announced boarding 45 minutes prior to departure, the train wasn't at the platform and we had to wait in the heat for it to come in. The coffee was wiped out and there was no food, only cans of soda.
 
We have connected through Chicago quite often and the baggage room there is small. We use it only when we leave the station to get lunch and or to buy snacks or ice to restock our cooler. The baggage stays with us in the lounge for the remaining wait time. The solution is for people to use the baggage room when they only step out and from our experiences most do. We have not experienced any problems with the Metropolitan lounge staff.
Read it again. It has nothing to do with the size of the baggage room at the lounge.
 
When we departed on the SWC (arriving on the SL), the Lounge attendant had everyone put a checked baggage tag on their bags, place them in the coference room while we were gone for a many hours, so we could claim them later out of the conference room before the SWC was called by the Red Caps. The attendant kept the snacks stocked, though a bunch of kids a couple time horded all the cookies to eat later on the train. It was beyond SRO the hour before the SWC was called.
 
Last December, I kept my bags in the conference room.
 
When we departed on the SWC (arriving on the SL), the Lounge attendant had everyone put a checked baggage tag on their bags, place them in the coference room while we were gone for a many hours, so we could claim them later out of the conference room before the SWC was called by the Red Caps. The attendant kept the snacks stocked, though a bunch of kids a couple time horded all the cookies to eat later on the train. It was beyond SRO the hour before the SWC was called.


Your experience mirrors mine at the LAX Metropolitan Lounge. I had the same connection as yours and the two attendants could not have been more helpful.

Replying to a previous post, my Red Cap did deliver us to the platform prior to the arrival of the SWC. Where he "placed" us was very close to the door for our Sleeping Car. I found that not to be an issue.
 
I never Check a bag, mine fits nicely on the “step” in the roomette. Passengers are allowed carry ons.

I’ve only been in the lax lounge once... the main waiting room is beautiful and the lax lounge is usually too crowded to enjoy.
 
They didn't have a problem with a bike, the last time I brought one in :)

2018-11-04-11-15-41-jpg.10930
 
Interesting. It had not occurred to me about leaving room for baggage for the unstaffed/no checked baggage stations, so that's yet another reason for me to check my luggage in addition to not being able to lift it more than a foot or so off the ground. I think it's probably a good thing to highly encourage people to check their baggage, but it would require unpacking and repacking in many cases. I have seen those compartments for luggage in coach totally filled and was wondering what the heck would happen at the next stop. On my recent trip, I had sort of the opposite situation in Chicago when I went to check my baggage, the staffer said "Are you sure?" and "You do realize that you won't see your bag until ABQ" which he repeated twice. I didn't mind the repetition because there are a lot of folks out there who don't listen. It could be that he thought I didn't understand because I was checking it quite early. Maybe he thought I was thinking I was just having him hold it until closer to departure.
 
I was recently in LAX in the lounge waiting for #15. They really should simply have no lounge...
At least it gives us a place to go when Amtrak suddenly dumps SL passengers onto a deserted platform at 4:30AM. When you're ready to forfeit the lounge at NYP we can talk about what the rest of us should lose.
 
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When we departed on the SWC (arriving on the SL), the Lounge attendant had everyone put a checked baggage tag on their bags, place them in the coference room while we were gone for a many hours, so we could claim them later out of the conference room before the SWC was called by the Red Caps. The attendant kept the snacks stocked, though a bunch of kids a couple time horded all the cookies to eat later on the train. It was beyond SRO the hour before the SWC was called.
Seen this multiple times at the lounge. Not only children but many adults as well. They just seem to have no self control and just wipe snacks out taking 3-4 of them and stuffing them into their bags when there's a sign that clearly says not to. I asked the agent if he more cookies since I could not get one after a mother told her kids to grab all the cookies for the train. Also seen it at Marriott lounges where families comes in and clean out the drink fridge. I kind of understand why Marriott has chosen to close the lounge on Friday and Saturdays at many properties.
 
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Seen this multiple times at the lounge. Not only children but adults. They just seem to have no self control and just wipe snacks out taking 3-4 of them and stuffing them into their bags when there's a sign that clearly says not to. I asked the agent if he more cookies since I could not get one after a mother told her kids to grab all the cookies for the train. Also seen it at Marriott lounges where families comes in and clean out the drink fridge. I kind of understand why Marriott has chosen to close the lounge on Friday and Saturdays at many properties.

Don’t blame the kids... this happened on the Canadian with the snacks from the Park Car and there were no kids in sight.
 
I asked the agent if he [had] more cookies since I could not get one after a mother told her kids to grab all the cookies for the train. Also seen it at Marriott lounges where families comes in and clean out the drink fridge.
When I was a child, hoarding treats and denying others was something to be feared and punished.
 
I also get pretty annoyed when people refill their water bottles in the Chicago lounge from the soda machine / sparkling water.
 
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