The comment about lounges sucking is about the volume of people who have access to them. Its very much the, 'nobody goes there anymore its too crowded' joke. Everyone has either credit card rewards or airline status to get access to and overcrowd the lounge.
Again, a generation ago, you truly had to be a traveling salesman or exec to get access to a lounge. And they were very lightly used and very nice. My dad used to make a very big deal out of getting upgraded to a lounge and how nice they were. The few times I got to go in one as a kid I got a stern talking to about this being very very nice places and to mind my manners. And they were.
Most people nowadays treat modern lounges like its a casual restaurant or starbucks. That is why I brought up if you had the status and the wealth 30 years ago to go to a lounge regularly, you most likely today have such an increased wealth that you take a private jet.
Again, a generation ago, you truly had to be a traveling salesman or exec to get access to a lounge. And they were very lightly used and very nice. My dad used to make a very big deal out of getting upgraded to a lounge and how nice they were. The few times I got to go in one as a kid I got a stern talking to about this being very very nice places and to mind my manners. And they were.
Most people nowadays treat modern lounges like its a casual restaurant or starbucks. That is why I brought up if you had the status and the wealth 30 years ago to go to a lounge regularly, you most likely today have such an increased wealth that you take a private jet.