Disgusting Health Code Violations at Many NYC Airport Lounges!

What’s up with all the health code violations at JFK and LGA airports?  Twice in recent months, I’ve visited airport lounges and seen this:

Entry to Airport clubs is not cheap. Passengers pay a lot of money for this luxury, and have every right to expect a clean facility, free of major health violations. When I go to restaurants in New York, I always look at the grade (which must be displayed), and I will not go to a restaurant with a rating other than an A. But, there is always another restaurant down the street.  With airport lounges, there may be only one lounge that we have access to at a specific airport or terminal.  If it has a bad rating, our only choice is to go or not to go, and so … we go and try not to think what lurks behind the clean facade.

When a restaurant receives a B rating by the New York City Department of Health, it is not only bad, but often GROSS! This statement explains how restaurants are graded:

A rating – 0-13 points
B rating –  14-27 points
C rating – 28 or more

Here are the basics:

Food Safety Inspections: What’s Behind the Score?

A restaurant’s score depends on how well it follows City and

State food safety requirements. Inspectors check for

food handling, food temperature, personal hygiene, facility and

equipment maintenance and vermin control. Each violation

earns a certain number of points. At the end of the

inspection, the inspector totals the points and this number is

the restaurant’s inspection score; the lower the score, the

better. The points for a particular violation depend on the health

risk it poses to the public. Violations fall into three categories:

• A public health hazard, such as failing to keep food at the

right temperature, triggers a minimum of 7 points. If the

violation can’t be corrected before the inspection ends, the

Health Department may close the restaurant until it’s fixed.

• A critical violation, for example, serving raw food such as a

salad without properly washing it first, carries a minimum

of 5 points.

• A general violation, such as not properly sanitizing

cooking utensils, receives at least 2 points.

Inspectors assign additional points to reflect the extent of the

violation. A violation’s condition level can range from 1 (least

extensive) to 5 (most extensive). For example, the presence of

one contaminated food item is a condition level 1 violation,

generating 7 points. Four or more contaminated food items

is a condition level 4 violation, resulting in 10 points.

Search for a Restaurant Grade HERE.  There is also an App on iTunes.

In February, I visited the Oasis Lounge at JFK before an El Al Flight to Israel.  I had no complaints until I noticed the sign indicating the B rating!  A current search, shows “grade pending”, 27 points, and the following violations (the first three being “critical”):

Sanitary Violations
1) Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations.
2) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
3) Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
4) Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist.
5) Proper sanitization not provided for utensil ware washing operation.
Ewwwwwwwww. GROSS!

Last week, I visited the United Club at LGA.  Again, a B.

Here’s what the NYC Department of Health page reports:

Sanitary Violations
1) Cold food item held above 41º F (smoked fish and reduced oxygen packaged foods above 38 ºF) except during necessary preparation.
2) Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies.
3) Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
4) Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist.

DISGUSTING!! I don’t even want to know what all those flies are!

I have looked up a number of other lounge names into the directory for NYC restaurants, and these two lounges are not the only New York airport lounges with poor ratings.  The American Airlines Admirals Club at LGA is also a B, with 18 violation points. The El Al King David Lounge at JFK, is likewise a B, with 14 violation points, including a critical violation for “Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.”

These results make my skin crawl…..

You, as a frequent traveler CAN complain to the airlines. You CAN demand sanitary and violation-free lounges.  God knows, we complain about the most trivial items, isn’t this just as important?

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