American Airlines is on quite the kick lately when it comes to positive news. Recently, it was announced that American will start serving Champagne Bollinger in Flagship Business and in Flagship Lounges, and now American has also announced updates to its coffee.
In this post:
American will partner with Lavazza on coffee
American has announced a partnership with Lavazza, whereby we’ll see Lavazza coffee served both onboard flights and in lounges. For the first time, American will offer a consistent coffee experience both on the ground and in the air.
Beginning in early 2026, American will start serving Lavazza’s premium coffee blends across all cabins on flights, and in Admirals Clubs and Flagship Lounges. For those not familiar, here’s how Lavazza is described:
Lavazza, a family-owned Italian brand since 1895, is dedicated to crafting exceptional coffee experiences that reflect a legacy of expertise, passion and innovation. For the last 130 years, Lavazza has been at the forefront of coffee craftsmanship, blending time-honored Italian traditions with modern techniques to create premium coffees that are rich, balanced and universally admired. Today, its premium blends are served in top restaurants and hotels around the world, making it a natural fit for American’s elevated hospitality offering. By partnering with Lavazza, American is bringing a globally respected name in coffee to its customers — one that aligns with the airline’s focus on refined offerings and exceptional service throughout the journey.
Here’s how Heather Garboden, American Chief Customer Officer, describes this development:
“At American, we’re focused on looking at every aspect of the customer experience, and a quality cup of coffee is an important part of that journey. We’re proud to team up with this iconic brand to bring a rich, satisfying coffee experience to our customers — whether they’re in the air or relaxing in our lounges.”
For those keeping track of the competitive landscape, Delta serves Starbucks coffee, while United serves Illy coffee.
My take on American’s coffee upgrades
A good cup of coffee is something I’m passionate about, and I’m a big fan of Lavazza (at least as far as the major brands go). So if American was going to partner with a brand of coffee, I’d consider this to basically be the best case scenario. I’m similarly impressed by American partnering with Bollinger on champagne, as for my taste, it beats out United’s Laurent-Perrier and Delta’s Taittinger.
Ultimately the challenge is that the coffee served onboard is still airplane coffee, and there’s no denying that the taste of the coffee is impacted by the water used, the tanks, the impact of altitude on taste buds, etc.
Now, there’s another thing I find interesting. In the press release, American uses a picture of a beautiful barista made cappuccino… except American doesn’t actually serve barista coffee?
My goodness, little in the world would delight me more than American serving barista coffee in at least some of its lounges, but I don’t see any mention of that? I suppose American does have espresso and cappuccino onboard some aircraft, but they’re unlikely to look like that!
Speaking of coffee on American, could we please, please, please finally see American add cold brew onboard, like United has? Pretty please? I heard that’s the key to getting Delta and United margins… I’m just saying. 😉
Bottom line
American Airlines will be exclusively partnering with Lavazza on coffee. As of early 2026, you can expect Lavazza coffee to be served onboard all flights, and also in Admirals Clubs and Flagship Lounges. Ultimately it’s hard to get too excited about drip coffee on an airplane. Regardless, I’m a fan of Lavazza, and am delighted by the general direction American is going in right now.
I must say, Heather Garboden might have the best job of any American executive, as she just delivers good news after good news… it’s not often that’s the case at American.
What do you make of American partnering with Lavazza?
Just got off an American flight. I agree…the coffee is not that good. So this seems like a good move by AA.
La Colombe Corsica (current offering) >>> Lavazza. Plus was/is a Philly small biz.
Lavazza is the Maxwell House Coffee of Italy, so this seems fitting.
Please, please also move to a larger coffee mug in Business vs the puny one used since the US Air merger that hold precious little and require constant refills by flight attendants!
Mark, you might like to blame the ‘elfs-n-lawyer's’ for the reduction in cabin cup sizes as well as the barely warm beverages being served.
P.S. For ‘elfs’ you might like to read, Health and Safety numpties who are impractical or risk averse.
I'm guessing a lot of folks dissing Lavazza are the folgers+non-dairy-creamers sorts.
Sure, it can be served poorly in the US (as can any coffee), but if you've traveled to Italy you know it's the real deal (as far as big brands go). Deep roots and based out of Torino.
I'd also request people willing to mock somebody else's likes (ie, many commenters) spell out what they think is better. If you're not confident in your own choices, that might explain the negativity!
Point taken omarsidd, you request: “Commenters spell out what they think is better”, therefore, I will oblige you by giving you my take on Lavazza coffee.
Lavazza was ‘born’ about 130 years ago, in Italy, when it was mainly heavy drinking, heavy smoking men who needed the huge caffeine shot to help propel them through their daily toil. It is only in recent times that heavy drinking and smoking has declined significantly. However, the...
Point taken omarsidd, you request: “Commenters spell out what they think is better”, therefore, I will oblige you by giving you my take on Lavazza coffee.
Lavazza was ‘born’ about 130 years ago, in Italy, when it was mainly heavy drinking, heavy smoking men who needed the huge caffeine shot to help propel them through their daily toil. It is only in recent times that heavy drinking and smoking has declined significantly. However, the strength of this Lavazza blended coffee has not declined accordingly.
Non-smokers can, in general, find Lavazza coffee to be too corse or strong, for the their palate. Some also find that it can upset their constitution too. Personally, one prefers a single source Central American finca coffee, or, a single source Kenyan Blue Mountain medium roast coffee, to any of the ‘popular supermarket stocked brands’.
I hope that my personal opinion and response is more to your liking?
I found Lavazza to be pretty inconsistent flavour-wise for a while some time ago, but it seems to me they have improved on it.
As brand-to-brand, I'd say illy is really delicious. Isn't it United that carries it onboard?
If they wanted to be more creative, they should have gone for Kimbo, but Lavazza had perhaps better brand recognition and better sales team...
So...is coffee now more important than safety?
Eye roll. Come on, not one single person said that ever. AA needs to step up their brand quality and this along with Bollinger are excellent steps. Calm down.
Or you could continue with your ludicrous hyperbolic nonsense.
With all due respect, you might take notice that I put forward my point as a question, not as a statement. Based on the amount of electronic ink armchair CEOs spill on airline blogs over items such as coffee, food, wine, amenity kits, bedding, and seat-back TV sets, the question of using hyperbolic rhetoric to make a point about the relative importance of airline safety may not be not quite as cut-and-dried as some want...
With all due respect, you might take notice that I put forward my point as a question, not as a statement. Based on the amount of electronic ink armchair CEOs spill on airline blogs over items such as coffee, food, wine, amenity kits, bedding, and seat-back TV sets, the question of using hyperbolic rhetoric to make a point about the relative importance of airline safety may not be not quite as cut-and-dried as some want to make it. I come from an era when airline crashes were more common than they are today. So maybe that colors my perspective.
I’ve worked operations at 3 major U.S. airports. If you’ve ever seen the inside of an airport water storage tank, you would never drink coffee on plane, regardless of the brand.
Yet no mass deaths or infections from it. Relax. Human bodies are built to be resilient. God I sound like RFK Jr now.
Santos, have any roadkill lately? Yum!
I’m with @Santos on this one. The key to a well-functioning immune system is repeated exposure to things. It’s why I am a Chinese food enthusiast but smart enough to NEVER ask for a tour of the kitchen.
Maybe I'm mis-remembering but AA used to have a partnership with La Colombe in its lounges, even outside PHL?
La Colombe is absolutely fine coffee. And one of my exes is a competition-level barista, so yes, I think this whole thing (like Champagne) is completely over-thought and obsessive! :D
I always found the standard American Airlines roast to be good enough the way it currently tastes.
However, while Lavazza certainly holds more prestige than the industrial FreshBrew label, it not necessarily gourmet either. American Airlines can now compete with Tru by Hilton on their Lavazza provisions.
Last time I flew AA Flagship First between LAX and JFK the FA said "yeah we have an espresso machine on board but they don't give us any pods..."
321T FA LAX-JFK once blurted out "how do you know we have that???" when I asked for a Cappuccino in F...
Lavazza? …. Really? …. Clearly some people are very easily pleased …. :-)
Mark Christopher hit it right on the head.
Yawn, who cares. If the brand of coffee determines who you fly with, you need a new life.
Since most restaurants don't clean their ice machines, is it fair to wonder how often airlines clean their water tanks? So much can build up in the warmth and humidity.
You don't know what you are talking about.
How about adding a little context, Pilot? It’s a common belief that commercial aircraft coffee pots are potentially filthy. If you know more/better, please share with us passengers.
Hi Pilot, you’re on here, too, eh? Niccce.
Ryanair serves Lavazza on all their flights.
Fingers and toes crossed that they'll stock the Lavazza nitro cold brew on board.
Now we're tawkin'... that stuff is 'jet fuel' for the caffeine deficient!
Thumbs up. But, sadly, hope they have decaf stocked.
Celebrity Cruises used Lavaaza across its venues and the product is very good.
Are you the same fella as @Coffee Please?
Part of this, I believe, is Lavazza stepping it up with partnerships over the past few years.
Among others, they recently partnered with Princess Cruises to provide all of their coffee, and launched espresso machines in suites for both Princess and Royal Caribbean.
While not barista made, the fully automatic espresso machines in lounges make cappuccinos and lattes. Lavazza will be a welcome upgrade.
Lipstick on a pig - but it's good lipstick. Guerlain KissKiss good
Better than Fresh Poo, that's for sure. The quality of the coffee on UA has caused me to spend a little more on Illy for home consumption, and I've always had a good impression of Lavazza. I'm ordering some now from Amazon to celebrate. As for DulL and JetBlow, who cares? Only losers, poseurs, Southern inbreds, Noo Yawk Yankers, and Massholes fly those airlines.
Nut. Job.
UncleRonnie: Which one are you: loser, poseur, inbred, Yanker, or Masshole?
You're acting like a FIB...
And, I don't mean... "Friendly Illinois Buddy"
1990, did you know that term before Matthew's Wisconsin trip comment section? ;)
Hey, I live in NYC and be from Florida, but I've been to both Chicago and Wisconsin before... I've seen how 'you people' drive... *wink*
1990: We regard Wisconsinites (the rural ones who'd use "FIB") as toothless hunting-obsessed cheesehead cow-botherers who exhibit far worse behavior than us when they come down here for the Bears-Packers game. And I'm simply reflecting the behavior that Noo Yawk Yankers and Massholes exhibit to us on a constant basis. You can dish it out but can't take it.
I would love to have Heather Garboden's job. She gets to imagine how to improve the customer experience, and then she gets to implement it. She's also likely spending some of her days traveling to the headquarters of the companies from the potential partnerships and getting a VIP tour along with product trials. That sounds fun to me!
Here in Europe, Lavazza is considered pretty average. Not great but not offensive either like most of the American brands. Personally i consider Illy to be marginally better if i had to choose a large brand at the supermarket. Btw you will find Lavazza in a large portion of the Accor properties around Europe and Asia
I will say the Stumptown blend on Alaska is still the best tasting cup in the sky, but this is a really good choice for AA. Starbucks has to be the worst.
Bout time. And stop putting the used coffee bags in the lavatories (it doesn't mask smells well, and just looks bad). Still, jetBlue has the best coffee of any US-carrier (they actually do espresso-based drinks in Mint, like cappucino, iced Americano, etc.)
I always felt that the Kona coffee served on Hawaiian was the best on a US airline. I think they still serve it.
Doubt they do inter-island. I do over 30 inter-island rides annually and usually avoid it.
Steve K, aww, good memories! Kona is tasty stuff. And Hawaii is the only state that can even grow coffee. I also enjoyed Hawaiian’s guava juice on the island hopper flights.