It’s finally happening — after cutting back service at the start of the pandemic, American Airlines will finally be bringing back hot meals in first class on more flights as of next week.
Continue reading: Hot Meals Returning To American Airlines First Class
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Good start now time to reverse the fewer touch points downgrades of Flagship Biz and First. If staffing not health is the issue then staff up.
Unrelated question.
Coming off DOH-PHL in J, with a first class onward on AA to ATL, do I have lounge access before my flight to ATL?
Anything that tracks with a return to normalcy, whether in the air or on the ground, should be welcome by all. So many businesses have gotten away with "COVID" as an excuse to reduce service that it's good to see the pendulum swinging in the other direction. Let's hope the flight attendant unions don't throw a fit over this.
Yay! The charcuterie plate is coming back. That’s my favorite AA domestic meal.
Hot food has been back in both international and transcon Flagship First for a while now -- several months.
Looks like American has finally started to throw in the towel on trying to leverage the pandemic to drastically "change the norm" when the other carriers decided not to play ball. Wish other companies would do the same (looking at you Disney).
The big benefit to LUS flyers after the merger was they got meals on shorter flights as 3.5 was the US Airways minimum for meals. It looks like we're back to that.
Transcon meals have been rather decent the past couple of months. I'm more optimistic about the food improvements than I am about the pre-departure beverage service execution.
Granted it was on SFO - JFK, twice last month I had phenomenal meals in AA business class. As a new AS elite member, I'm still (maybe foolishly) excited about these returning offerings as the upgrades continue to roll in...
But will you be allowed to eat them without having a flight attendant threatening you with arrest for not putting your mask back on between bites?
Wish they’d bring back hot meals in first from DCA to ORD which I think used to be a special exception for this biz route
Doesn't look to be stopping Disney much as they just reported record breaking earnings lol. Quickly approaching 1 billion lifetime visitors.
Nice To see AA trying to improve first class service. The pre flight beverage seems useless to me
It was nice. Last flight from CLT to DFW, FA denied me a 3rd beverage saying new rules only allows two beverages?
I would defy anyone able to show what the “real” meal looks like when plonked down in front of you - and a pre-departure drink in a plastic cup - Definitely NOT first class
Pre-COVID, I seem to recall it was hot meals on flights longer than 2.5 hours (it was essentially any flight longer than ~800 miles from memory). It covered all of the flights I took ex DFW to Southern California and South Florida.
So by only bringing hot meals back for flights longer than 3.5 hours, it still feels like a downgrade.
Let's be really honest here -- who is actually eating "short ribs" on American Airlines? Beyond disgusting. Just because it's free doesn't mean you have to scarf it down.
I'm surprised it's cheaper to have a whole subset of meals just for the 2.5h-3.5h category.
But more importantly, it's fucked that special meals aren't avaialble at the same time as normal meals, as someone with a food allergy.
A welcome development for sure. During the pandemic I've routed well out of the way to fly on AA's Flagship routes for trips to the East Coast, as there's nothing worse than arriving at 11:45 pm hungry.
I must say that the transcon flagship service has been very good lately - glassware and the PDB have been back for awhile, along with genuinely good food and wine choices. Add in the Flagship lounges and FF dining, and I've not had any complaints flying F or J on American in quite a long time.
I am delighted American is offering something decent to it's highest paying customers. We now have something to look forward to going coast to coast.
Can the author or someone else please cite the source for this information so that passengers can print it out and hand out copies to the flight attendants who still refuse to provide pre-departure beverages on flights meeting the requirements?
This is completely false I am sitting on a first class flight from philly to kc and the only thing good is the seat. You get a snack and a drink.
This article has no truth to it and it should be retracted. First class no longer has pre flight drinks, no longer has silverware, no longer has hot food, no longer has pillows, blankets, you have to ask yourself why first class anymore except for extra room in seat that is actual normal size. Just saying
100% they are not providing the pre-departure beverage. Just had two international flights with nothing offered prior to departure. They stated they were not able to provide pre-departure beverages.
Never heard of that “rule.” Your FA made that up. I still haven’t gotten a preflight beverage. However, glasses and real plates and silverware along with meals are back for American flights, but not American Eagle flights.
This is really a downgrade bc it appears hot meals will only be served on flights 3.5 hours or longer and before it was flights 2.5 hours or longer. So now a typical 3 hour flight will be stuck between “lighter” meals options that are usually cold. Per the norm, this is a downgrade masquerading as something great.
Agreed. But right now AA is busy canceling all its flights and fucking over its longtime passengers. They’ll get to that right after their next billion dollar corporate welfare giveaway.
I've now had several meals on AA first class flights between Philadelphia and Phoenix and back and they are all quite good. I'll have one again Thursday and Sunday. I actually look forward to the flight now. Kills time and allows me to board without getting food in the airport ahead of time. Well done
Before the pandemic we got yogurts & muffins, sometimes other similar meals from Philly to Orlando. (2/2.5 hours)
Now it’s a basket with mediocre snacks, least it was in May 2022 .
It’s really time to get back to what they offered before. Including blankets/pillows .
WHY ARE ALL AIRLINES TRYING TO MAKE MEALS SOO FANCY? WHAT HAPPENED TO TO MEAT AND TWO COMMON SIDES, MAYBE A ROLL AND DRINKS? I DO NOT LIKE ALL THE CONCOCTIONS THEY HAVE PRESENTED BY SOME SO CALLED FAMOUS EXPENSIVE COOK ON TV. MAYBE MY LIKES ARE BACK IN COACH CLASS!
I completely agree with you. Good 'ol American comfort food, please. Something that not only tastes great, but is substantial. Forget all this California fru-fru garbage. If I wanted small plates of mowed lawn, I can fill a sandwich-size Ziploc with grass from my own back yard and stuff it in my carry-on.
Bring back the kind of meals that Jet Blue offers in Mint class called "Plane Eats" where they'll serve you a juicy hamburger on a pretzel bun, with all the fixings, plus a salad & chips. Or for breakfast, their "Plane Eats" meal would give you thick brioche french toast with maple syrup and sausage, a fruit plate plus coffee or tea and juice. You have to designate you want Plane Eats at least 24 hrs before you fly, but those meals are so much better than the small plates menu they offer. Even one of the FA's commented on how good the dish looked and said she would order that for herself next time. Apparently, she'd never seen one before as most people don't know to order them.
Now those are good old American comfort food meals that every domestic carrier should serve. Keep the kale.
You don't even get "lighter meals" on American's 3 hour flight. These days, they're only offering "beverages." To me, that's insulting to their first class passengers.
Only the wealthy in first class get fed a hot meal. Economy people can't even buy a hot meal! I think this is discrimination.
If I could turn the clock back 60-years + I would settle on the early 1960s, when American Airlines offered "21" service in first-class, featuring meals with recipes from Jack and Charlie's famous "21" club in NYC. Such a memorable experience, unlike like what passes for a 'meal' on AA these days.
Just please don't be serving that horrid brick of mexican food that looked like it was picked out of a garbage can and brought to your seat by a disgruntled flight attendant. AA has gone so far downhill, I hate flying them, but they are the only destination service I can use.