My Best American Airlines Meal In A Very Long Time

Doesn't opting for a special order meal basically eliminate you from the pool for operational upgrades?

I’m on a flight from LHR to JFK right now. The quality of the ordinary Biz catering ingredients was much improved today.

I'm curious to hear if they've changed their meal policies -- it used to be that special meals were always the same. For years. I can't tell you how sick I was of the bland, flavorless wrap served as the "snack" for *any* veggie meal on transpacs. It was unchanged for literally the entire two-and-a-half years I was flying to Asia every-other-month. The flight attendants started to recognize me, knew I hated it, and would proactively put together a fruit plate or something else they could scrounge together. (I also discovered through the use of SWUs that the meals were identical in every cabin, just variously served on real plates. There was no extra soup in first, so if the standard catering wasn't veggie you were SOL)

Lucky, you should try vegetarian meals on international business and first class flights and review them for us! I tried it on Asiana first class and almost cried as I was so hungry at the end of a 14 hour flight. Every plate consisted of raw carrots, cucumbers, and zucchini. I was starving by the end! On air china first class I requested vegetarian months ahead with them over the phone but apparently they only received my request a day ahead so they didn't order it, but they got us some good indian meals from business.

But it would be great if you can review vegetarian meals on your flights to see how they differ between airlines and which ones are good.

Full review please. I know you reviewed the product a lot, but still.

Nice to know that you enjoyed Indian food in general. I wasn’t as Lucky as you on an AA flight on ORD-LHR a few years ago, I was served cold pasta in an even colder cabin. Perhaps you’d want to plan a future trip to India, centered around its food?

Really hope you don't become vegan. Gone will be the review of real food.

"I tried it on Asiana first class and almost cried as I was so hungry at the end of a 14 hour flight. Every plate consisted of raw carrots, cucumbers, and zucchini. I was starving by the end!"

Strange, considering how there are many delicious vegetarian Korean dishes.

@Kyle Not at all... I've gotten op-ups and they usually just note when re-issuing the boarding pass that my original class special meal would be served. FAs have then always asked if there was anything extra off the C/F menu that I wanted to add to my meal.

Flew AA LHR-MIA two days ago. I ordered ahead of time the "strip loin". A traveling companion selected the beef item from the menu. They were identical. While the beef wasn't overcooked, it was so tough that I gave up half way through. My companion had two bites. So much for medium rare beef jerky like steak! Still, the service was fine, the reverse herring bone seats are excellent and the red wines were decent. Further, I had flown Delta One JFK-FCO ten days before and their meals weren't very good, especially the breakfast omelet, the seat wouldn't work properly (bolt upright) until fixed after the meal, the IFE had to be rebooted twice, it would let me select only one movie (not my choice) and the cabin was so hot I removed my light weight cotton quarter zip and sat there in my not-so-trendy logo t-shirt. The service was good but harried. Quite a disappointment as I'm usually satisfied with Delta but I like AA a whole lot better now.

Yes, I still think it's hit or miss. There was one flight, I think it was either SQ or Air China (probably the latter), where I ordered the VGML option. For the appetizer I got a plate of poorly steamed vegetables: Carrot sticks, asparagus. It felt like something you would serve a sheep or a cow. In my head I was like, "Well at least it's healthy." When I finish it she comes back with the exact same dish.

"Oh, I already had the appetizer, thanks."

"No, this is also your main meal."

The Indian food I've had on planes was always disappointing (though what you got served looks awesome.)

My approach nowadays is to eat at the lounge and not rely on the flight too much.

Carrot sticks, zucchini, and worst of all: tofu. Ugh.....

How in the world is that a "meal"?

Not that 'too tough to cut' strip steak is much better.

I much prefer the Lobster Thermidor, and roast pheasant breast, on SQ. 🙂

A large proportion of the catering workers servicing LHR will be from the Indian sub-continent, or direct descendants of people from there. Indian food in London can be very good indeed.

That's delicious! AA's premium transcon service looks great. UA's, especially recently, has been subpar

Unfortunately kosher meals are almost always terrible (exceptions being JetBlue Mint and El Al [of course]). I know it really depends on the caterer in the city where they source their food, but it seems like there’s almost no care at all in the quality or taste. I usually just bring my own and hen hate myself for even trying the airline’s kosher meal.

The regular meal is impressive in J as well on LAX-LHR. I had fish both times , it was the very good. Surprisingly, the cheddar on the cheese plate was amazingly good - and I had just come from Neal's Yard Dairy (one of the best cheese shops in the world) and AA's cheddar was on par with the artisinal cheddars from Neal's Yard.

Seems like a lot of bread and dumplings. That would suit me fine, but I'm surprised at your positive review. In nearly every bad review you give of a meal, lounge or breakfast buffet you mention there being "a lot of carbs" or "mostly carbs, which I skipped."
If you skipped the carbs here you'd have very little to eat. I'm sure the food was spicy and delicious. You seem to be a lot more tolerant of some carbs than others.

Lucky is also tolerant towards some type of ham/pork dishes, even though he says he doesn't eat ham...

The meal is exactly the same if you order other Asian meals or Muslim. I fly to ORD from LHR and had the exact same meal. The pre landing meal is also served as Muslim starter for Club Europe in BA and isn’t Tofu it’s Indian Cheese, paneer.

Heathrow Catering is pretty brilliant, of all the Asian Vegeterian meals ordered (regardless of airline) has come out of Heathrow, the next best was AVML on Qatar out of Tokyo (NRT). Worst ones was out SFO!

That's definitely tofu, not paneer in the picture.

It may just be me but that food looks utterly gross and disgusting - and not a very good presentation for an international flight. Then again, I'm not a fan of Indian food - so maybe that's it.

Were you in first or biz?

Can't do Asian veg due to the dairy and eggs. Try ordering VGML (strict vegetarian/vegan). I can assure you that you won't get anything remotely resembling that tray.

Can you change meal preference for all flights? I thought you had to request on each.

I don't see anything in the AAdvantage profile? Am I looking in the wrong place?

That sounds incredible, but Im afraid it might be a one in a million chance you get a delicious meal like that. Tough to risk it and get a cucumber wrap.

Flew MIA-LGA, pre-ordered it (AVM) and it was very good, much better than other options (chicken or ravioli). Thanks for a tip!

@Kyle It does on BA though, so take your pick - meal or chance of OPUP

@CJ and we Indians are not a fan of you people's food either. We find your food as gross and disgusting as y'all find ours. So get off your racist high horse.

@CJ billions of people from all cultural backgrounds love Indian food, so you can get off your racist high horse.