Generally, I don’t mind flying American Eagle, which is American’s regional subsidiary. Actually, there’s a lot to like about the experience, especially when flying the Embraer E170/175. I love the ratio of first class seats to economy seats (which makes upgrades easier), and I like the 1-2 layout in first class and the 2-2 layout in economy. However, can we take a second to talk about the food?
American Eagle’s first class catering is kind of terrible
American generally serves meals in first class on flights of over 900 miles, assuming you’re flying during meal times. This applies regardless of whether you’re traveling on a mainline aircraft, or on a regional jet. However, American’s catering on regional jets is very different than on mainline.
American loves to highlight its catering collaborations, and I’m pretty sure American Eagle’s catering collaboration is with the same people who brought us Fyre Festival. So, what exactly can you expect?
If you’re flying American Eagle during meal times, the airline serves room temperature meals in disposable boxes. There’s an “AM” (breakfast) and “PM” (lunch/dinner) collection, and you have the choice of either a protein box or a vegetarian box.
For example, let me share what I was served on my morning flight from Chicago to Billings yesterday. I chose the vegetarian breakfast box, which contained fig and brie cheese slider sandwiches, “yogurt muesli” (which I’m pretty sure was sweet rice with cinnamon), and mixed fruit.
Meals are wrapped in a bunch of packaging, and come with the flimsiest disposable forks and knives imaginable.
I love how the main part of the meal is always packaged with a sticker that reads “bite into delight.” That’s not exactly how I’d usually describe this food, but okay…
Below is what the meal box looked like once I removed all the packaging.
I’ve gotta say, the brie cheese and fig sliders were probably one of the more edible meals I’ve had on American Eagle in recent times, and that’s simply because it was sweet-tasting bread. I mean, let’s not talk about the nutrition, though…
It was certainly better than the “roast beef” sandwich I had on a flight a couple of months back.
If you’re flying American Eagle and expect that you’ll be hungry, personally I’d highly recommend bringing your own food. It’s sad, because it didn’t used to be this way. Back before the pandemic, American Eagle had relatively decent meals that were at least properly plated.
Cold airplane meals don’t have to be terrible
It’s important to acknowledge that regional jets typically don’t have ovens, so it’s not really possible to serve hot meals on these flights. That’s totally fair. However, just because a meal isn’t hot, doesn’t mean it can’t be decent quality.
For example, Delta’s regional subsidiary, Delta Connection, seems to serve some really great cold dishes that are properly plated, and which make the most of the situation. Just take a look at the below video from a Delta Connection flight attendant (and this flight attendant is such a good vibe, and I love the effort put into service… how refreshing to see).
While Delta Connection has better catering than American Eagle, that’s not consistently the case on mainline flights. For example, on some flights from hubs, Delta serves disposable boxes that feel anything but premium, for reasons I can’t quite figure out.
Bottom line
American Eagle’s first class dining leaves a lot to be desired. If you’re on a flight of over 900 miles during a meal window, expect that you’ll receive a packaged box. There’s an AM and PM selection, and then during each meal window there’s a protein or vegetarian option. Personally I think this catering falls into the “why bother” category, and I typically try to bring my own food if I think I’ll want something to eat on these flights.
If you’ve flown American Eagle first class, what was your experience with the catering?
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