Flyer Gets “Bugged” by American Business Class Meal
Joe Cortez June 07, 2022
In a post to Twitter, flyer “Ricky James” shared a video showing what he says are bugs in a pre-packaged salad on his meal tray.\
Video Shows Black, Bug-Shaped Spots in Salad on “Over $10,000 Round Trip”
In the 38-second video posted to Twitter on June 2, 2022, the flyer starts with a close-up of his pre-packaged salad. The image clearly shows several black spots along the edge of the plate. It then pans out to a wider shot of his meal and Business Class seat, followed by a shot of his boarding pass.
James said his flight from Frankfurt Airport (FRA) to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) cost “over $10,000 round trip.” According to his take, when he took his complaints to the flight crew, they “laughed it off and asked if I wanted a different salad.”
@AmericanAir here is a video I took from my flight today from FRA to DFW. Business class was over $10,000 round trip and this is the quality of service… food with live bugs being served and a staff that simply laughed it off and asked if I wanted a different salad. pic.twitter.com/eJOmwo921n
— Ricky James (@VanillaRicJames) June 2, 2022
Flyers were quick to respond with their own takes on the allegations. “I’ve seen better food in economy from middle eastern airlines specially Qatar [Airways] and Emirates and of course no bugs included,” Twitter user Jubayar Ahmed responded. “Airlines in America think they are doing us a favor by letting us flying [SIC] in their planes or something.”
“Those aren’t bugs, they’re features,” quipped Twitter user @dnashofficial. On the official response from the American Twitter account, Dr. Stephanie Doscher offered a potential solution: “How about his $10k back?”
Online, the airline acknowledged the video and said “We’ll send this over to the right team to review this further.” In a statement to The New York Post, an American spokesperson said they are looking into the allegations.
“We’re concerned about this report, as what the customer is describing is not up to our standards,” the American statement to the Post reads. “We are investigating this matter and are working directly with our catering provider in Frankfurt. A member of our team has reached out to the customer to apologize and learn more about their experience.”
In a follow-up post, James says he has heard from an American representative, but did not share if there was a resolution to his incident.
Incident Comes After Airline Showcases New Meals
The accusations of bugs in the food comes after American announced an improved menu for domestic First Class operations in February 2022. However, the bugs might not be the weirdest thing to appear in an in-flight meal. In January 2020, an American flyer claims his Flagship First dish came with an unexpected side of a wingnut.
AA is sending one of their dim-witted employees to “learn more about the customer’s experience”? Doesn’t the video say it all? Nonsense, AA, your behavior is what’s wrong with the world. Refund the customer, that’s the only right thing to do. If a steward/ess has laughed, I’d have put the flys down their pants and up their skirts.
I don't know how food is prepared but doesn't FRA catering have something to do with this as well?
Looks like evidence that the salad was fresh!
They'll just charge him for the "extra protein" in his meal.
American Airlines: "We're putting the fly back in flying."
And the 'Best Post Reply' award goes to...