Originally Posted by
Col Ronson
This is an entirely serious question: what is with the obsession with linens?
As stated upthread, the presentation affects the perceived value of the supposed 'premium' product and can even affect the taste one has of the meal. If the meal is carelessly tossed in front of you, mangled and sitting on a tray you'd expect to find in an elementary school cafeteria, even if it's of decent quality (which in most cases on AA, it isn't), it's still going to look cheap and classless.
Presenting the meal with a linen covering the AAwful tray makes it appear as though it belongs in an F cabin, at least a little bit. It's a very easy item to fix, and one that adds a lot to the appearance of the product. At present, F meals present the same as some airlines' Y meals.