aastl

i was flying on monday 7/21 from ord to stl in first. once in the air the f/a asked me what i wanted to drink and i ordered a cocktail. i was then brought 2 minis, a can of mix, and 2 plastic cups of ice. i saw her doing this for the rest of the cabin--no glass or china. about mid-flight, i went to the galley and asked if plastic cups were the new service procedure with the merger of aa and usair or if there was there a catering error. her response was that we were on descent and that it didn't matter. frankly i'm not sure that we were on descent. nevertheless her was non responsive. a few minutes later, she stopped by my seat and said, "you wouldn't bring your best china to the beach, would you?" i thought the whole thing was kind of odd. i will say she was never rude and i don't think i was.

i emailed customer about this encounter and got the following reply:

"We introduced a different kind of product in First Class on many short domestic flights because the former china cup/glass was just too small. Customers rarely got the amount they preferred or wanted. Too, beverages don't spill as easily in the larger cup if the ride was a little bumpy. We've chosen to use the plastic items for now, which is more like the kind of item you might use at home or throughout the day. Although it's plastic, most of our customers like it very much."

the response from aa i thought was a little vague but maybe that's me. i am interpreting this to be that in the future we will be getting the large plastic cups they use on usair short hauls. for the record, i've never had a problem with size or stability of the glasses in first nor do i use plastic glasses at home but then again maybe i'm an outlier. i know these are first world problems but . . .

JDiver

So, it sounds like plastic in F on "short domestic routes" is indeed in our future.

Ah, yes, yet another "enhancement".

arlflyer

To be fair, ORD-STL is pretty darn short. What's cruising altitude for that one? It does seem like the window of service is pretty short and likely to involve turbulence.

I kind of wonder if switching to disposable would really be a cost saving measure on a life cycle basis. One would need to know AA's costs at their (very sizable) purchasing volume for both plastic and glass, and some data about breakage rates of glass and what goes into washing glass from a cost/labor/energy perspective. That said, if a glass cup had a lifetime of 1+ years, and you're talking about displacing 300 or more plastic cups, I do wonder if there would really be any cost savings.

HNL

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That's the bean counter mentality that AA does not need. Plastic does not deliver a premium experience. AA claims to want the premium customer.

ysolde

Yup. AA. Enhancing its way to the bottom, one decision at a time.

Agreed. If I am flying in F, I do not want to see plastic cups. This is the kind of thing that, added up, makes me decide to look at AA as just another airline. Therefore, when planning my travels, why would I start (and end) the search with the AA website?

United747

A few months ago I flew ord-ind in first and got glassware. We were in the air for about 30 minutes and I even got a refill.

What is this? United

heyeaglefn

For a flight this short, if plastic is going to cause you pain and anguish, I'd try another carrier.

CPRich

Welcome to USAir Classic.

arlflyer

I think you are misreading my post. I'm already operating under the assumption that AA's bean counters have phased in plastic because they think it's cheaper - pretty much the only argument that plastic has in its favor. However, I was postulating that, in fact, that argument may not at all be valid on a life cycle cost basis. Therefore, I was saying that this was at best cost neutral, disliked by customers, and therefore a stupid idea. Sorry if I did not sufficiently articulate all of that.

ESpen36

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Is this for real? Plastic cups in F??? Admittedly it's a #firstworldproblem but still...

WillTravel4Food

Pretty much everything that starts with EXP, SWU, Upgrade, or F is likely a first world problem. Don't kid yourself, most of us wouldn't do well dealing with even second world problems. Don't even think about the third world.

Dr. HFH

Sorry, but I can't get terribly excited about a flight with a scheduled flight time of 71 minutes. Yes, the plastic is cheaper. Lighter weight, too. It's a short flight. Very short. Makes no difference to me. Now, take DFW-HKG and it's a whole different matter.

Fanjet

I hope the people who want to keep the F experience at a higher level aren't the same ones who put their feet up to rest on the bulkhead. Or wear flip-flops, tank tops, and/or beach shorts on board.

JDiver

You talkin' about his guy? He don' care if it's plastic or what! From our member sluggoaafa:

Air Houston

I do appreciate the idea that they are offering larger cups. ^

I suspect if there is a substantial savings from the Plastic cups (which I do not mind at all myself as I severely cut my lip on the edge of a chipped glass once and now am nervous every time I drink from an airplane glass) it would be from the fuel savings from not carrying the extra weight of the real glasses.