Domestic Admirals Clubs Offer Complimentary Alcoholic Drinks /Beverages (Oct 1, 2010)
Sep 21, 2010, 6:29 pm
#121
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Home Airports: CAE/CLT
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, National Executive
Posts: 5,452
Awesome news!
I'll be visiting the LGA AC club for the first time on October 1st. A nice red wine will be a great way to break in my new home airport's AC!
I'll be visiting the LGA AC club for the first time on October 1st. A nice red wine will be a great way to break in my new home airport's AC!
Sep 21, 2010, 6:36 pm
#123
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: New York City
Programs: AA EXP 1MM, SaksFirst Plat (hey, if we're listing loyalty programmes....)
Posts: 87
Uh, well of course that is what you think; you're only willing to see this issue through your own personal prism of being a non-drinker. You seem to be unwilling to view the situation through the eyes of the drunk who hates tuna.
Further, below is just one very, very small example of how hard it is for a large company like AA to create policies and procedures that satisfy Americans. We are a completely polarized nation at this point; be it politics or anything else.
For every guy that wants free bottled water there's someone that wants to save the planet.
For every drunk that wants the taps open for free there is a teetotaler that is offended at having to "subsidize" them.
For every person that wants free Wifi there is someone that does not want it because they have an Aircard.
And whether you like it or not, I suspect the vast, vast (likely by orders of magnitude) majority of AC members want complimentary (that's the classy word for "free"
) alcoholic beverages. AA is responding in a capitalistic manner to a perceived market need. That's actually a beautiful thing.
Couple disclosures:
1) I really drink very little in the AC and could honestly care less either way if they offer it complimentary or not.
2) I'm not taking a position on the bottled water remarks below, merely trying to point out the difficulty in making everyone happy in today's very, very complicated world.
Regards
Further, below is just one very, very small example of how hard it is for a large company like AA to create policies and procedures that satisfy Americans. We are a completely polarized nation at this point; be it politics or anything else.
For every guy that wants free bottled water there's someone that wants to save the planet.
For every drunk that wants the taps open for free there is a teetotaler that is offended at having to "subsidize" them.
For every person that wants free Wifi there is someone that does not want it because they have an Aircard.
And whether you like it or not, I suspect the vast, vast (likely by orders of magnitude) majority of AC members want complimentary (that's the classy word for "free"
) alcoholic beverages. AA is responding in a capitalistic manner to a perceived market need. That's actually a beautiful thing.Couple disclosures:
1) I really drink very little in the AC and could honestly care less either way if they offer it complimentary or not.
2) I'm not taking a position on the bottled water remarks below, merely trying to point out the difficulty in making everyone happy in today's very, very complicated world.
Regards
Sep 21, 2010, 6:45 pm
#124
Join Date: May 2009
Programs: AA EXP HH GOLD EY GOLD
Posts: 340
e.g. AC already have a wifi setup and the cost of maintaining is relatively much lower than replacing those empty liquor/wine/beer bottles.
I never drink rather give away all my drink chits and have no problem if AA wants to go ahead with, but would they also start complimentary bottled non-alcoholic beverages rather than those CO2 heavy sodas they serve from machines
Sep 21, 2010, 6:56 pm
#125
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: RDU
Programs: AA EXP 2MM
Posts: 267
Yeah baby!
This is great news - I travel a lot around the globe, and never could get used to the 'having to pay for drinks in an airline club' part. If I'm not on an international flight and getting free drink chits, then I'm probably not drinking in the AC, but going to an airport bar where I can get decent food too. I usually only have one (two at the most) drinks, but this is more likely to make me buy Amora food there (with the Amora sliders I would definitely need a drink or two or three before I ordered those).
Thanks AA - welcome news at a time when so many services are being cut back not only in the airline industry but many others too. I love you guys (that's what free alcohol can get you - unconditional love!!!)
This is great news - I travel a lot around the globe, and never could get used to the 'having to pay for drinks in an airline club' part. If I'm not on an international flight and getting free drink chits, then I'm probably not drinking in the AC, but going to an airport bar where I can get decent food too. I usually only have one (two at the most) drinks, but this is more likely to make me buy Amora food there (with the Amora sliders I would definitely need a drink or two or three before I ordered those).
Thanks AA - welcome news at a time when so many services are being cut back not only in the airline industry but many others too. I love you guys (that's what free alcohol can get you - unconditional love!!!)
Sep 21, 2010, 7:17 pm
#126
Join Date: Mar 1999
Location: arlington, va
Programs: AA Gold, UA Silver, Marriott Plat
Posts: 660
This move by AA will give UA no choice but to do the same - in case UA thought they could get away with going the UA way instead of CO's in the merger. Smart move by AA in that it is pre-emptive. Better this way than to wait for UA-CO to decide how to handle and then have to react to whatever they decide. Either way, AA would have been forced to make liquor free -- either to keep up with UA-CO or to differentiate themselves from UA-CO (should UA-CO decide to follow the UA model vice the CO one). Now, UA-CO has no option. Smart move AA! Now, about those MD-80s?
Sep 21, 2010, 7:20 pm
#127
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: NYC, USA
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That's the QF effect.....those sandwiches magically appear just in time for the T4 QF departures, when the AC serves as a QP (Business Class lounge). No sign of the sandwiches earlier in the day.
Sep 21, 2010, 7:24 pm
#128
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: LAX
Programs: AA EXP 1.5MM, Asiana Club Silver, KE Morning Calm, Hyatt Platinum, Amtrak Select
Posts: 7,161
Like I said, I'm a seldom drinker and there's a part of me that says "cool, I can ask them to put a bit of Bailey's Irish Cream in my coffee," but there's also a part of me that says "ok, so what's the catch?" You and I both agree that there's nothing truly free in this world, there's always a catch or recuperation of costs somewhere.
Cost of AAngels and various spaces of the AC right now is a current thing, the annual fee that we pay right now covers all of that. But free booze is a new thing that AA is introducing and my anxiety is that there's bound to be an increase in costs somewhere so that AA can recover their replenishment costs of not-so-cheap consumable items. Whether it be an increase in AC annual dues, a price hike in airfares, or more increased baggage fees, there must be a revenue elsewhere to offset this.
That's where my mixed emotions are from.
Last edited by kebosabi; Sep 21, 2010 at 7:44 pm
Sep 21, 2010, 7:28 pm
#129
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: AUS
Programs: AA EXP/OW Emerald
Posts: 352
Sep 21, 2010, 7:43 pm
#131
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I think the poster's intention was that alcohol, in contrast to other stuff like WiFi or showers, is that alcohol is a consumable item that needs a specific re-order cycle. WiFi and showers are things that can be set up with an one-time "setup fee" and marginal cost maintenance cost per month which can be "subsidized" over lots of people with very little unit cost per person whether they use it or not. Kinda like how we all "subsidize" free air, water, the restroom, the squeegie and the windshield wiping papers at gas stations so to speak.
In contrast, booze is a fairly expensive (compared to carbonated sugar water or juice) consumable item that has to be re-ordered every-now-and-then. There's a big difference in cost to "subsidizing" WiFi and showers that can cost somewhere along $100 per month to maintain, versus booze which could in effect may cost $100 x number of variety of booze per day to replenish.
In contrast, booze is a fairly expensive (compared to carbonated sugar water or juice) consumable item that has to be re-ordered every-now-and-then. There's a big difference in cost to "subsidizing" WiFi and showers that can cost somewhere along $100 per month to maintain, versus booze which could in effect may cost $100 x number of variety of booze per day to replenish.
Yes--extremely well said. It's exactly what I was thinking. ^ Thanks for clarifying so eloquently.
Sep 21, 2010, 7:48 pm
#132
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I rarely connect through LAX in the evening and have never noticed sandwiches in the day--now I know why--thanks.
Sep 21, 2010, 8:01 pm
#133
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend, Moderator, Information Desk, Ambassador, Alaska Airlines
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This is pretty cool... As an AS BR member, we get access to several AAdmirals clubs, including ones in ORD and I think soon DEN. And I'll be in DEN in November- so anticipating this 
Sep 21, 2010, 8:05 pm
#134
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: LAX
Programs: AA EXP 1.5MM, Asiana Club Silver, KE Morning Calm, Hyatt Platinum, Amtrak Select
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