Feb 22, 2015, 6:28 pm
Last edit by: JDiver
AA/US Domestic Dining (including Canada, Mexico, & the Caribbean)
Note: this thread is about meals served on AA-US. There is another thread for the contingent that wishes to debate and discuss linens as a primary subject, including related presentation issues: Linens / presentation debate for meal service on AA, US / both.
PLEASE: DO NOT POST OVERSIZED IMAGES; PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE AND REPEAT IMAGES IN YOUR QUOTED POST. /Moderators
Welcome to the 2015 Domestic Dining thread and the resulting discussion/trip reports/photos/shared experiences. Here, in this wiki post, I'll strive to explain what you should expect on AA flights in First and Business, meals-wise. Keep in mind that there are many domestic flights, so there are quite a few parameters to keep track of. This Wiki covers both AA and US flights, but as of September 2014, AA and US offers identical meal service domestically, so that part of the merger has its' harmonization completed.
Basically, in its' best condensed form, you should expect to receive a meal between 4:59am - 8pm on flights longer than 900 miles, which equals about two hours in the air. From that point, there are exceptions, and specific timing parameters.
What to Expect - Mainline:
Keep in mind that this list is not entirely inclusive, and there may be certain exceptions and/or abnormalities.
- Up to 699 miles: Light snacks such as a fig bar, cookies, and/or pretzels
- 700-899 miles: Warmed nuts, a snack plate (fruit/cheese, pita/hummus, or spinach dip/pita), and a cookie
- 900-1298 miles: A meal (fruit/breakfast entree; salad/entree) followed by a cookie; no meals between 1:30-4pm
- 1298-2199 miles: A full meal including an appetizer, with cake for lunch desserts and premade ice-cream for dinner desserts
- 2200 miles and above: Same as 1298-2199 miles, but consists of made-to-order sundaes or a cheese plate for both lunch and dinner desserts
What to Expect - Regional:
Keep in mind that this list is not entirely inclusive, and there may be certain exceptions and/or abnormalities.
- Up to 175 miles: A light snack mix along with beverage service
- 176-899 miles: Sweet and savory, organic/healthy snack choices (snack basket)
- 900-2199 miles: Warm mixed nuts, two meal options, and dessert. (For flights over 2200 miles, you will receive the same selection of snacks from 176-899 miles as a pre-arrival snack. All regional meal flights leaving after 8:00pm will also receive sweet and savory snacks as the only option. Editor's note: A regional jet for 2000+ miles? Hope that never happens!)
All of the meal flights that fall under the above timing parameters will receive two choices; normally, one meat and one vegetarian.
Longer westbound flights leaving from the east coast (transcontinental; non-premium) are not officially exceptions, but some flights after 8pm receive a full dinner service (such as the 8:05pm MIA-SAN flight, or the 8:30pm PHL-LAS flight). Additionally, non-premium transcontinental red-eye flights will receive snack basket service upon departure, then a continental breakfast box prior to arrival.
Official Exceptions:
The following flights all fall under 900 miles, but will receive a full meal service, with the exception of flights leaving between 1:31-4pm. Despite some of the listed flights being over 900 miles, they are remaining listed here, based on the AA website for documentation purposes.
- Chicago (ORD) - AUS/BDL/BOS/DCA/EWR/JFK/LGA/MSY/RDU
- Dallas (DFW) - BJX/ORD/MEX/QRO/SLP
- Fort Lauderdale (FLL) - PAP
- Los Angeles (LAX) - DEN
- Miami (MIA) - DCA/IAD/PAP
- New York (LGA) - ATL
- Phoenix (PHX) - MZT
Additional Information:
- JFK-LAX/SFO; MIA-LAX are considered premium transcontinental flights, and as such, receives a more refined service with three meal choices, per-course service, printed menus, and tray/tablecloth linens in both F/J. Those flights now are the only domestic flights in the system to offer special meals as another option (which can be reserved by either preordering online, or calling). Red-eye flights will receive a full "supper/snack" meal service, which is basically a condensed dinner service.
- Hawaiian meal service is very similar to what you'd expect on 2200+ mile flights, but there also will be Hawaiian rolls served, along with a pre-arrival continental breakfast/snack (dependent on the length of the route). Tropical warmed nuts are also currently served.
- All flights over 700 miles, regardless of a meal being served or not, will receive warm mixed nuts and a cookie.
Disclaimer: The editor of this Wiki does not guarantee the information presented above will always be accurate or properly followed by AA, given catering mishaps, irregular operations, rogue crews, or mismanagement. For the best up-to-date information, it would be prudent to check AA's website constantly for any updates, or call AA. The editors of this Wiki will keep this Wiki updated as often as possible.
Last updated: 7/26/2015 2:33pm, MrAndy1369
2015 Combined AA/US Domestic Meal / Meals - menu / photos / etc. (Consolidated)
Jul 31, 2015, 7:28 pm
#1531
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: USA
Programs: AAdvantage, MileagePlus, SkyMiles
Posts: 4,158
Your photos are great and actually make this meal look somewhat edible. Sadly, I know that's not really the case as the 'beef' looks more like jerky slathered in teriyaki. I see they're still using stale baguette as a makeshift crouton with that salad, which could possibly be one of the most unimaginative things I've ever seen before hah! Let's hope this menu (bowl of romaine with stale baguette included) passes away after midnight tonight!
Jul 31, 2015, 7:31 pm
#1532
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2012
Location: MCO
Programs: AA, B6, DL, EK, EY, QR, SQ, UA, Amex Plat, Marriott Tit, HHonors Gold
Posts: 12,809
Expectations aren't set high though, as one of the menus is the olive drowned chicken or something called jumbo cheese ravioli in a lemon alfredo sauce. Not terribly comforting.
Jul 31, 2015, 9:19 pm
#1533
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Denver • DEN-APA
Programs: AF Platinum, EK Gold, AA EXP, UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 21,588
Surprise, surprise. Another AA catering screw up or perhaps they had extra old frozen meals they were instructed to use. Just boarded AA8 to find photo copies of last week's desert dry mahi mahi/bowl of rice options at our seats. Very classy LOL, almost BA-like. Crew knows nothing. Good thing I had a big lunch. And I so love the entire Y cabin walking thru F bumping into seats and arms.
Jul 31, 2015, 10:09 pm
#1534
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: SF + PHX
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1k, Marriott Gold, HH Gold, X Elite+
Posts: 262
7/31
477 PHX-IAH
6:50pm
PDB open bar. Nuts served pre drink order, not warmed for the first time in forever.
Dinner was a choice of artichoke ravioli or shrimp with lemon butter sauce....for the first 2.5 rows. The rest of us were handed a plate with lasagna. Hope you love ricotta!
The salad was equally odd... 50% kale and topped with a boatload of feta. Desert was a warmed chocolate chip cookie. Been a while since I've had one, and I can see the incremental improvement, but I miss the old AA's cookies.
477 PHX-IAH
6:50pm
PDB open bar. Nuts served pre drink order, not warmed for the first time in forever.
Dinner was a choice of artichoke ravioli or shrimp with lemon butter sauce....for the first 2.5 rows. The rest of us were handed a plate with lasagna. Hope you love ricotta!
The salad was equally odd... 50% kale and topped with a boatload of feta. Desert was a warmed chocolate chip cookie. Been a while since I've had one, and I can see the incremental improvement, but I miss the old AA's cookies.
Jul 31, 2015, 10:19 pm
#1535
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: SF + PHX
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1k, Marriott Gold, HH Gold, X Elite+
Posts: 262
7/27 1881
PHL-PHX
PDB open bar. Towel, beverage service+warm nuts row by row.
Dinner was Tortellini with marinara or beef with mustard sauce. I had the tortellini, which imho is a way oversized portion. App was the proscuito and melon, salad was Caesar dressing and greens with peppers. Bread choices included cheese and pretzel rolls, which make me happy.
Desert offering was Heath bar sundae. It was kept frozen until service which is usually my pet peeve (thank you!)
Service was great for the 5hr flight, especially considering the extenuating circumstances our FA had with an unruly pax.
PHL-PHX
PDB open bar. Towel, beverage service+warm nuts row by row.
Dinner was Tortellini with marinara or beef with mustard sauce. I had the tortellini, which imho is a way oversized portion. App was the proscuito and melon, salad was Caesar dressing and greens with peppers. Bread choices included cheese and pretzel rolls, which make me happy.
Desert offering was Heath bar sundae. It was kept frozen until service which is usually my pet peeve (thank you!)
Service was great for the 5hr flight, especially considering the extenuating circumstances our FA had with an unruly pax.
Aug 1, 2015, 12:55 am
#1536
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Everywhere you wanna be
Programs: AA EP | UA 1K
Posts: 1,657
I actually like that beef and rice. I guess i'm the only one lol.
Aug 1, 2015, 6:57 am
#1537
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: WAS/TYO
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP (3MM), DL PM, BONVOY TITANIUM, HYATT GLOBALIST, HILTON DIAMOND, IHG DIAMOND AMB, et al
Posts: 5,912
AA65 JFK-MIA F July 2015
A65 JFK-MIA First Class July 2015
On the plus side, up-gauged from a 321 to 763, but the teriyaki beef was truly vile. Service was pretty poor too, from an entirely new-hire group of FAs working the F cabin and galley.
Dinner
On the plus side, up-gauged from a 321 to 763, but the teriyaki beef was truly vile. Service was pretty poor too, from an entirely new-hire group of FAs working the F cabin and galley.
Dinner
Aug 1, 2015, 7:11 am
#1538
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: WAS/TYO
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP (3MM), DL PM, BONVOY TITANIUM, HYATT GLOBALIST, HILTON DIAMOND, IHG DIAMOND AMB, et al
Posts: 5,912
AA1109 MIA-ORD F July 2015
AA1109 MIA-ORD First Class July 2015
Dinner
A wonderful flight featuring an updated 767 cabin and superb classic-AA service (multiple PDBs, everything hand carried from the galley instead of using carts, proactive refills throughout the flight, etc.). Predictably, the mushroom pasta was awful (borderline inedible) but hoping August will bring some real enhancements to domestic short-haul F catering. Still amazing to think that this time last year AA had, by far, the best legacy-carrier domestic catering, and now it's got, by far, the worst (IMHO).
Dinner
A wonderful flight featuring an updated 767 cabin and superb classic-AA service (multiple PDBs, everything hand carried from the galley instead of using carts, proactive refills throughout the flight, etc.). Predictably, the mushroom pasta was awful (borderline inedible) but hoping August will bring some real enhancements to domestic short-haul F catering. Still amazing to think that this time last year AA had, by far, the best legacy-carrier domestic catering, and now it's got, by far, the worst (IMHO).
Aug 1, 2015, 7:26 am
#1539
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: PHX
Programs: AA Ex Platinum & 1MM, DL PLT, Marriott Gold, HH Diamond
Posts: 2,490
7/31 FLL-DFW (Breakfast)
PDB
Hot towels
Pre-order confirmed
Entrée choice of cheese blintz or egg strata
Mints before landing
GREAT FA managing first-acknowledged my EXP status & thanked me for it, on behalf of AA & the Captain. During boarding greeted most pax with 'we're glad you're here', or some variation thereof. First time in a long time I felt like someone from AA truly appreciated me as a customer & my business ^
DFW-PHX (Afternoon Refreshments)
PDB & hot towels
Warm nuts (mine was almost all cashews, which is fine w/me)
Choice of the hummus or cheese plate-clearly AA is already cutting back on the cheese plate portions, including the fruit.
PDB
Hot towels
Pre-order confirmed
Entrée choice of cheese blintz or egg strata
Mints before landing
GREAT FA managing first-acknowledged my EXP status & thanked me for it, on behalf of AA & the Captain. During boarding greeted most pax with 'we're glad you're here', or some variation thereof. First time in a long time I felt like someone from AA truly appreciated me as a customer & my business ^
DFW-PHX (Afternoon Refreshments)
PDB & hot towels
Warm nuts (mine was almost all cashews, which is fine w/me)
Choice of the hummus or cheese plate-clearly AA is already cutting back on the cheese plate portions, including the fruit.
Aug 1, 2015, 9:48 am
#1540
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 62
Breakfast
US Airways A321 from CLT
Mystery omelette (so small, ate it in just two bites)
patatoes (potatos?)
mystery sausage meats
fruits (9 grapes)
biscuit
2 cans of beer(yes, 8:20AM, but I'm on vacation and still on Australian time)
1 milk
1 apple juice
1 water
1 vodka with orange juice(before landing)
My two travelling companions also had 9 grapes. Do the catering people count the grapes or something?
US Airways A321 from CLT
Mystery omelette (so small, ate it in just two bites)
patatoes (potatos?)
mystery sausage meats
fruits (9 grapes)
biscuit
2 cans of beer(yes, 8:20AM, but I'm on vacation and still on Australian time)
1 milk
1 apple juice
1 water
1 vodka with orange juice(before landing)
My two travelling companions also had 9 grapes. Do the catering people count the grapes or something?
Last edited by SquareRainbow; Aug 1, 2015 at 9:54 am
Aug 1, 2015, 9:56 am
#1541
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 62
What do they do with unused first class meals?
I've never thought about this question before. What do they do with unused first class meals? IIRC, they don't throw out the meals for purchase items in coach.
On my most recent US Airways flight, the FA asked me if I wanted seconds. Apparently there were 7 no-shows in first class, so they had 7 extra first class meals. There were only 5 passengers in first class(out of the 16 on this A321)
Are they simply thrown out after the flight or are they reused?
On my most recent US Airways flight, the FA asked me if I wanted seconds. Apparently there were 7 no-shows in first class, so they had 7 extra first class meals. There were only 5 passengers in first class(out of the 16 on this A321)
Are they simply thrown out after the flight or are they reused?
Aug 1, 2015, 10:10 am
#1542
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Location: LAX; AA EXP, MM; HH Gold
Posts: 31,789
Leftover F or J meals are either eaten by the flight attendants or they're thrown away.
In years past, when AA offered a substantial snack for transcon redeye passengers (LAX-JFK), there were flights where only several business class passengers (out of 30) would eat the snack, leaving lots of food to be tossed upon arrival at JFK even after the FAs scavenged their fill.
In years past, when AA offered a substantial snack for transcon redeye passengers (LAX-JFK), there were flights where only several business class passengers (out of 30) would eat the snack, leaving lots of food to be tossed upon arrival at JFK even after the FAs scavenged their fill.
Aug 1, 2015, 10:32 am
#1543
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 1,618
I did once ask my buddy (who manages a Flight Kitchen) and he said that some Flight Kitchens do donate unused food that cannot be kept anymore rather than destroy it, but that once loaded onto the plane unsued food is thrown away.
He said that most international flights (which his Flight Kitchen mostly caters) have a low amount of unused food, but, even if the food was able to be donated which it is not (apparently once it is cooked safe handling becomes much tougher), as there are regulations (I assume USDA?) regarding the handling of food from other countries and the food has to be disposed of in a certain way.
He said that most international flights (which his Flight Kitchen mostly caters) have a low amount of unused food, but, even if the food was able to be donated which it is not (apparently once it is cooked safe handling becomes much tougher), as there are regulations (I assume USDA?) regarding the handling of food from other countries and the food has to be disposed of in a certain way.
Aug 1, 2015, 10:55 am
#1544
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2006
Programs: AAdvantage PP
Posts: 13,913
Time and time again I've seen FAs eat unused meals-and not that I blame them, unlike pilots meals are not provided to them so why let something go to waste.
Aug 1, 2015, 10:58 am
#1545
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Denver • DEN-APA
Programs: AF Platinum, EK Gold, AA EXP, UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 21,588
HNL-DFW
AA 8
Ancient 767-300
5:40P-6:20A +1
July 31, 2015
"Dinner" and Continental Breakfast
Second time on this flight in a week and it wasn't much better. UA offers three excellent entrée choices but AA still thinks two are just swell. I had preselected one ravioli and one prawn cake from the new menu.
Alas, catering screwed up or they just decided to use up the last of the old frozen meals. And with no old menus to go around, a photocopy will have to do.
Our classy cabin mate in 4G.
Mrs. SFO was still full from lunch and wisely decided none of the above and passed on the meal or any part thereof.
I took one for the team and decided to try a repeat of the mahi mahi. No, I do not want the bowl of rice option. Mrs. "I don't eat fish" in 5B wasn't as lucky.
The Spicy Ginger Salmon was better than last week and didn't taste stinky fishy like last week. Also, less rice.
Hard to imagine but the salad looked even worse than last week.
And what is that yellow stuff? Orange ginger vinaigrette? Not very vinaigrette looking. No chance I was going to try that part.
Was a much different color with a lot more beets and blue cheese last week, although it didn't make any difference as the beets and cheese still had little taste.
Mercifully, the mahi mahi was not bone dry like last week and actually pretty good especially with a lot more sauce today.
For dessert, I only had a little chocolate with my sundae as I wanted to taste the ice cream. LOL. Virtually tasteless. Indeed the "vanilla" ice cream is clearly sourced from the lowest cost provider and is "vanilla" in name only.
Going for great? Not so much.
AA 8
Ancient 767-300
5:40P-6:20A +1
July 31, 2015
"Dinner" and Continental Breakfast
Second time on this flight in a week and it wasn't much better. UA offers three excellent entrée choices but AA still thinks two are just swell. I had preselected one ravioli and one prawn cake from the new menu.
Alas, catering screwed up or they just decided to use up the last of the old frozen meals. And with no old menus to go around, a photocopy will have to do.
Our classy cabin mate in 4G.
Mrs. SFO was still full from lunch and wisely decided none of the above and passed on the meal or any part thereof.
I took one for the team and decided to try a repeat of the mahi mahi. No, I do not want the bowl of rice option. Mrs. "I don't eat fish" in 5B wasn't as lucky.
The Spicy Ginger Salmon was better than last week and didn't taste stinky fishy like last week. Also, less rice.
Hard to imagine but the salad looked even worse than last week.
And what is that yellow stuff? Orange ginger vinaigrette? Not very vinaigrette looking. No chance I was going to try that part.
Was a much different color with a lot more beets and blue cheese last week, although it didn't make any difference as the beets and cheese still had little taste.
Mercifully, the mahi mahi was not bone dry like last week and actually pretty good especially with a lot more sauce today.
For dessert, I only had a little chocolate with my sundae as I wanted to taste the ice cream. LOL. Virtually tasteless. Indeed the "vanilla" ice cream is clearly sourced from the lowest cost provider and is "vanilla" in name only.
Going for great? Not so much.
Last edited by SFO777; Aug 1, 2015 at 11:08 am
