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PLEASE: DO NOT POST OVERSIZED IMAGES; PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE AND REPEAT IMAGES IN YOUR QUOTED POST.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)
Nov 7, 2015, 9:19 pm
#2551
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Everywhere you wanna be
Programs: AA EP | UA 1K
Posts: 1,657
Cookie on the main meal tray is just plain lazy. But i wouldn't expect much from a FA who doesn't do PDBs. Although on my 4 AA metal flights last week, i had PDBs on 3 of them so theres hope... maybe
Nov 7, 2015, 9:35 pm
#2552
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP (2MM), HHonors Diamond
Posts: 443
BOS-LAX
07 NOV
738 - New bird with personal screens - N965NN - Delivered 1/15/15
PDB - Well "sort of" If you consider OJ and water PDB on a cross country flight. Sat there for 10 minutes after boarding was done so they had plenty of time to do proper PDB.
Dinner
Choice of Eggplant Parmesan or Chicken with some sort of olive topping
Side Salad with balsamic dressing
Appetizer was unknown.....I asked the F/A what it was and she said "I don't know, try a bite and see."
Dessert was ice cream sundae or fruit and cheese
Let's start with the positives (and there weren't many)........the salad was nice and fresh and tasted good. The polenta that came with the chicken was tasty and of course you can't beat the sundae.
Negatives - The chicken was like shoe leather and wasn't fit for human consumption (Going for Great!). If the F/A doesn't know what the appetizer is, how am I supposed to know if it might have something I can't eat? I'm pretty sure on their sheet in the galley it states what each item is, but apparently she was too lazy to go read her sheet. The crew was pretty bad. I counted at one point during the flight and it was 1.5 hours until one of them decided to get off their J/S and see if anyone wanted a refill. I just find it perplexing that on a 6 hour flight how hard it is to just walk through every 15-30 minutes to check on people (which is stated in their in-flight manual)? Not like they are doing anything else! Overall a real lackluster 6 hour cross country flight by the airline who is "Going for Great!"
07 NOV
738 - New bird with personal screens - N965NN - Delivered 1/15/15
PDB - Well "sort of" If you consider OJ and water PDB on a cross country flight. Sat there for 10 minutes after boarding was done so they had plenty of time to do proper PDB.
Dinner
Choice of Eggplant Parmesan or Chicken with some sort of olive topping
Side Salad with balsamic dressing
Appetizer was unknown.....I asked the F/A what it was and she said "I don't know, try a bite and see."
Dessert was ice cream sundae or fruit and cheese
Let's start with the positives (and there weren't many)........the salad was nice and fresh and tasted good. The polenta that came with the chicken was tasty and of course you can't beat the sundae.
Negatives - The chicken was like shoe leather and wasn't fit for human consumption (Going for Great!). If the F/A doesn't know what the appetizer is, how am I supposed to know if it might have something I can't eat? I'm pretty sure on their sheet in the galley it states what each item is, but apparently she was too lazy to go read her sheet. The crew was pretty bad. I counted at one point during the flight and it was 1.5 hours until one of them decided to get off their J/S and see if anyone wanted a refill. I just find it perplexing that on a 6 hour flight how hard it is to just walk through every 15-30 minutes to check on people (which is stated in their in-flight manual)? Not like they are doing anything else! Overall a real lackluster 6 hour cross country flight by the airline who is "Going for Great!"
Nov 7, 2015, 9:37 pm
#2553
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Everywhere you wanna be
Programs: AA EP | UA 1K
Posts: 1,657
From my experience the catering sheets usually only say something like CHICKEN or BEEF or VEG or FISH etc, describing the main course. They really never make much mention of what the other stuff is. FAs who seem to know what they are have probably peeked and/or eaten it before.
Nov 7, 2015, 10:48 pm
#2554
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: STL/ORD/MCI/SAN
Programs: AA CK MM, AC SE100K, BA Gold, UA 1K, DL Plat, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 1,989
I haven't been an OJ drinker since I was a kid, but I understand that many normal adults drink it with breakfast. OTOH, most don't drink it as a pre-dinner beverage. It's always baffled me that a significant number of flight crews find this to be an acceptable default option.
Nov 7, 2015, 11:56 pm
#2555
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 8
Clt Sfo 810pm
Was doing a mileage run. Got upgraded in what I though would be a good flight. Pretty disappointed. Wouldn't waste the segments again.
5 hr flight. Old us air a321 rev 04/15, which cannot mean the date. No plugs.
Because the flight was after 8pm, only gave us nuts. Not even food to buy. Several people in first were stunned, including the woman next to me who said she paid for a first class ticket. . I don't usually fly late coming back west so was a bit surprising to me, but in line with the aa website.
Flying transcontinental unless you are going to jfk seems pretty inconsistent. Wsj just wrote an article about this a month ago.
5 hr flight. Old us air a321 rev 04/15, which cannot mean the date. No plugs.
Because the flight was after 8pm, only gave us nuts. Not even food to buy. Several people in first were stunned, including the woman next to me who said she paid for a first class ticket. . I don't usually fly late coming back west so was a bit surprising to me, but in line with the aa website.
Flying transcontinental unless you are going to jfk seems pretty inconsistent. Wsj just wrote an article about this a month ago.
Nov 8, 2015, 1:19 am
#2556
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 414
Was doing a mileage run. Got upgraded in what I though would be a good flight. Pretty disappointed. Wouldn't waste the segments again.
5 hr flight. Old us air a321 rev 04/15, which cannot mean the date. No plugs.
Because the flight was after 8pm, only gave us nuts. Not even food to buy. Several people in first were stunned, including the woman next to me who said she paid for a first class ticket. . I don't usually fly late coming back west so was a bit surprising to me, but in line with the aa website.
Flying transcontinental unless you are going to jfk seems pretty inconsistent. Wsj just wrote an article about this a month ago.
5 hr flight. Old us air a321 rev 04/15, which cannot mean the date. No plugs.
Because the flight was after 8pm, only gave us nuts. Not even food to buy. Several people in first were stunned, including the woman next to me who said she paid for a first class ticket. . I don't usually fly late coming back west so was a bit surprising to me, but in line with the aa website.
Flying transcontinental unless you are going to jfk seems pretty inconsistent. Wsj just wrote an article about this a month ago.
Nov 8, 2015, 5:14 am
#2557
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,092
Two questions:
1) Does AA 1247 LAX-MIA count as true transcon? What is the service like?
2) MIA-RDU is listed as refreshments. Flight is 700miles and 2hr 5 min. Does that get snack basket or nuts and cookies?
Thanks!
1) Does AA 1247 LAX-MIA count as true transcon? What is the service like?
2) MIA-RDU is listed as refreshments. Flight is 700miles and 2hr 5 min. Does that get snack basket or nuts and cookies?
Thanks!
Nov 8, 2015, 7:45 am
#2558
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
I can't tell you what the service is going to be like on your flight, because it's just so inconsistent. I personally find LAX crews to be some of the best if not the absolute best in the system usually, but it's still hit or miss.
What time of day is your MIA-RDU flight?
Nov 8, 2015, 8:23 am
#2559
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
From my experience the catering sheets usually only say something like CHICKEN or BEEF or VEG or FISH etc, describing the main course. They really never make much mention of what the other stuff is. FAs who seem to know what they are have probably peeked and/or eaten it before.
Not to mention what's expected in service and delivery...
Nov 8, 2015, 9:54 am
#2560
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 8
3 hours into the flight, flight attendant brought a basket of leftovers from coach. There was no charge for the box of pringles I chose. I checked my coach ticket and it listed food for purchase on the flight, only for coach it seems. I emailed aa customer care to ask for my upgrade segments back and some mileages. I'll know next time to buy something in the airport before getting on an 8pm or later flight.
Nov 8, 2015, 10:33 am
#2561
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: DFW
Programs: UA, AA, DL, WN, HHonors Diamond, Marriott
Posts: 76
For 10:30pm flight DFW-SLC what type of food can I expect in First?
Just a snack basket? It says Refreshments. Thanks
Just a snack basket? It says Refreshments. Thanks
Nov 8, 2015, 10:35 am
#2562
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
Nov 8, 2015, 12:30 pm
#2564
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: DEN
Programs: AA EXP, AA Million Miles, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,586
DFW-DEN
Sat 11/7/2015 3:50pm departure
738
PLAT sticker upgrade cleared at 72 hours. Much appreciated by me after coming in on SYD-DFW in Y. Flight went out with several empty seats in F. Saturday afternoon.
No PDBs (of any sort) - but plenty of crew socializing in the galley.
Nuts. (I passed on these)
Choice of cheese plate or hummus & artichoke dip with pita rounds.
Hummus was good, but woefully short in the amount of bread provided. Seriously the ratio of dip to bread was way way off. Thankfully the FA provided me a bag of pita chips once I ran out of bread. ^
This dish was good for such a short flight, but could have been significantly improved by warming the pita rounds, which were served cold (not room temperature, but actually cold).
No mints.
Sat 11/7/2015 3:50pm departure
738
PLAT sticker upgrade cleared at 72 hours. Much appreciated by me after coming in on SYD-DFW in Y. Flight went out with several empty seats in F. Saturday afternoon.
No PDBs (of any sort) - but plenty of crew socializing in the galley.
Nuts. (I passed on these)
Choice of cheese plate or hummus & artichoke dip with pita rounds.
Hummus was good, but woefully short in the amount of bread provided. Seriously the ratio of dip to bread was way way off. Thankfully the FA provided me a bag of pita chips once I ran out of bread. ^
This dish was good for such a short flight, but could have been significantly improved by warming the pita rounds, which were served cold (not room temperature, but actually cold).
No mints.
Nov 8, 2015, 2:29 pm
#2565
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: PHL
Programs: AA EXP / HH Diamond
Posts: 592
Rev 04/15 refers to the revision of the safety card, in this case when the Single Operating Cert came into play; not delivery of the aircraft. However, in-flight "amenities" are the same, the newer planes have a slightly more modern appearance (think more LED lighting instead of incandescent/florescent).