First Class "Refreshments"
 

I searched for the word "refreshements" in this forum, and it said no threads. If I messed up, please move.

On FC from AUS-LAX, non-stop, 3.5 hour flight, 8:10pm departure (outside 8pm meal time? I could only find meal times listed for main cabin on AA website). I called AA to ask about what level of meal service was shown on the system (since I couldn't find it anywhere on Website or App). The res agent said it was code R, she didn't know that one, so she put me on hold. After a short wait she indicates that it means "Refreshments."

Now on the flight. FYI, Refreshments means: a) nuts (always appreciated); b) a choice of one chocolate chip or snicker doodle cookie. This is pretty impressive!! Less than a snack on a 3.5 hour flight, not a red-eye, in FC.

Isn't it convenient that a longer midcon flight is scheduled to depart just 10 minutes after 8pm...?

Anyhow, I'm surprised that it wasn't at least a "snack" flight. The evening ORD-MSY flight at least usually has two semi-substantial snack items on offer.

Last year, I took a transcon between CLT and LAX with a 10pm departure. Every pax in the cabin either paid for their seat or upgraded in advance--I was the only gate upgrade and I booked ~8 months out. All we got were warm nuts, a few rounds of drinks, and a cookie.

See here

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-airlines-aadvantage/1812018-2017-combined-aa-domestic-meal-meals-menu-photos-etc-master-thread.html

The 'meals at meal times' rule has been a thing for a while now. Delta characterizes AUS-LAX as a Medium Flight:


MEDIUM FLIGHTS

On flights ranging from 900-1,399 miles, enjoy a full chef-curated meal service. Find breakfast and lunch items on flights departing from 5 AM to 1:30 PM, dinner for departures from 4 PM to 8 PM and a hearty selection of snacks at most times in between.

Outside of the meal windows, it's just snack basket service.

Late Evening departures have been that way for at least the last decade. While this may sound shocking, I have survived many 9PMish ORD-LAX flights.

3.5 hour flight and only snacks?

I flew man-lhr last week on ba business and had a drink service and hot breakfast.

45 minute flight.

Did AA get rid of the "Lite Bites"? As recently as a year ago, flights just after the meal window got the snack basket with something more substantial (sandwiches/wraps), and then that was "upgraded" to plated snacks like the fruit/cheese or hummus plates.

It isn't a matter of "survival".

If you are paying for first class, you should receive more than a snack basket on a 3+ hour flight.

I was recently on an Air Canada flight in business PHL-YYZ and served bread then a full plated hot breakfast on a flight that is barely more than an hour airborne.

Eh, I'm not particularly interested in subsidizing people who demand to be fed at all hours of the day and night.

I miss the old AA where I could get a full dinner with a hot cookie on the 10:30pm flight from DFW-SEA.

Sometimes I just didn't have time to eat before the flight, and I used to count on that meal.

Now I avoid booking any flight after 8pm for this reason alone.

[QUOTE=brewdog11;28347202]Isn't it convenient that a longer midcon flight is scheduled to depart just 10 minutes after 8pm...?[QUOTE]

I know there is a consensus on the conspiracy theory of flights missing meal cutoffs, but usually its more an issue of scheduling because of minimum turn times at an outstation from the inbound. It would tick me off to know end that my usual IAHSAN on CO would leave at 1935 just missing the 1930 cutoff...and then I worked scheduling and realized that it wasn't someone specifically going in and re-timing flights just miss meal cutoffs.

Just to be clear, there wasn't even a snack basket. And there certainly wasn't any lite bites. There was just the nice nuts, followed by a cookie. The purpose of my post wasn't to complain about what was served - my post was because: a) there is no information on the AA website about what meal service will be on the flight; b) I have never heard of "refreshments" so I didn't know what it means; c) the words "refreshments" had 0 threads in this forum.

It is possible that there are more FF upgrade passengers paying Main Cabin fares sitting in F than passengers who actually paid F fare. Least that is what a representative from AA said on one hour TV program on CNBC about American Airlines which was aired more than few years ago. The representative from AA said that typical picture on domestic 737 flights is that all 16 F seats are occupied by FF upgrades.

If there is more F fare paying passengers, if 8 F seats on domestic 737 flights are occupied by F fare paying passengers then I do think AA will reconsider domestic F service concept. Also introduction of YUP fare may had some background like this. If there is no F fare paying passengers, then having F seats occupied by YUP fare passengers is better than F seats occupied by FF upgrades.

It's airplane food and it is all nasty. One man's trash, I suppose

+1^

BA doesn't compete in the U.S. domestic market. If it did, it would be no better than anybody else. Enjoy BA'S Club Europe business seating with 30" seat pitch at 3x3.