AA LAX Catering Issues Late 2017 (Listeria 1 Nov 2017)
Nov 7, 2017, 8:41 pm
#211
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: WAS, LAX
Programs: AS 100K
Posts: 1,330
They served a sliced beef sandwich with chimichurri sauce and pepper jack cheese on ciabatta to me on LAX-DFW today. It was really good! Probably the best AA domestic meal I've had in three years, which is intended as commentary on the really poor overall quality of AA's normal catering. Other choices were a turkey and brie sandwich or a veggie salad.
Of course, as good as that was, AA is still AA. They served all drinks in plastic ware and didn't think to load any desserts, bread or appetizers on this flight. That would have been appreciated, given how little time I'd had to eat since this morning. But AA is gonna AA. Meaning, they'll sort of fix the problem but to it in a really cheap, half-assed way that doesn't affect their bottom line.
Of course, as good as that was, AA is still AA. They served all drinks in plastic ware and didn't think to load any desserts, bread or appetizers on this flight. That would have been appreciated, given how little time I'd had to eat since this morning. But AA is gonna AA. Meaning, they'll sort of fix the problem but to it in a really cheap, half-assed way that doesn't affect their bottom line.
Nov 7, 2017, 9:04 pm
#212
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: DCA
Programs: American AAdvantage EXP, World of Hyatt Explorist, Marriott Rewards Titanium, MGM Rewards Gold
Posts: 429
Traveling next Friday from MSY-LAX in F. I still have meal choices available, but am surprised. I didn't think MSY was a catering station for AA, and that the inbound from LAX would be double-catered. Am I seeing meal choices as an error, meaning AA oversight, or will they cater this flight at MSY?
I am thinking to play it safe and eat prior to arrival at MSY, given the limited decent concessions in Concourse C, and only having about 2 hours to connect to a CX flight.
Additionally, my flight back is a red-eye LAX-ORD. Should I expect normal cookie and warm nuts on that one? What has been happening for the mid-con redeye flights lately?
I am thinking to play it safe and eat prior to arrival at MSY, given the limited decent concessions in Concourse C, and only having about 2 hours to connect to a CX flight.
Additionally, my flight back is a red-eye LAX-ORD. Should I expect normal cookie and warm nuts on that one? What has been happening for the mid-con redeye flights lately?
Nov 7, 2017, 9:17 pm
#213
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Santa Monica and Siena
Programs: 10 MM + 2013, AA EXP,Lifetime AC ,Crown Room, Red Carpet,USAIR CLUB ,Hertz Plat, Hilton Dia, GS +++
Posts: 455
Ok I have to say something as I'm very amused at continually seeing these statments. Not to go into my whole background, but in a former life I worked in hub operations for American and had day to day experience with vendors and contacts. I can tell you right now any issue of importance will get fixed asap. I will site one specific instance as an anecdote, where a union work groups breakroom satellite TV was losing signal. Within 24 hours we had to coordinate repair of this which involved a team of technicians without SIDA clearance. We had to arrange for SIDA escorts which meant pulling admin and management staff from multiple departments with escort privileges to babysit these techs for three days as they roamed from apron to the terminal. This was not cheap but as it was part of a union contract it was a must. Now I'm not going to say this is a similar situation but I can tell you every on caterer on airport property has SIDA approved staff already and if American needed to arrange for additional non cleared staff to be in secure areas they could arrange for escorts.
However a small light bulb went off - ok dim bulb - this was nothing more then a a door that opened for an excuse to lower long term costs and exit a contract - Parker style.
Starting fresh - adjusting portions, quality, quanity, menus.... this simply provided a window to enhance the customer experience - something like the photo of Premium Economy on bill boards - vs. the real product we experience.
Nov 7, 2017, 9:38 pm
#214
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Arizona
Programs: BA Gold, AA Plat, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Explorist, National EE, Hertz PC
Posts: 473
To clarify I was not trying to suggest SIDA is the same at every airport, just providing an anecdote of how quickly problems can be solved regardless of secure area access in a hub.
Nov 8, 2017, 12:38 am
#215
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: LAX/ORD/HNL
Programs: AA EXP, 4.6 MM, LT Pt, HH Diamond, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 443
I was on flight 83 (LAX/AKL) on Monday, Nov. 6th, and thought I would share the experience. AA had proactively informed me that the catering on board this flight would not be up to their usual standard and offered me a $200 evoucher in way of compensation. As skylady indicated in post #137 in this thread, AKL catering was to be handled by LSG. She was absolutely correct - the catering on board this flight was handled by LSG and was your standard domestic first catering. The PDB consisted of a room temperature bottle of water. For dinner, we had a choice of chicken or pasta. I opted for the pasta that was mediocre at best. The salad and salami/cheese side were pretty good but the pasta itself was pretty bad. Teri, our really cool purser, told me that some J passengers were unaware of the catering issue at LAX and were totally taken by surprise by the meal offerings. I told Teri they should probably check the spam folder in their email. Breakfast was much better. I had an omelet with sausages and it wasn't too bad. The flight itself was great with an on-time arrival at AKL. I arrived refreshed after having had a good sleep on the plane (seat 1A).
Nov 8, 2017, 12:39 am
#216
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,317
You don't get it that NO existing caterer can do this on a dime. This isn't DR recovery for an IT project - it's LACK of service items, lack of staff, lack of security review for how AA operated catering, it's WAY more than cook it and send it. Multiple people have been stating this politely.
Actually work in the industry since 1991, buckaroo, sunshine, scout, tiger, champ, cupcake, sweetcheeks. Can we end the condescending nicknames buster? sport?
Nov 8, 2017, 1:49 am
#217
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: SYD, AU
Programs: BA Gold, Skywards Gold
Posts: 61
Same for LAX to SYD
I was on flight 83 (LAX/AKL) on Monday, Nov. 6th, and thought I would share the experience. AA had proactively informed me that the catering on board this flight would not be up to their usual standard and offered me a $200 evoucher in way of compensation. As skylady indicated in post #137 in this thread, AKL catering was to be handled by LSG. She was absolutely correct - the catering on board this flight was handled by LSG and was your standard domestic first catering. The PDB consisted of a room temperature bottle of water. For dinner, we had a choice of chicken or pasta. I opted for the pasta that was mediocre at best. The salad and salami/cheese side were pretty good but the pasta itself was pretty bad. Teri, our really cool purser, told me that some J passengers were unaware of the catering issue at LAX and were totally taken by surprise by the meal offerings. I told Teri they should probably check the spam folder in their email. Breakfast was much better. I had an omelet with sausages and it wasn't too bad. The flight itself was great with an on-time arrival at AKL. I arrived refreshed after having had a good sleep on the plane (seat 1A).
Nov 8, 2017, 3:28 am
#218
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: YYJ
Posts: 4,137
Sorry, but providing each passenger with a voucher up to $200 certainly has an affect on the bottom line. Although a portion of passengers using the vouchers might not have otherwise flown, I would gather that the revenue loss from these vouchers will be in the six digits, minimum.
Nov 8, 2017, 6:34 am
#219
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: WAS, LAX
Programs: AS 100K
Posts: 1,330
Sorry, but providing each passenger with a voucher up to $200 certainly has an affect on the bottom line. Although a portion of passengers using the vouchers might not have otherwise flown, I would gather that the revenue loss from these vouchers will be in the six digits, minimum.
I haven't received a voucher, nor do I want one. I want problems like this fixed - quickly - or else I want AA to be bending over backwards to be making up for service deficiencies in-flight. Not lazily phoning it in like they've been doing. If this was the day or two after the outbreak and they were still scrambling, fine. But it's been over a week and this is the best they can do?
Plus, no communication from AA since the outbreak about when passengers can reasonably expect service to resume its normal pace. That, to me, signals a major cultural problem higher up the, er, food chain.
Last edited by flyingmusicianlax; Nov 8, 2017 at 6:40 am
Nov 8, 2017, 7:16 am
#220
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: AUS
Programs: BAEC Gold, AA PPro, Hyatt Globalist, Amex Plat
Posts: 7,043
Regards
Nov 8, 2017, 8:03 am
#221
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2010
Programs: AA
Posts: 14,743
Apparently VS has also stopped using Gate Gourmet at least temporarily due to the issue VS24 7 November and they weren't able to find an alternative supplier yet either.
Nov 8, 2017, 10:12 am
#222
Join Date: Dec 2005
Programs: AA-EXP, Flying Blue-Silver
Posts: 727
Apparently VS has also stopped using Gate Gourmet at least temporarily due to the issue VS24 7 November and they weren't able to find an alternative supplier yet either.
Are they able to double-cater the JFK-LAX-JFK premium transcon flights?
Nov 8, 2017, 10:30 am
#223
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2010
Programs: AA
Posts: 14,743
Well you would think that an airline with so few flights into LAX would have more flexibility than AA in finding alternatives if there are so many options for ways to cater out of LAX as some people have argued above.
Nov 8, 2017, 10:51 am
#224
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: SoCal to the rest of the world...
Programs: AA EXP with lots of BA. UA 2MM Lifetime Plat - No longer chase hotel loyalty
Posts: 6,699
My meal choice for Sunday LAX-PEK still hold and let me change without errors - Let's see as we get closer in. Curious if anyone here on FT was on the inaugural flight
I zipped my lip - reminding myself why I disappear from FT many times and don't come back for months. Been here 17 years and sometimes it's not worth it.
I zipped my lip - reminding myself why I disappear from FT many times and don't come back for months. Been here 17 years and sometimes it's not worth it.