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ARCHIVE: Combined 2019 AA Domestic Meal, Meals, menu / photos / etc. (master thread)

Old Jan 2, 2019, 10:33 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: JDiver
AA/US Domestic Dining (including Canada, Mexico, & the Caribbean)

Link to Combined 2019 AA International Meal / Meals - menu / photos / etc. (master thread)

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PLEASE: DO NOT POST OVERSIZED IMAGES; PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE AND REPEAT IMAGES IN YOUR QUOTED POST.

MrAndy1369 originated this thread. Other posts in this topic have been merged here, throwing his post to #4. For members easy reference, we have reproduced that guidepost in its entirety. /Moderators

Originally Posted by MrAndy1369
Introduction
Welcome to the 2019 version of the combined AA meals thread, focusing on domestic service. Please post your meal/service experiences, including menus, photos, reports, questions, and service anecdotes.

To help give us a clear picture of your experience, remember to include the route, time, and meal designation (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, refreshments, none). Photos are welcome and very helpful. Those are rudimentary guidelines, but of course, the format/style is up to you.

Format Sample
This is a format you can use when introducing your meal report. This is just a sample format; deviations are expected.

AA1: JFK-LAX: 3pm
Dinner
A321
First Class, 2A

(from here, share the menu and/or experiences and/or photos)

Historical Meal Reports
Throwback mode? Go crazy! For the 2019 International Meals thread, click here.

Enjoy!
[COLOR="Navy"]Welcome to the 2019 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.

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!)
American Eagle flights do not offer pre-ordering of meals.

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.

  • At this time, pre-ordered meals are not available on American Eagle flights.

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.

Thanks to MrAndy1369 for starting the thread and for the guidelines.
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ARCHIVE: Combined 2019 AA Domestic Meal, Meals, menu / photos / etc. (master thread)

Old Feb 14, 2019, 10:38 am
  #136  
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Join Date: May 2013
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LGA-ORD
738 with AVOD
Breakfast

Full PDB offered

Didn't touch that strawberry, blech.


Last edited by AANYC1981; Feb 14, 2019 at 10:45 am
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Old Feb 14, 2019, 11:39 am
  #137  
 
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I was trying to reserve a meal in advance for an upcoming LAX > SEA flight (7AM), but wasn't seeing the option to do so online. Additionally, my companion is gluten-sensitive and I was interested in requesting a special meal.

I called in to try a request a meal for myself and a gluten-free meal for my companion. The phone agent told me that 1) I couldn't reserve a special meal on flights under 2200 miles, and 2) I couldn't reserve any meal on flights under 2200 miles. Are these correct?

Given that I can't reserve in advance online and what the agent told me - do I have any other options?
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Old Feb 14, 2019, 11:52 am
  #138  
 
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Reached out via Twitter and got my answer. 1) is correct, and 2) is happening because it's being operated by Compass.
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Old Feb 14, 2019, 12:07 pm
  #139  
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 45
Originally Posted by Segments


Flights less than 699 miles only get snack basket whether mealtime or not.

When have you experienced AA serving meals on these short flights? Has AA ever served meals on such short flights?
Arent said flights supposed to get the two plated snack options? Or did they do away with that already?
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Old Feb 14, 2019, 12:18 pm
  #140  
 
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Originally Posted by jlampert
Reached out via Twitter and got my answer. 1) is correct, and 2) is happening because it's being operated by Compass.
I don't know about the Compass part, but on AA mainline, the 2,200 miles have nothing to do with reserving in advance or getting a special meal. I've done it many times under the 2,200 miles.
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Old Feb 14, 2019, 12:58 pm
  #141  
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Originally Posted by GNRMatt
I don't know about the Compass part, but on AA mainline, the 2,200 miles have nothing to do with reserving in advance or getting a special meal. I've done it many times under the 2,200 miles.
Yep. Generally, if there's a proper meal being served (not a snack), it can be pre-ordered. There are certain stations where it isn't possible (xKOA and xLIH, for example, as those flights are return catered from LAX).

Eagle flights, AFAIK, never offer pre-orders. IME there are usually plenty of whatever options they have available, and I generally find the meals a step above even mainline AA for a flight of the same length. They're all cold since they don't have ovens, though.
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Old Feb 14, 2019, 2:08 pm
  #142  
 
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Originally Posted by GNRMatt
I don't know about the Compass part, but on AA mainline, the 2,200 miles have nothing to do with reserving in advance or getting a special meal. I've done it many times under the 2,200 miles.
Can concur. I did a dummy test booking for PHX-SEA (a very short flight that still gets a meal in F) for March 13, lunch flight, (to test any possible upcoming cuts) and was offered a full range of special meal choices as part of the preorder.
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Old Feb 14, 2019, 4:49 pm
  #143  
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Programs: AA-EXP, Flying Blue-Silver
Posts: 727
PHL-LAS
A321
Dinner
February 2019


Full bar on offer for the PDB. ^

After takeoff hot towels were dispensed.

Stone cold nuts served with beverage of choice.

Preorder of entre acknowledged. I went with the beef short rib with some sort of demi-glace sauce. The short rib was tender and cooked to a proper temperature. The demi-glace sauce had a good consistency and was flavorful. The main dish was accompanied by spiral-noodle mac n cheese (also very tasty). The main was served on a linen-lined tray along with a dinner roll (just a white dinner role, no choice of bread offered), a small side salad (I didn't eat any of it, but it looked fresh and good enough), and two marinated shrimp aside some sort of coleslaw for the appetizer (again, the shrimp were very tasty but relatively small).

After dinner, caramel ice cream was offered.

Overall, the meal was a good showing and vastly better than my dinner on the same route last month. Also, the Legacy US F/A in F was excellent. Friendly, pro-active, and extremely attentive. She was passing through the cabin as often as the slightly turbulent flight would permit checking on everyone and refreshing beverages. ^
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Old Feb 14, 2019, 8:23 pm
  #144  
 
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Pre-order is not available on any Eagle flights, unless I missed something where that changed.
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Old Feb 15, 2019, 8:10 am
  #145  
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ORD-LGA
738
Lunch

Full PDB offered. Nuts came on the tray at the same time

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Old Feb 17, 2019, 3:19 pm
  #146  
 
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AA2652 JFK-SFO Feb 15, 2019
Preordered the Chicken.


Menu Side 1

Menu Side 2G&T

Nuts, Olives, G&T, Water

Eggplant

Soup

Salad with Chive Dressing

The Chicken wasn't bad with a good potion size. Some acid would have helped.

Cheese and Port
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Old Feb 17, 2019, 5:46 pm
  #147  
 
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Originally Posted by AANYC1981
Dont do diabetic breakfasts in general....just stick to the AA egg dish.

LGA diabetic lunch is the chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy in the foil holder for lunch (maybe dinner too) but there are no shrimp app to ORD due to a shorter flight length.
my diabetic kunch from LGA yesterday was disgusting. I sent it back and fortunately was able to get the grilled chicken salad.



Last edited by chicagoflyer1976; Feb 17, 2019 at 9:15 pm
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Old Feb 17, 2019, 8:07 pm
  #148  
 
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Originally Posted by AANYC1981
ORD-LGA
738
Lunch

Full PDB offered. Nuts came on the tray at the same time

How was the entree itself?
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Old Feb 17, 2019, 11:26 pm
  #149  
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Originally Posted by enpremiere
How was the entree itself?
very good!
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Old Feb 18, 2019, 11:55 pm
  #150  
 
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Originally Posted by chicagoflyer1976
my diabetic kunch from LGA yesterday was disgusting. I sent it back and fortunately was able to get the grilled chicken salad.
I'm not even sure what that is besides random ingredients thrown together. Yikes!
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