CMK10

As any first year law student learns in their Contracts court: past performance is not valid as future consideration. Or, as Silvio put it in The Sopranos: "you're only as good as your last envelope".

Mike Rivers

So, one way or the other, it's about the money. As a retired occasional flyer, I pay less for my infrequent flights than I (rather, whoever was sending me out) paid for my frequent flights when I was working. Still, I found that when I used my miles to upgrade a full fare (paid by my employer) to first class, I wasn't treated quite the same as other passengers in 1st. On a flight with a meal, for example, I'd be among the last to be asked what I wanted to eat, and often they were out of my first choice.

laagima

Hmm, I don't think it works that way. Perhaps there might have been pre-orders or you might have been sitting in the "last seat" direction-wise for taking orders.

JDiver

In my many years of flying with AA, including many of upgrades, I’ve never experienced that. As laagima suggested, perhaps others had pre-ordered their meals?

JMN57

Honestly, we hear all sorts of rants about how AA has bad service, doesn't understand so and so's status... and now we're supposed to believe that the FA's know who is on a rev ticket vs. upgraded. In all my AA flying (a lot), I've NEVER seen meals offered based on how someone got in the cabin. It's basically one direction - FEBO in the old days now flight direction.

The only airline that prioritized meal service that I recall was UA which, back in the day (I don't know about now) prioritized 1Ks over paid F which, I will say, p*ssed me off to no end.

Mike Rivers

The "last one offered a choice of meals" was on United, more than 10 years ago, and it happened more than once. The FA wasn't going row by row, but seemingly moving from seat to seat either randomly or according to some plan that wasn't who was closest. Perhaps that generalization no longer applies. But it was clear that the FA knew, at least generally, who the big spenders were. One time when I was the last in the chow line and there was only one meal option left, I directly asked the FA if they offered meal choices based on the passenger's fare, and he sheepishly admitted that was how they did it.

Of course it doesn't matter any more. And when I'm on United and ask for another one of those delicious waffle-like cookies that they serve with the still-free coffee, my request has never been denied.

Often1

Nothing sheepish at all. The policies used by how carriers take and alot meal orders are well known. Status and full fare passengers generally come first.

A less obvious way to do this is to simply take everyone's order row-by-row and then sort out who gets what in the galley. If indeed everyone's first choice can't be accommodated, only those people have to be told. As carriers move to pre-ordering, the reality is that most passengers will get what they want because it is what they ordered.

DFW_CK

I have a question: has the CK program been around for 10 years (as the OP claims he has been)?

xliioper

Yes. Didn't you see Up in the Air?

ARCHIVE: Concierge Key AA Premium Service

DFW_CK

Wow! Had no idea. Thank you for the link.

ikwia

I am pretty sure fare class is on the manifest, so I believe this info is actually available