ARCHIVE: 2021 AA Domestic Meal / Meals - menu / photos / etc. (master thread)
Dec 18, 2021, 7:57 am
#1336
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: DCA/CLT/HKG
Programs: AA EXP (Former US CP)
Posts: 730
Caprese sandwich again the other night on AA2414 (IAD-DFW):
F FA was the same FA who served F on my IAD-AUS segment last week…very friendly and professional, and remembered the correct pronunciation of my last name. There were more takers for the "snack" (as she referred to it) than on the IAD-AUS flight-I am guessing due to the awkward departure time on IAD-AUS.
On both flights she served the tray with the sandwich and sides unwrapped…I didn't mind but my seatmate (who was an absolute pleasure to sit next to) remarked to me that it seemed "unsanitary and unethical"…unsure what they meant by unethical, however they had no problem gobbling down the potato salad…which was the only unethical thing about the meal IMO.
FA remembered my drink choice and as last week she had an extremely heavy pour and offered refills when I wasn't even a quarter of the way finished with a glass. She must have realized this because she offered me a bottle of water while we were descending into DFW.
The catering is definitely better ex IAD than most stations…sandwich was very fresh and the bread wasn't soggy or dry like how my sandwich out of DFW was a couple weeks back.
Sorry for the poor photo…didn't realize I had taken the photo zoomed out until after.
F FA was the same FA who served F on my IAD-AUS segment last week…very friendly and professional, and remembered the correct pronunciation of my last name. There were more takers for the "snack" (as she referred to it) than on the IAD-AUS flight-I am guessing due to the awkward departure time on IAD-AUS.On both flights she served the tray with the sandwich and sides unwrapped…I didn't mind but my seatmate (who was an absolute pleasure to sit next to) remarked to me that it seemed "unsanitary and unethical"…unsure what they meant by unethical, however they had no problem gobbling down the potato salad…which was the only unethical thing about the meal IMO.
FA remembered my drink choice and as last week she had an extremely heavy pour and offered refills when I wasn't even a quarter of the way finished with a glass. She must have realized this because she offered me a bottle of water while we were descending into DFW.
The catering is definitely better ex IAD than most stations…sandwich was very fresh and the bread wasn't soggy or dry like how my sandwich out of DFW was a couple weeks back.
Sorry for the poor photo…didn't realize I had taken the photo zoomed out until after.
Dec 18, 2021, 9:32 am
#1337
Join Date: Apr 2009
Programs: American EXP; British Airways Gold
Posts: 1,896
You're a brave soul indeed drinking that amount of AA wine. 
Dec 18, 2021, 10:11 am
#1338
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Wesley Chapel, FL
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 29,968
DFW-ORD 2223 last night. There was only drinks and the snack basket passed around. After a 3 hour technical delay this POS, bucket o' bolts 788 pushes back....and stops....for 2 HOURS. The pilot profusely apologized and said due to W&B issues the loaders screwed up and have to switch out the cargo from the back and move it to the front and vice versa. I tweeted AA a photo of *8* AA employees standing around looking at pallets of stuff not knowing what to do. Total S show.
Anyway the flight crew was GREAT. I got my own personalized PDB during the 2 hour delay in the galley as the flight attendant told me to stand in galley to have my beer. After I finished about 15 minutes later another flight attendant came to my seat in 1L and dropped another ice cold beer in my lap. The flight attendants passed around all the snacks that were catered. They too were upset with this delay and only wanted to get home.
Anyway the flight crew was GREAT. I got my own personalized PDB during the 2 hour delay in the galley as the flight attendant told me to stand in galley to have my beer. After I finished about 15 minutes later another flight attendant came to my seat in 1L and dropped another ice cold beer in my lap. The flight attendants passed around all the snacks that were catered. They too were upset with this delay and only wanted to get home.
Dec 18, 2021, 12:13 pm
#1339
Join Date: Nov 2020
Location: SFO
Programs: AA sPLAT, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 198
Dec 18, 2021, 12:26 pm
#1340
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: DCA/CLT/HKG
Programs: AA EXP (Former US CP)
Posts: 730
Dec 18, 2021, 4:39 pm
#1341
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Michigan
Programs: AA EXP(4mm), DL Gold, UA Gold (1mm), HH Diamond, Bonvoy Amb(l/t Titanium). Former EA/PA elite
Posts: 993
Transcon in F yesterday from LAX to JFK. 10:30am departure from LAX...cabin only half full. On-time departure and early arrival into JFK. Seat was fully functional. Bedding consisted of two sets: A heavy duvet and larger pillow and then a lighter day-blanket and smaller pillow. Water bottle at seat as was the Shinola amenity kit, the headphones, and the menu. Attentive FA throughout. He did forget my post lunch coffee and I had to remind him...but that was minor.
* PDB not offered. This surprised me in F on a transcon.
* Ramekins of nuts (warm) and olives (cold) provided with first drink.
* Starter of seared tuna was very good.
* Tortilla soup was very good.
* Salad course was dull. Lots of greens with radish slices. The lemon/dill dressing was nearly tasteless.
* Main course of grains/greens bowl was similarly tasteless. The three small shrimp place on top were decent though.
* Sundaes were offered (made in the galley) but I went for the cheese board with fruit and crackers. Pretty low quality cheese IMHO.
* Basket of snacks placed at the front of the cabin although I didn't partake.
* I never saw the fresh-baked cookie come around at the end. To be fair, I rested for a while so I assume he passed through with them.
Conclusion:
Solid hard product for a transcon in F. Attentive solid service provided by the FA. Food quality was a mixed bag but I would say below average overall. The first two courses were good and the next three were poor. Sure...maybe I picked lousy choices but I expect good quality catering on a transcon in F no matter what I choose. For the last 5 years, I would say AA's weakest point in premium cabins is the quality of their F&B offering. It has definitely gone downhill since the merger. There is simply no way around that. Quality of service can be an issue at times also, to be sure. However, catering is easier to fix quickly...if they want to or feel they need to. Hopefully when Parker moves on we'll see some positive changes.
* PDB not offered. This surprised me in F on a transcon.
* Ramekins of nuts (warm) and olives (cold) provided with first drink.
* Starter of seared tuna was very good.
* Tortilla soup was very good.
* Salad course was dull. Lots of greens with radish slices. The lemon/dill dressing was nearly tasteless.
* Main course of grains/greens bowl was similarly tasteless. The three small shrimp place on top were decent though.
* Sundaes were offered (made in the galley) but I went for the cheese board with fruit and crackers. Pretty low quality cheese IMHO.
* Basket of snacks placed at the front of the cabin although I didn't partake.
* I never saw the fresh-baked cookie come around at the end. To be fair, I rested for a while so I assume he passed through with them.
Conclusion:
Solid hard product for a transcon in F. Attentive solid service provided by the FA. Food quality was a mixed bag but I would say below average overall. The first two courses were good and the next three were poor. Sure...maybe I picked lousy choices but I expect good quality catering on a transcon in F no matter what I choose. For the last 5 years, I would say AA's weakest point in premium cabins is the quality of their F&B offering. It has definitely gone downhill since the merger. There is simply no way around that. Quality of service can be an issue at times also, to be sure. However, catering is easier to fix quickly...if they want to or feel they need to. Hopefully when Parker moves on we'll see some positive changes.
Last edited by Seat 1F; Dec 18, 2021 at 4:47 pm
Dec 18, 2021, 7:18 pm
#1342
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: STL/ORD/MCI/SAN
Programs: AA CK MM, AC SE100K, UA 1K, DL Plat, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 1,986
Transcon in F yesterday from LAX to JFK. 10:30am departure from LAX...cabin only half full. On-time departure and early arrival into JFK. Seat was fully functional. Bedding consisted of two sets: A heavy duvet and larger pillow and then a lighter day-blanket and smaller pillow. Water bottle at seat as was the Shinola amenity kit, the headphones, and the menu. Attentive FA throughout. He did forget my post lunch coffee and I had to remind him...but that was minor.
* PDB not offered. This surprised me in F on a transcon.
* Ramekins of nuts (warm) and olives (cold) provided with first drink.
* Starter of seared tuna was very good.
* Tortilla soup was very good.
* Salad course was dull. Lots of greens with radish slices. The lemon/dill dressing was nearly tasteless.
* Main course of grains/greens bowl was similarly tasteless. The three small shrimp place on top were decent though.
* Sundaes were offered (made in the galley) but I went for the cheese board with fruit and crackers. Pretty low quality cheese IMHO.
* Basket of snacks placed at the front of the cabin although I didn't partake.
* I never saw the fresh-baked cookie come around at the end. To be fair, I rested for a while so I assume he passed through with them.
Conclusion:
Solid hard product for a transcon in F. Attentive solid service provided by the FA. Food quality was a mixed bag but I would say below average overall. The first two courses were good and the next three were poor. Sure...maybe I picked lousy choices but I expect good quality catering on a transcon in F no matter what I choose. For the last 5 years, I would say AA's weakest point in premium cabins is the quality of their F&B offering. It has definitely gone downhill since the merger. There is simply no way around that. Quality of service can be an issue at times also, to be sure. However, catering is easier to fix quickly...if they want to or feel they need to. Hopefully when Parker moves on we'll see some positive changes.
* PDB not offered. This surprised me in F on a transcon.
* Ramekins of nuts (warm) and olives (cold) provided with first drink.
* Starter of seared tuna was very good.
* Tortilla soup was very good.
* Salad course was dull. Lots of greens with radish slices. The lemon/dill dressing was nearly tasteless.
* Main course of grains/greens bowl was similarly tasteless. The three small shrimp place on top were decent though.
* Sundaes were offered (made in the galley) but I went for the cheese board with fruit and crackers. Pretty low quality cheese IMHO.
* Basket of snacks placed at the front of the cabin although I didn't partake.
* I never saw the fresh-baked cookie come around at the end. To be fair, I rested for a while so I assume he passed through with them.
Conclusion:
Solid hard product for a transcon in F. Attentive solid service provided by the FA. Food quality was a mixed bag but I would say below average overall. The first two courses were good and the next three were poor. Sure...maybe I picked lousy choices but I expect good quality catering on a transcon in F no matter what I choose. For the last 5 years, I would say AA's weakest point in premium cabins is the quality of their F&B offering. It has definitely gone downhill since the merger. There is simply no way around that. Quality of service can be an issue at times also, to be sure. However, catering is easier to fix quickly...if they want to or feel they need to. Hopefully when Parker moves on we'll see some positive changes.
To me, the service is hit or miss. I’ve had some great crews and some terrible ones. The food tends to be somewhat better than average compared to comparable routes on other airlines.
Dec 18, 2021, 7:58 pm
#1343
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Michigan
Programs: AA EXP(4mm), DL Gold, UA Gold (1mm), HH Diamond, Bonvoy Amb(l/t Titanium). Former EA/PA elite
Posts: 993
I've been an AA devotee since they purchased the Eastern South American routes. I've seen the quality of catering start out as excellent (caviar and chilled vodka in international first class) then get worse....then get much better under Horton...and then totally tank under Parker. I feel the quality of AA premium cabin catering had reached it's low right before the pandemic. I did a roundtrip to HKG in F right before the pandemic and the on-board catering was a mess. Thank goodness for the Cathay lounge in Hong Kong. I had also pretty much stopped eating the slop they were serving in F/J on domestic midcons. It was awful. Delta clearly surpassed AA in the catering department in 2018 I think it was. They had much more solid on-board offerings.
Obviously the pandemic changed everything and the current situation is challenging to navigate for all carriers. I can only hope that AA can move more towards where things were heading in the catering area right before the merger. That was a much better place. On-board service? Good luck fixing that one. I feel AA should focus on those things that they can fix fairly easily.
Dec 21, 2021, 11:04 am
#1344
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA - Silver, Hertz-5 star
Posts: 217
Flying PHX-MSP on 01-14-22. In First, Lunch is listed, any ideas as to what it might be?
Thanks,
Paul
Thanks,
Paul
Dec 21, 2021, 11:17 am
#1345
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Wesley Chapel, FL
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 29,968
Dec 21, 2021, 12:02 pm
#1346
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: ORD, sadly...
Programs: AA Exec Plat
Posts: 599
Dec 22, 2021, 8:40 am
#1347
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: JFK, DCA, BUR, YVR
Programs: AC, AS, BA, DL, HH (D), MR (T/LTP), UA (*S), UScAAre (PLT/1,87MM), WN
Posts: 5,207
AA688: JFK-MIA: 4 Dec 13:30
Lunch
77W
Business Class, 3A
The choices were steak salad and tomato and mozzarella sandwich. I was a no on both, but they never offered to leave the tray and limited me to one bag of almonds. Absolutely nothing worked on board either, so I was really pissed off by the experience.
Lunch
77W
Business Class, 3A
The choices were steak salad and tomato and mozzarella sandwich. I was a no on both, but they never offered to leave the tray and limited me to one bag of almonds. Absolutely nothing worked on board either, so I was really pissed off by the experience.
Dec 22, 2021, 9:42 pm
#1348
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: So Cal
Programs: AA Platinum
Posts: 2,678
Thanks for your comments. I agree with you that onboard service is very hit or miss...and has been for years. The problem is that is a much harder issue to fix. The existence of the FA union is the main problem as it's difficult (impossible?) to get rid of the bad apples or tie pay to actual performance. I guess my point is that the catering is an easier issue to fix...just throw some money at it. Better quality food and alcohol!
I've been an AA devotee since they purchased the Eastern South American routes. I've seen the quality of catering start out as excellent (caviar and chilled vodka in international first class) then get worse....then get much better under Horton...and then totally tank under Parker. I feel the quality of AA premium cabin catering had reached it's low right before the pandemic. I did a roundtrip to HKG in F right before the pandemic and the on-board catering was a mess. Thank goodness for the Cathay lounge in Hong Kong. I had also pretty much stopped eating the slop they were serving in F/J on domestic midcons. It was awful. Delta clearly surpassed AA in the catering department in 2018 I think it was. They had much more solid on-board offerings.
Obviously the pandemic changed everything and the current situation is challenging to navigate for all carriers. I can only hope that AA can move more towards where things were heading in the catering area right before the merger. That was a much better place. On-board service? Good luck fixing that one. I feel AA should focus on those things that they can fix fairly easily.
I've been an AA devotee since they purchased the Eastern South American routes. I've seen the quality of catering start out as excellent (caviar and chilled vodka in international first class) then get worse....then get much better under Horton...and then totally tank under Parker. I feel the quality of AA premium cabin catering had reached it's low right before the pandemic. I did a roundtrip to HKG in F right before the pandemic and the on-board catering was a mess. Thank goodness for the Cathay lounge in Hong Kong. I had also pretty much stopped eating the slop they were serving in F/J on domestic midcons. It was awful. Delta clearly surpassed AA in the catering department in 2018 I think it was. They had much more solid on-board offerings.
Obviously the pandemic changed everything and the current situation is challenging to navigate for all carriers. I can only hope that AA can move more towards where things were heading in the catering area right before the merger. That was a much better place. On-board service? Good luck fixing that one. I feel AA should focus on those things that they can fix fairly easily.
On LAX/JFK or LAX/BOS I always find the purser to be extra good. Maybe one of the other FA's might have a little attitude or indifference but for whatever reason the lead FA on that flight seems to really do well. Def. more so than on LAX/MIA with the 777 crew.
And anyways I would take Good to Great food and not the best FA's any day over the opposite.
Dec 22, 2021, 9:48 pm
#1349
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: So Cal
Programs: AA Platinum
Posts: 2,678
WHAT A JOKE !!!!
MIA-LAX last night. 740pm Dinner flight.
NO flipping sundaes........Miami did not cater any sundaes. FA's knew about it but def. didnt hold up the fight for it. Purser, who was really great actually, said MIA catering is a joke and they didnt have sundaes so holding up for them wouldnt have mattered.
NO raspberry cheesecake at all.........
5 total cheese plates were catered....For 37 ppl.
What a freaking JOKE !!1
One weird thing is the menu didnt list sundaes. It listed "seasonal Cake", cheese plate & raspberry cheesecake..
So is this some default menu for when MIA catering doesnt feel like loading or having sundaes? 3 other pax did ask about the ice cream but I think I was the only one to talk extensively about it with anyone. Purser said she felt really bad about having No desserts and said she will write it up and encouraged me to do the online complaint. She said MIA catering is the worst. She also mentioned how having only 4 FA's upfront and not 5 has really been frustrating too b/c she feels she cant provide the level of service she wants to.
Btw, they did find some desserts and came though with them on a tray. They were the freaking tarts from Covid.........Absolutely disgusting.
Oh and entrees were mislabeled so that Fish was labeled Pasta and Pasta was labeled Beef. Not all but but many had this problem.
Her writing it up and me complaining wont do anything though. I really feel there was nothing Flagship about that flight last night. And the salad was nothing but just some lettuce thrown in a bowl with maybe 4 little pieces of dried apricot.
MIA-LAX last night. 740pm Dinner flight.
NO flipping sundaes........Miami did not cater any sundaes. FA's knew about it but def. didnt hold up the fight for it. Purser, who was really great actually, said MIA catering is a joke and they didnt have sundaes so holding up for them wouldnt have mattered.
NO raspberry cheesecake at all.........
5 total cheese plates were catered....For 37 ppl.
What a freaking JOKE !!1
One weird thing is the menu didnt list sundaes. It listed "seasonal Cake", cheese plate & raspberry cheesecake..
So is this some default menu for when MIA catering doesnt feel like loading or having sundaes? 3 other pax did ask about the ice cream but I think I was the only one to talk extensively about it with anyone. Purser said she felt really bad about having No desserts and said she will write it up and encouraged me to do the online complaint. She said MIA catering is the worst. She also mentioned how having only 4 FA's upfront and not 5 has really been frustrating too b/c she feels she cant provide the level of service she wants to.
Btw, they did find some desserts and came though with them on a tray. They were the freaking tarts from Covid.........Absolutely disgusting.
Oh and entrees were mislabeled so that Fish was labeled Pasta and Pasta was labeled Beef. Not all but but many had this problem.
Her writing it up and me complaining wont do anything though. I really feel there was nothing Flagship about that flight last night. And the salad was nothing but just some lettuce thrown in a bowl with maybe 4 little pieces of dried apricot.
Dec 22, 2021, 10:50 pm
#1350
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Wesley Chapel, FL
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 29,968
Complaining will help eventually. Please write AA.
