Catering cuts effective 09/01/14

[commavia]

I completely understand AA is a for profit publicly traded company.  I just don't understand how if this merger is said to "restore AA to being great/best airline in the world" and be about leveraging the best of both carriers we are seeing cutbacks.

 
Well part of being "great" and "the best" is earning a reasonable return for shareholders so they can continue to provide you with capital.  Spending money - on food or anything else - that you know you'll never get back and that your competitors also don't spend is not my definition of "the best."
 

AA is and was profitable providing meal service on those flights

 
When?  1998?  15-20 years ago, there were six full-service network airlines in the U.S., and they collectively dominated the domestic industry.  Today, in addition to Southwest, you also have Frontier, Spirit, Allegiant, Virgin America, etc. and the list of network competitors is down to a total of three.  Different world.
 

I fly paid F and having meal service on the shorter MIA flights makes a difference.

 
Okay, and when that meal service on "shorter MIA flights" goes away, what airline are you going to switch to?  What competitor is AA scared of you dumping them for as a result of this change?
 
The answer to that question provides the reasoning for why this change is being made.
 

To me this isn't a surprise but still disappointing and just shows how the merger is not in the interest of the public and not good for customers.  USAIR is a joke of an airline and its unfortunate to see this happen to my carrier of choice.

 
Well maybe it's disappointing, but again, I think it's fair to say that customers have gotten plenty of "good" for themselves for the last three decades of deregulation.  Serial bankruptcies, reorganizations, upheavals, new upstarts, airline shutdowns, hubs opened and shut, etc. - and through all of it the one constant has been what an astounding bargain air travel is, and remains.  Adjusted for inflation and stage length, domestic airfares are still remarkable cheap compared to what they were before deregulation.  So perhaps it's time that some of the other constituencies involved in air transportation - like employees, and shareholders - get in on a bit of the "good" that customers have generally been enjoying for the last 35 years?
 
As for USAirways - you can call it a "joke" if you want, but in my last few flights, I've found the service - in F and Y - sufficient, and the operation relatively efficient and reliable.  I think there are some areas where USAirways is dramatically inferior to AA - much of it related to aesthetics and technology.  In general, I think USAirways operation in some ways just looks less professional and modern, and its technology (self-service kiosks and the website, for example) looks extremely outdated and antiquated.  However, as an airline that gets you from A to B - which is what airlines basically are - USAirways isn't that bad, and certainly nothing like what it was like in the 2006-2008 period.  And honestly, absent some of these aesthetic and technology shortcomings, I don't think USAirways is all that much worse than AA or Delta, and in many ways I find it better than United.

 

[robbedagain]

commavia  you hit the nail on the head  excellent post there

 

[jimntx]

Ok, now this is interesting. I didn't think any carriers still did SPML's domestically. I'm assuming the only options left are Kosher and Vegetarian?

Kev, not trying to quote without attribution. The quote function does not work on my computer for some reason. I wrote the moderators more than once asking for assistance. Got no response.

No, we (AA) no longer offer SPMLs domestically except on transcons. That being said, as I understand it, all our onboard meals in F/C are prepared to kosher standard. Also, indirectly there is always a vegetarian option--not vegan, but ovolacto-vegetarian (allows eggs and milk as ingredients). On the luncheon salad selection--usually Beef and noodle with mixed greens or buffalo chicken with mixed greens--the meat is catered on a separate saucer from the salad greens; so, if the passenger does not want meat, they can just not put it on the salad. Also, makes possible my ability to remove the meat from the tray before even serving it. I had an Executive Platinum on board yesterday who is Hindu. When he found out that the meat was separate he asked that I remove it from the tray before serving. No problem. And, he got to eat something on a mid-day ONT-DFW flight.

On dinner flights the pasta selection never has meat in it. Just pasta, cheese, and a sauce. Again, not vegan, but it is ovolacto-vegetarian.

 

[737823]

That being said, as I understand it, all our onboard meals in F/C are prepared to kosher standard. 

 
100% not true.  While F/C meals usually have at least one option that doesn't contain pork or shellfish (ie breakfast meat is chicken sausage), standard AA F/C meals definitely do not adhere to the Laws of Kashrut. AA often serves dairy with meat, for example, and certainly does not serve Kosher meat.  The utensils/equipment used also have not been proper Kashered nor do most of the catering facilities have the proper certifications.
 
Josh

 

[737823]

 
Well part of being "great" and "the best" is earning a reasonable return for shareholders so they can continue to provide you with capital.  Spending money - on food or anything else - that you know you'll never get back and that your competitors also don't spend is not my definition of "the best."
 
 
When?  1998?  15-20 years ago, there were six full-service network airlines in the U.S., and they collectively dominated the domestic industry.  Today, in addition to Southwest, you also have Frontier, Spirit, Allegiant, Virgin America, etc. and the list of network competitors is down to a total of three.  Different world.
 
 
Okay, and when that meal service on "shorter MIA flights" goes away, what airline are you going to switch to?  What competitor is AA scared of you dumping them for as a result of this change?
 
The answer to that question provides the reasoning for why this change is being made.
 
 
Well maybe it's disappointing, but again, I think it's fair to say that customers have gotten plenty of "good" for themselves for the last three decades of deregulation.  Serial bankruptcies, reorganizations, upheavals, new upstarts, airline shutdowns, hubs opened and shut, etc. - and through all of it the one constant has been what an astounding bargain air travel is, and remains.  Adjusted for inflation and stage length, domestic airfares are still remarkable cheap compared to what they were before deregulation.  So perhaps it's time that some of the other constituencies involved in air transportation - like employees, and shareholders - get in on a bit of the "good" that customers have generally been enjoying for the last 35 years?
 
As for USAirways - you can call it a "joke" if you want, but in my last few flights, I've found the service - in F and Y - sufficient, and the operation relatively efficient and reliable.  I think there are some areas where USAirways is dramatically inferior to AA - much of it related to aesthetics and technology.  In general, I think USAirways operation in some ways just looks less professional and modern, and its technology (self-service kiosks and the website, for example) looks extremely outdated and antiquated.  However, as an airline that gets you from A to B - which is what airlines basically are - USAirways isn't that bad, and certainly nothing like what it was like in the 2006-2008 period.  And honestly, absent some of these aesthetic and technology shortcomings, I don't think USAirways is all that much worse than AA or Delta, and in many ways I find it better than United.

 
AA was profitable throughout much of 2013 and is solidly profitable now. Correct no other competitor currently offers that service certainly on any of the MIA routes I mentioned but when (recently) did anyone else?  If USAIR didn't offer competitive meals for many years why should them vanishing as a competitive force change any of that? It has nothing do to with competition and has everything to do with Tempe management team taking over.
 
Josh

 

[Kev3188]

Also, indirectly there is always a vegetarian option--not vegan, but ovolacto-vegetarian (allows eggs and milk as ingredients).

Good info! Thanks!

 

[Glenn Quagmire]

Maybe the airlines could do a "best of" catering deal with hub city restaurants. Get them to market their food to high end customers and AA could get some good quality meals at a discount price?

Man I used to love the galley cleanup on the RON after a NWA MEM flight. Corky's BBQ catered was one of the best things NWA ever did.

Ok, back on topic. I'm going to eat now.

 

[Kev3188]

Some of that may or may not have occassionally been sent via COMAT to PDX...

NBA RON's were also quite nice. Allegedly, of course...

 

[WorldTraveler]

Maybe the airlines could do a "best of" catering deal with hub city restaurants. Get them to market their food to high end customers and AA could get some good quality meals at a discount price?

Man I used to love the galley cleanup on the RON after a NWA MEM flight. Corky's BBQ catered was one of the best things NWA ever did.

Ok, back on topic. I'm going to eat now.

airlines are doing more and more cobranding with restaurants both for in-flight menus as well as in the terminals.

It is good for the restaurant who has a much larger audience and for the airline that gets proven menus (adapted for aircraft environments) and removal of the "Dobb's House" perception of quality.

 

[700UW]

Have any of you ever seen the specials about airline catering?
 
Foods are prepared and seasoned totally different than normal food as food doesnt taste the same at altitude.
There have been several good pieces about it.
 
https://www.google.com/#q=airline+catering&tbm=vid

 

[Glenn Quagmire]

Does that mean food is tastier below sea level?

 

[700UW]

Food at altitude tastes different, that is why it is seasoned and prepared different.
 
Its not the food its actually how your taste it.
 
A ground level it tastes different than at 35,000 feet.
 
I saw a really good documentary on some flight kitchens at JFK and other huge International Airports.

 

[Hope777]

Oh Josh, THIS IS A BUSINESS, get use to it !!!!   How many times have you paid for your F/C seat?  It's like getting an upgraded room at Marriott.  It's a perk, be glad there is still F/C seats for your FREE upgrade.

 

[737823]

Oh Josh, THIS IS A BUSINESS, get use to it !!!!   How many times have you paid for your F/C seat?  It's like getting an upgraded room at Marriott.  It's a perk, be glad there is still F/C seats for your FREE upgrade.

Depends on the flight length and client I am working on sometimes we can justify purchasing FC, other times not. I've paid out of pocket for my own personal travel in AA F as well.

Josh

 

[WorldTraveler]

Oh Josh, THIS IS A BUSINESS, get use to it !!!!   How many times have you paid for your F/C seat?  It's like getting an upgraded room at Marriott.  It's a perk, be glad there is still F/C seats for your FREE upgrade.

if FC is nothing but upgrades, then it makes all the more questionable why it would be offered. LCCs manage to have loyalty programs without FC cabins.

there really are people who pay to fly up in FC, including on int'l connections to/from Business class.
and yes there are people who really pay for premium cabins on int'l flights as well.