$1,700 for First Class, Then a Box Lunch: American Airlines Still Serves Sandwiches in Shrink Wrap on Regional Flights [Roundup]

News and notes from around the interweb:

• It’s long past time for real meals to return to American Airlines regional Eagle flights, even similar to what was offered pre-pandemic would work. About 47% of American’s flights are operated by regional jets.

  @AmericanAir I was certainly expecting better than this in first class for $1,700/person. I am an AAdvantage frequent flyer and have flown first class many times. I thought alcoholic beverages were served in glasses and not plastic cups. The meal was horrible. pic.twitter.com/uJ4rjDNCvR

  — Rob Marandola (@ndram41) January 19, 2026

• Could Elon Musk buying Ryanair go from a joke to real?

  Buy Ryan Air and restore Ryan as their rightful ruler

  — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 19, 2026

  Here’s how he could convince himself there’s a business case and not insane:

  Many people think Elon is joking when he says he’s thinking about buying Ryanair.

  At first, it may look like classic Elon humor. But if you look a little closer, there’s more going on here than just a joke.

  This all started with a public back-and-forth on .

  Ryanair’s CEO,… pic.twitter.com/aFHTzUpfYL

  — Teslaconomics (@Teslaconomics) January 19, 2026

• One of my most unpopular opinions is that United Airlines isn’t nearly as premium as it claims to be (outside of its business class wine program).

  @united Yes, I know it’s first world problems, but I pay for first class and still no screens or even usb plugs? Disappointing. And we’re late ….#UA2419 DIA-IAH pic.twitter.com/EbT0aGNRPZ

  — Carrie Paul (@CarriePaul) January 19, 2026

  @united great quality control at Houston your planes are all broken. Welcome to the unfriendly skies pic.twitter.com/2laDmFcRuk

  — Mario Castro (@mariocastroLaw) January 18, 2026

• I reported on decline of food at Capital One’s DFW lounge, so I’m glad to see reports that they’ve restored menu items and dropped cold grab ‘n go-style items from the buffet for which maintenance was cited.

  Dfw lounge food
  byu/CatsMoreCatsCats inVenturex

• Landline buses, which operate as flights, have permitted transport of firearms just like planes. I did not realize, however that this had been embargoed at some point. However, the embargo has been lifted.

  

• American Airlines no longer accepts in-person split tender payments (you can, of course, still use trip credits for partial payment).

  

• Check, please.

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