A New Ice Cream Bar – Made Exclusively for American Airlines – Is Being Tested On Two Flights

This week – through Friday, November 1 – American Airlines is testing a new ice cream bar as a snack on two of its London Heathrow flights. That’s right, economy class passengers get an ice cream bar and it’s made exclusively for American Airlines, according to an internal company memo.

American has been serving UK brand Beckleberry’s ice cream in a container to economy class passengers on London Heathrow departures.

However on flights bound for Phoenix and Raleigh coach will receive an ice cream bar instead.

The reason for this change? Trash management. As the airline explained to flight attendants,

Information we received via Flight Attendant Reports let us know that you were having difficulties with trash management due to the bulkiness of the ice cream containers, so we’ve worked with our supplier and created a new ice cream bar made exclusively for American Airlines.

We hope that our customers enjoy this new dessert option, and that you will find it to be a creative solution for trash management.

I’m a big fan of ice cream coated in chocolate, actually, though I’d worry about dripping on the seats and the wooden handles getting lost in the seats. In other words, what the airline gains in simplicity of trash pickup they lose in aircraft cleaning.

The new ice cream bars are a test, and based on feedback may become the airline’s new standard.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. “[W]what the airline gains in simplicity of trash pickup they lose in aircraft cleaning.”

    aircraft what now?

  2. Reading the headline thought it was a physical bar where people could walk up and make their own sundae

    They should try that in the clubs

  3. The rare instance of creative thinking at American — Delta doesn’t serve ice cream bars right? — but what they’ve come up with is idiotic.

    Besides the dripping on seats – good point, Gary — ice cream bars tend to be messy for eaters. Even adults get sticky fingers, but I can’t imagine trying to manage our 3 kids with ice cream bars on an economy flight. Ice cream in cups is challenging enough!

    They ought to test this during a family travel period, too 🙁

  4. BA already serves ice cream bars in long haul economy. It’s not that hard to manage. Nor is it an AA original idea.

  5. Ok now I forgive Parker for ruining American Airlines and its FF program
    I see it as a premium world class carrier finally

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