There’s a strange reason that American Airlines serves meals in first class between Chicago O’Hare and Denver.
- American’s standard policy is to serve meals in first class at meal times on 900 mile flights or longer.
Snack basket on flights 500-899 miles during meal times
Meal service on flights over 900 miles during meal times - Before the pandemic there were ‘exception markets’ that were shorter, like Chicago O’Hare to Washington National airport and New York LaGuardia, that got meals up front. These were considered premium business routes, with greater revenue potential and were highly competitive.
- However, there are officially no more ‘exception markets’.
- Yet Chicago O’Hare – Denver is 888 miles but still gets a meal!
How is it possible to square the circle of (1) no meals on flights under 900 miles, (2) no exceptions, (3) one flight under 900 miles receives a meal?
I had heard that the reason was American Airlines still treats Denver as being located at the old Stapleton airport, which is 901 miles from Chicago O’Hare. Stapleton International Airport in Denver closed on February 27, 1995.
An American spokesperson confirms this,
ORD-DEN isn’t an exception market as the mileage is over 900 miles. This is based off the mileage to the original DEN airport, as you mentioned.
I suspect that, in fact, since Chicago O’Hare and Denver are United hubs (this is a ‘hub to hub’ route) it’s as much about competition as it is an artifact of a highly outdated route calculation. American is ‘choosing’ not to fix this anomaly.
At a minimum, if in some sense this is a convenient fiction, it allows American to provide meals on another route without opening the floodgates of more exception markets and case-by-case distinctions, and that may benefit customers.
I fly DCA-FLL pretty regularly. It’s precisely 899 miles, which is annoying. Not annoying enough to fly to MIA, though.
Final exemption disappearing in 3, 2, 1 …
It’s called customer service …I fly first class now because I can. Plus I don’t get hassled for bags, I get treated well in first class. I get treated like I want to be treated and the same way I treat others. Plus the cost of a first class ticket these is not that much more. I always flew coach, the cheap seats, etc when I was jumping through hoops to make a living, pay for my kids, their schooling… etc.. now I just have my wife and me and we can do what we want. It pays to work every day of your life since the age of 16 and now in my 60’s I am enjoying what I can… plus body aches I can deal with in first class!
I’d suggest that AA change the cut off for meals to 800 miles. This would likely make first class more attractive on several key routes.
Back about 2010, I had a fantastic Business Class meal and service from Chicago to Denver. A but rushed, but wonderful nevertheless.
@Craig Jones
I had a fantastic business class lunch on Austrian, from VIE to FRA last June. Not close to one hour. On a 787 that they were using to train FA’s on full service for long distance Austrian routes. Didn’t even have time to lay flat.
Salad, schnitzel, dessert. Best airline coffee in the world. And a cart with six of the best Austrian wines.
Normally the route is served with A320. Biz on 787 was 48. Only ten of us.
But, for nostalgias sake, I remember flying in and out of Stapleton in 66/67. I was at AI school at Lowrey AFB. Even flew out the air base there as well. At Lowery, it was two turning. At Stapleton, it was three burning.
Next question: Does the flyer get 888 or 901 Million Miler miles?
Meanwhile, Alaska gives you meals up front for flights over 650 miles.