News and notes from around the interweb:
- I usually say that which lounge service provider an airline uses matters less than the budget they’re willing to commit, but this story about Sodexo staff at the American Airlines Flagship First Dining in Miami is the perfect argument why I’m wrong.
It isn’t just budget – the contracted staff requires real supervision, and company managers that care about the service execution details. The mid-level managers (on up) at American should be ashamed over this, but the incentives for them to be just aren’t there.
it was 1:15 and we were the only ones in the dining area. After we were seated nobody took our order for 15 mins. Finally a waitress came out looking extremely annoyed and said they opened at 1:30 hence the delay (website shows 1 PM). Wanted to avoid an argument so we went ahead and ordered our food and asked for a glass of champagne and a cocktail each. Waitress goes “only one at a time” very rudely.
… There’s nobody at the bar, we don’t get any of our food including appetizers for another 25 mins. …Finally the waitress comes out 10 mins later after clearly having been told that I had complained. Mentions that food “takes a long time to prep since it’s made to order”. I told her I understand but we’re the only ones here and nobody has even asked us if we want another drink, more water, or anything. We end up ordering a second drink which takes another 10 mins. Finally we start getting our food. At this point it’s been an hour 15 mins since we first got to the lounge (and this whole time it’s just been us). …I ask the waitress for a glass of whiskey before we leave. She looks upset as per usual.
- Seat 31B does a nice job laying out a new points redemption opportunity. Citibank added Preferred Hotels iPrefer as a 1:4 transfer partner back in October, but hotels generally offered little to no availability. As Frequent Miler noted last month, that has changed. And the values are fantastic – consider redeeming Citi points at over 3 cents apiece for a midrange downtown hotel. There are some great properties, too.
- Aerolineas Argentinas has cut 13% of staff – and snacks – to make itself more attractive for a sale. (HT: @istrakhov)
The airline has trimmed its in-flight snack options, saving the firm more than $500,000 a year, the senior airline source said, as the company took a cue from American Airlines which famously cut an olive from each salad served in first class in the 1980s to reduce costs.
Aerolineas now offers just one dessert in executive class and has cut a cereal bar for economy passengers, the senior company source added.Unions and Milei’s political opponents have fought back, with protests at major airports wreaking havoc on air travel in recent months, causing flight cancellations and delays. In December, Buenos Aires province’s opposition governor said he would oppose any attempt at privatization.
“Our labor is the only weapon we have,” said veteran Aerolineas pilot Juan Pablo Mazzieri, who sports a tattoo of the airline’s logo, an Andean condor, on his shoulder. “We don’t like doing it, but we’re going to cause delays and cancellations.”
- If the Airbnb listing says it’s haunted, you can’t demand a refund because of the ghost right?
Airbnb CEO shares his “most bizarre” customer complaint till date
byu/ASH_National infunny - United Airlines pamphlet on common decency.
Cracking down on “ESA”
byu/usernamecheckout1 inunitedairlines - Boston Chase Sapphire lounge to be closed January 6-16.
- Dubai is the world’s busiest airport by seats flown
The attitude you describe at MIA AA Flagship First Dining is classic Florida/Miami work-ethic. The state really changed over the years, from purple to deep red, more-so than even Texas these days. The Cubans run that place, and the second and third generation do not give a flying %^&$. I actually prefer the main AA Flagship lounge (over the First Dining) for food. Why bother being waited on by people who hate you. Just go to the buffet. Plenty of good options, usually.
Sapphire at Boston truly is a good one, so that’s a shame, but thankfully/hopefully just temporary.
Aerolines… bring out the chainsaw. More austerity incoming!
As always, since ‘dogs on planes’ were mentioned, I look forward to reading the typical hate from commenters who loathe animals. Did empathy ever actually exist? I think not.
MIA and ATL are direct reflections of the local workforce.
I have flown in and out of 26 of the airports on the current busiest list although not very many of them in the last year. I am sure that a lot of people have flown in and out of more.
Are the any new Capital One lounges or Cafés planned, after the new Café at DCA??
Sodexo is pretty awful. They do some of the Delta Sky Club lounges. I don’t know why an airline like Delta doesn’t use one contracted company for all its lounges but they don’t. Maybe Sodexo has an agreement with certain airports? I don’t know. The funny thing is some of the Sodexo jobs pay quite well. You can definitely make more as a Sodexo lounge attendant, let alone manager or supervisor, than working in a midscale restaurant.
And by the way, I’ll go back to my old Peninsula story. Every employee hired by The Peninsula gets a free stay so that they can experience what the customers expect when they stay at the hotel. If you have a waiter or waitress who has never ate at a comparable restaurant, they may not realize or appreciate what the customers expect.
The problem is Delta or American have taken Sodexo employees who were basically just clearing tables and restocking buffets and turned them into waiters at lounge restaurants where customers expect at least midscale restaurant service.
@Rob T- we have an upcoming Capital One Landing at New York LGA and lounges at JFK and Las Vegas if I recall correctly
I don’t understand people think are in a bar! Lounges wont let you get loaded on the alcohol and board the plane! They will control what you drink! Its a liability issue, if you want to get wasted go to a bar at your own risk.
Miami is bad service everywhere you go! The Trumpers wants a better economy but don’t even have their GED and get mad they have to work
I love it, openly racist comments without challenge
Disaster?
@David
Without challenge? You, sir, hardly even tried. How lazy… just like the Sodexo staff in question!
I was in the MIA Flagship lounge a year ago and the peace and quiet was fantastic as well as good food and bubbles.
Yes it was a bit slow, but considering I was the only pax there, I had nothing to complain about. Aren’t we all suffering first world luxury problems?
American Airlines at Miami International AirPort has employees who are very rude. That has been my experience over the 65 years I’ve been traveling through the city.
Had a very similar experience at MIA Flagship Dining. It is a combination of local work ethics and indifference of management. Main Flagship dining is a much better option. AA should stop hyping this Flagship dining. As A Concierge Key I get option to dine there. I have ignored all the offers.
Always found the Miami Flag Ship buffet for breakfast very good. As for David’s comment … wake up and grow up. ATL AND MIA are basically not fixable due to lazy population and server class people.
If the waiter said, they opened at 1:30 it is because that’s when they open. It is a website issue.
Everything’s has to be made from scratch and the passenger was there way to early , and like someone else stated, they won’t overindulge you in alcohol while you wait.
This is the state of premium lounges these days: I went to the AMEX Centurion Lounge in Miami a few weeks ago 4 hours prior to my flight not realizing they give you 2 hours and then it’s up and out. In my case, it was “Sorry you can’t go in now, come back at 2” as I started to walk in. What in the world has happened with American Express, members paying $695 a year and can’t go in because of overcrowding. Has this possibly happened due to the extra Delta overflow? I’ve been an AMEX member for 50 years but this takes the cake. So I went to my gate and sat for 4 hours. If I had gotten in the lounge in the first place, I would have stayed a couple of hours and then gone to my gate. A very unhappy cardmember.
One of the most disjointed articles I’ve ever seen here. It’s like it just ended abruptly.
Does anyone proofread these articles?
I agree the service was bad but it is always slow in those lounges. I was in the AA JFK lounge and a few people asked if/when the food was coming. Polaris is slightly faster but the waiters do disappear.
@David Read
You, just like the other @David, do not seem to get it. At all.
This post is a “[Roundup]” meaning a bunch of random updates.
Besides, Gary’s blog is not supposed to be The Associated Press.
Go seek your hard-hitting investigative journalism elsewhere.