American Airlines advertises meals as one of the benefits of first class travel. Specifically, “Meal service on flights over 900 miles during meal times.”
They say they are “elevating your dining experience” and that meals in premium cabins “are healthy, delicious” – so it’s not just food, it’s good food that’s good for you, too.
Of course airlines advertise one thing to convince you to buy a ticket, and to spend more. And they deliver something else. One of the most common occurrences is advertising their most comfortable seats to get you to spend more to upgrade from coach to first class, and then delivering something entirely different.
For instance this was a pitch to upgrade to first class on a standard domestic Airbus A321. They show you that you’re getting their lie flat seat that’s only on the Airbus A321T which operates mostly between New York JFK and premium West Coast markets.
Customers spending the extra money based on what American shows them get this instead:
And too often they get this:
So is it any surprise when a passenger complains that American Airlines failed to cater their first class flight, the airline says,
Our ticket price reflects the cost of transportation. Any meals and snacks served on our flights are considered complimentary conveniences.
It’s like the eBay seller that promises something they aren’t allowed to sell, but claims they’re really only selling “a white envelope” and the contents of that envelope are just a free gift.
This was flight AA2676, a 5:22 p.m. departure from Newark to Phoenix, which is a 2,133 miles and at dinner time. The customer did not get what they were entitled to. American Airlines says they did, falling back on ‘we’re just selling transportation and not the things we advertise.’ That is what their contract of carriage says, of course, and under existing precedent you have no recourse other than complaining to the Department of Transportation which is unlikely to be sympathetic because you received… transportation.
This isn’t just an American Airlines problem – it’s the structure of how a single federal agency’s regulation replaces the standard practices that other industries have to follow and how they’re exempt from common law rules and practices.
It’s a dumb reply that you wouldn’t see from DL/UA, but they also got 15K miles for it — that seems fair
So embarrassing, there’s nothing else to say. Just embarrassing 🙁
And if you get food poisoning or moldy food from the flight experience that is not their responsibility too? So lame
Poor American Airlines, how long before everyone realizes they are fast sinking to budget carrier levels of service coupled with employees who are surly and combative?
To be fair, if you read the linked post they did compensate with 15,000 miles. That changes the whole mood of this article. But, I do agree – had they left this line out of their response, it would have seemed more sincere.
@Gary, am I the only person who observes that our major US airlines are in a collective race to the bottom? With DL and AA jostling for first place?
People eat that!? GROSSS!!!
Given all the TSA restrictions and gross airport food prices, a meal in any class on a 2000-mile flight shouldn’t even be an option – it needs to be standard like it used to be.
I never used to travel with food/snacks. Now, with so many delays that keep you at the gate or on the plane for hours, I always have a sandwich, P3 pack, and other stuff in my purse. I had a gastric bypass 2+ years ago, so I don’t do well with sugar and other “only carb” options (like 5 mini bags of pretzels). So at TSA, I claim a few 11oz protein drinks as a medical necessity in my carry-on.
Misleading advertisements aside, I think it’s great AA is being forthright by saying it’s actually only promising you transport and anything else depends on their whims. The question we need to ask is if what AA is actually promising to give us is worth the usual and often hefty premium over Frontier, Spirit, or even Southwest in some sense, whose only promise is to do the same. Honestly, my direct DFW-SFO flight on Frontier earlier this year was no worse than AA, at half the price.
While AA could have been a little more empathetic and reworded their answers, they technically aren’t wrong; read the Condition of Carriage. The short version, you’re paying them to get you from point A to point B.
Anyone who expects a quality meal on a domestic flight is insane; I typically decline the meals and eat before or after arrival (for International Carriers, that’s a different story).
What I don’t get from this guy is his flight had a SD of 5:30 but didn’t leave till 10:43, so he had five (5) hours to get food, and on top of that, he was in the club, which stayed open late due to the delay. Furthermore, he was offered one of those wonderful snack boxes and a snack basket. So it’s not like he was starving for a flight that’s scheduled for 5h25min and often times arrives 45 minutes early.
He should be grateful he got 15k in miles, as I’m sure the agent. who responded was rolling their eyes.
As a side note, “They show you that you’re getting their lie-flat seat” with their airport upsell. First and most important part, nowhere in the offer does it say it’s a lie-flat seat, and secondly, most that only fly a few times a year would never know the picture used for marketing is a lie-flat only used on the 321T. For those of us who travel and know where on a 321Neo or 37Max, we’re not even paying attention to the photo, and if we did, we already know those aircraft don’t magically have that seat which again, doesn’t say, imply or show that it’s lie-flat.
You need to refund my money, you posed as Netflix it says no money will be charged but that was a lie
I don’t understand people. You should know when you fly a ULCC (basically any US airline), you’re lucky just to get to your destination within 6 hours of what your ticket says.
If “what we sell you is the cost of transportation”, then the pax should go to small claims court and sue for the differential between first class (paid) and basic economy. Every fare class gets the same transportation from point A to point B. The fare differential is merely a complementary payment, no?
It is always amazing that the complimentary meals cannot be catered but the huckstered food for sale is catered. I understand that the meals are perishable. If it a problem with that just load up with nonperishable items to give to those who would have got the perishable meals so they have the best flights possible under difficult circumstances.
American Airlines has reached yet another low Truly they could have had the professionalism to have handled this differently and better. Their response and attitude is pretty deplorable and grossly absent of basic customer service standards. Yes, they are well on their way in the race to the bottom. It is time for them to press the reset button and redefine the customer experience. It is a competitive market and people vote with their wallets.
They should be embarrassed by their reputation.
AA is making themselves look extremely foolish, first class has a premium price tag and should come with a premium all around experience. What’s next? Will they put economy seats in first class saying the other seats were just a bonus? Not worth flying them when they have such an ignorant view of what the premium customer expects.
Our family now systematically seek forein airlines that still offer a semblance of service, or don’t charge a fortune for no service.
@David Reed Get ready for it to get worse. As of 2024 most customer relations will be handled by bot responses and offshore. American Airlines cares about their CEO and investor profits. Everyone else can go pound sand.
@ SMR — I was served the identical meal photographed above last week on ATL-LAX. I ate 10% of it. It was absolutely disgusting. I would have preferred a bag of chips and a cookie. Pathetic. Why do they even bother?
The American Airlines greed has gone too far. No meals in First Class. What next? Charge for first class baggage?
Where in the above advertisement does it say “lie flat seats”? It says “largest most comfortable seat”. In addition, in the photo following where you say you “more often get this” is something that rarely occurs. As always, crack reporting on your part.
@J Last – it is a photo of a seat which lies fully flat with direct aisle access. The aircraft also does not feature the airline’s largest, most comfortable seat. The text doesn’t say “asterisk, largest *that happens to be on the aircraft that flies your route*, does not match photo”
@Gene – I’ve had that identical meal twice now. Maybe I got lucky, but both times, I thought it was actually pretty good.
AA serving food less frequently is first this year. Pathetic
Pete Buttigeig is really a terrible secretary of transportation. I mean it’s one of the only cabinet level positions where you can make an impact on actual plebes day to day lives and yet nothing but ATC delays and unaccountable airlines. Go back to Indiana – now that is a place that is the equivalent to a LUS A320 with a missing seat in J.
@Mikey B – I’ve been served the meal 3 times over the past couple of months, once when I actually selected it versus what amounted to a non-meal option and twice when it was the only thing left (I was upgraded close to departure so could not pre-select). It was genuinely inedible all 3 times, though the crackers are good.
Except for the Americas, I will only fly foreign airlines for any international travel. Mileage points have been devalued and has so many rules that they are useless. I only use cash back cards now.
US airlines are the worst.
It’s an airline, not a restaurant. People and their entitlements.
First class on an American airline is like first class on a Greyhound.
Hmm. I’m always baffled by the complaints of AA. I’ve always had great experiences- both in coach and in first class. During recent trip to Hawaii, they served great food with the exception of one meal that posed as a frittata and tasted horrible but everything else was delicious and the staff was excellent. I’d fly them over Southwest, any day! Nothing wrong with SW…I just like knowing where I’m sitting in advance.
Sounds like “818 Pilot LAX” is moonlighting as a PR rep for AA! Lol. Bottom line is you pay extra, sometimes a lot more for a FC seat and you have an expectation when you board and during your flight. This is a different expectation than what an economy passenger would expect. It’s like the difference between a 3 star Michelin restaurant and McDonalds!
Not sure I am now looking forward to my upcoming AA flight in F from ANC to JFK via DFW. Those are long flights without food and there is no AA lounge in ANC.
The best way to get back at an airline is complain to the DOT. All airlines hate that more than anything because it counts against their rating stats that get published. Of course, you won’t get anything out of it except the satisfaction that you have really pissed off senior management at their headquarters.
Union scum being Union scum.
AA leafs 5 in the race to the bottom at the expense of the customer loyalty they once could boast of. Since the pandemic they specialize in excuses, cutbacks, reactive snarls and higher prices. I wish I had more choices than AA, or at least more come to Jesus surveys. Low Expectations in Dallas
I’m flying into the US in December and the domestic part of my flight from SF to Charlotte is with AA. After reading comments over recent weeks about AA I’m not looking forward to it. Last time I was in the US i travelled Delta, I thought that was bad enough.
For the final part of this trip from NC to CT I’ll be flying with Canada Air. Does anyone know much about this airline?.
After being disappointed, disrespected, abandoned by AA they are not my first choice anymore. You pay way much and have the grumpiest staff, that behave like they hate the passengers, their lives, their jobs. Serious people, stop using this airline.
Feels like it’s a losing battle expecting any sort of quality service from US based air carriers these days. Even as an Exec Plat with AA this year, I’m consistently flying other airlines whenever I have the chance. Internationally I’ve flown Japan and Ethihad and both were significantly better experiences with food and flight attendants that seemed happy to be there
Domestically I have even started using Southwest again as I never seem to clear upgrades on American.
2024 I’m definitely just going with whichever carrier makes the most sense for the given flight. Loyalty is going out the window.
I’m flying ORD-PHX this month, on a breakfast flight, in First.
My choices are smoked salmon, with eggs and a salad, or a vegetarian frigate.
Really? How about something you might find at IHOP or Waffle House?
Now, American’s meal service has health guru Ellie Krieger creating dishes. Before it was some chef in Dallas with modern twists on Italian dishes, and not what someone’s grandmother from Italy would make.
I understand that inflation is throwing airline kitchens for a loop. But enough with novella cuisine or healthy fare. Get someone like Emeril Lagasse to create dishes.
The appropriate agency to complain to is the FTC for false advertising and the FCC and post office for wire fraud. The best part is the openly admit the FTC case.
“Health Airline food “ is an Oxymoron. It’s Has to be loaded with fats, sugars & salt to stimulate your HALF working taste buds at cruising altitude, thats science. Airlines using marketing to part you and your money, that is not science
Of course it’s fruitless to complain to the DOT when this is clearly an FTC issue as it has to do with advertising not the carriage contract.
Easy, AA should buy the ground beef patties with sauce/gravy, mixed vegetables, and mashed potatoes from the Hungry Man frozen meal company for $10.00 USD, heat those in the microwave oven, and serve those.
I haven’t even taken our flight but I’m never ever going to recommend or use AA ever again. There customer service is the absolute worst, they need to change their name and take AMERICAN off. They should call it PUTIN AIRLINES after RUSSIA. They treat there passengers like they are Communist.
@Chuck agree wholeheartedly. I’m sick and tired of seeing these dishes that are like the airline equivalent of caviar, something that looks rich and people pretend to like, when really a lot of people would be disgusted if it were a common food.
Give us an option for a hearty if more plain meal. Of my friends who can afford caviar, 95% of them would take a good pasta bake instead any day.
This just in. AA sucks.
You better believe that if the pilots or flying waitresses do not receive their union mandatory meal, the flight will be cancelled.
It doesn’t matter if they put it in the contract of carriage or not. Theyre still subject to Sec 5 of the FTC act. You cannot advertise a commercial product of any kind in the US in a false or deceptive manner. Whoever experiences this should file a complaint with the FTC, not DOT.
@ David M Hoffman — That would be outside of their $6 budget.
American Airlines keeps raising prices, devaluing miles and providing horrible service. Consumers keep supporting them. If you want a change, boycott American, file complaints with regulators and take them to court.