Just when I wrote off upgrades, suggesting that buying them at a discount for $40 was the way, my luck with them seems to have turned around. I’ve cleared on three of my last four segments. We’ll see how the rest of the week goes.
On my trip this week, buy up offers in the American Airlines app and on their website were super expensive. And the prices jumped around! For instance, one segment started out at $442 and dropped to $97, while another went from $247 to around $500 to more than $600.
I assume if American will only sell an upgrade for an additional $600 on a flight that’s less than 1,000 miles they are confident in not giving it away and I’ll keep my exit row aisle.
On an otherwise uneventful flight from Dallas – Fort Worth to Washington’s National airport, the woman in the aisle seat next to me was on her third bloody mary. Shortly before landing a flight attendant came around to collect drinks and other service items. So this passenger held up her finger as if to ask for a moment – and then chugged her vodka and bloody mary mix. The flight attendant visibly cringed and said, “you really didn’t have to do that…”
I drank only water but I did try the chicken parmesan. My upgrade cleared right at 24 hours out, and I wasn’t able to pre-order. But this was an interesting selection and mostly I wanted to taste it.
Now, it’s chicken parmesan with macaroni and cheese, so naturally the side American Airlines selected for it was mozzarella balls.
American Airlines is still offering cardboard box meals on their regional jets, instead of returning to pre-pandemic plated meals. And they frequently overload on salad – my record is three different salads on a single tray domestically. But even massively overcooked, the chicken was tasty!
They just could do with paying more attention to the details of what items pair well with each other in the same meal. That’s their weakness. I see American Airlines ads constantly on social media, “American Airlines checks all the right boxes to get you there,” but sometimes the lack of attention to detail in customer experience reminds me precisely of box checking.
Even if they don’t spend more money, they could put better thought into meal planning. Overall their meals beat Delta (a low bar) but a bit more care here would go a long way.
Not sure what the added edition of the three bloody Mary’s and you only having water…?
American Airlines increased the price for a first-class domestic segment upgrade to over $600 to compensate for the cost of those succulent, tender, juicy, tasty, and salty mozzarella balls.
Upgrade cash offers are all over the map and can change drastically within one day. What it means if you’re looking for a good deal you just have to keep checking, or play the upgrade lottery which increasingly is a losing battle.
Domestic first class meals (other than Flagship business) have declined in quantity and quality since COVID. Some of this was cost cutting and some of this is to appease flight attendants. I don’t see meals being improved.
The people designing the meals must like cheese a lot.
They should have had cheesecake for your dessert.
American’s domestic carering up front is pure trash. Whether I play the pay to upgrade lottery or get upgraded, I bring my own sandwiches or meals with me in my little cooler pouch to sustain myself. If you want bubble guts later on after your flight, then by all means, eat up while you’re sitting in the front.
I’ve had that meal several times and always thought it was pretty decent for domestic airplane food; that said, I perceive it a little differently! I’ve always thought of the pasta as more of a pasta alfredo type dish than a mac and cheese… That makes it a very normal pairing with chicken parm, and makes the antipasto type appetizer a very logical dish as well.
I’d drink 3 bloodies if I had to fly American, too
My balls have cheese on them too.
Until…almost the end, I was waiting for the traditional sentence against Delta!
I had that meal yesterday GEG to DFW but the salad was a green salad plus a corn salad instead of the olives and mozzarella balls you had. The chicken Parmesan and pasta were tasty!
I would actually love that meal!