Meals in American Airlines’ first- class cabins, a throwback to the bygone era of free food for all fliers, are poised to disappear from some shorter flights.
Snacks will replace full meals as of Sept. 1 on trips of less than 2 hours, 45 minutes, except on busy routes such as New York-Chicago. Meals now start on flights of 2 hours, according to American, which is making the change on service within the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.
The shift at the world’s largest airline blurs the line between coach and premium cabins, where complementary meals have long differentiated the pricier, roomier seats at the front of the plane. American’s policy also moves the Fort Worth, Texas- based company closer to the standards at its biggest rivals, United Continental Holdings Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc.
“When I hear they are playing with that competitive advantage, that saddens me,” Jay Sorensen, a former Midwest Airlines marketing director, said yesterday in an interview. “They are now in mode of making good money and I was hoping we were going to see carriers uphold quality.”
First-class passengers on flights of less than 1 hour will receive a “packaged snack,” while those on trips of less than 2 hours will get a basket with a “variety of sweet and savory snack options,” according to an e-mail yesterday to members of the airline’s AAdvantage frequent-flier plan.
Snack Basket
Flights of 2 hours to 2 hours, 45 minutes will now offer a snack basket with fresh fruit and breakfast breads or sandwiches and packaged snacks. A spokesman, Casey Norton, couldn’t immediately say what percentage of American’s flights are less than 2 hours 45 minutes.
“We looked at what the customers wanted, and found a good number of customers didn’t want a full meal on a flight less than 2 hours,” Norton said in an interview.
Norton said the new rules will align meal practices at American and US Airways, which operate separately as they await U.S. clearance to combine service after their December merger formed parent American Airlines Group Inc. In April, the minimum flight time for US Airways’ first-class meals was cut to 2 hours 45 minutes from 3 1/2 hours.
Sorensen, who is now president of consultant IdeaWorksCompany in Shorewood, Wisconsin, said American’s move takes it to the brink of abandoning premium service on shorter flights.