Meal service – both improvements and “enhancements” – have been the topic of discussion lately on this blog and others. Recently, American Airlines revised their First Class meal standards, and then brought certain aspects back.
On a flight from Washington Reagan to Dallas/Ft. Worth, I had the choice of a beef or pasta entree. Interestingly, the flight attendant, when serving dinner, offered the selections as “meat or pasta.” Ok, so it wasn’t the most professional, but that’s not the point of this rant.
First off, the lead flight attendant serving first class used a beverage cart for the entire service. I know many find this unprofessional and not very First Class like, but that argument can go either way. Again, not the point of my rant.
The flight attendant, when serving from that beverage cart, did serve the entire meal at once – beverage, meal, dessert and all – on one tray. Okay, this irks me a little bit. No pre-meal beverage service (I’m not talking about on the ground)? Was the flight attendant so lazy they had to also provide dessert with dinner on the same tray? It seemed like the flight attendant had other better things to do, which while frustrating, really seemed like it had an impact on the service, and on the passengers. Sure the meal was cold, and sure it was airline food to begin with – I guess I should be happy to get a meal in First – but when the flight attendant does the entire service in one fowl swoop, it really makes me question not only his training, but where the service standards may be going with the “new” American.
Oh – and I know why the cookie was served with the main meal – that’s because it’s already pre-baked, and isn’t as good as the old cookie. 🙁
Rant over. 🙂
Jamie Larounis is an avid traveler, blogger and miles/points educator. Traveling well over 100,000 miles a year and staying in hotels for over 100 nights, he leverages miles, points and other deals to fly in first class cabins, and stay in 5-star hotels. The Forward Cabin shares his experiences, musings, reviews, tips, tricks, resources and industry news with you, the fellow traveler.
Oh my…I wonder what the starving people of the world would think if they got their dessert served with their entree. I understand your point about the level of service but seriously, are there not more serious things in the world, or your life, to worry about?
I’m curious why the cart in FC is upsetting to you? 🙂
When you fly a ton, and it almost becomes a second home, you start to notice things… Not necessarily bad things, but you take note as if it was your own place of business, your own home, your own restaurant, your own place of entertainment, etc.