American Airlines Is Rolling Out New First Class Meals – View from the Wing

American Airlines is in the process of rolling out what’s being called a “complete refresh” of domestic first class meals. Many routes are already seeing new offerings, and it’s expected that these new meals will be served on all meal flights by February 14th – American’s Valentine’s Day gift to premium cabin flyers and those with status receiving upgrades.

Here’s the internal message American Airlines has shared with employees about the change to meals:

This change couldn’t come soon enough. I don’t want to see another Golden Chicken, and I certainly don’t want to see another short rib. Short ribs may ‘reheat well’ since they’re full of fat, but the ones being served on American Airlines for an interminable amount of time are not good.

An American Airlines spokesperson shared details on the new offerings. Here’s a photo of (3) meals:

• Mediterranean Bowl
• Chicken Breast with Mojo Sauce, Poblano Black Bean Rice, and Plantains
• Penne Pasta with Plant Based “Meat” Ragu and Ricotta

And here’s another photo with (3) meals:

• Edamame and Mandarin Orange Slaw Salad
• Chicken Parmesan with Strozzapreti Pasta and Chunky Tomato Sauce
• Vegetable Enchilada with Red Rice and Green Chili Sauce

American’s cycle is now to refresh domestic first class meals annually, which is the cadence they had slipped to prior to the pandemic. In earlier times they would rotate out entrees quarterly.

There is no change to the 900-mile distance or departure time that qualifies for a meal, and American hasn’t brought back meals to specific shorter ‘exception markets’ (like Chicago – DC) either.

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