Kudos to American Airlines for really improving the food menu at its Admirals Club lounges. I’ve been seriously impressed by the beef brisket and BBQ pork along with fresh salads and new charcuterie options.

American Airlines Has Upped Its Admirals Club Food Game

AA is really trying hard to re-invent itself, recognizing that if it wants to command a premium for its fares and get more people to sign-up for co-branded credit cards, it must offer a compelling product. We’ve seen that onboard with the new A321XLR and 787-9 but I’m seeing it on the ground too with more and better food at its network of Admirals Club Lounges.

Take Chicago O’Hare for example, for months there has been a a chicken “Sicilian Roasted Chicken” dish which I quite like (a relatively lean source of protein and nicely flavored). Typically there’s also a pasta option like gnocchi that I pass on, but looks decent.

But lately these items have remained and there has been BBQ as well. For some time it was BBQ pork with crispy onions, which was a very delicious dish:

More recently, it has been BBQ beef brisket, a very delicious meal such that I prefer to eat on the ground rather than in the air.

There’s also an expanded charcuterie with a nice selection of meats, cheeses, crackers, fruits, nuts, and spreads and a very delicious salad with cole slaw, cucumbers, and a nice mustard sauce. There’s always hummus too, at least one decent soup, and the coffee has been upgraded to LavaZZa.

I picked ORD as an example, but I’ve noticed great improvements in Boston (BOS), Los Angeles (LAX), and New York (JFK) as well.

In short, the AA lounge network is a huge value add for me. I fly a lot and maximizing my work (with functional Wi-Fi and few distractions) is very important in the air so that I can dedicate more time to my family on the ground.

Offering hearty, protien-filled, pleasantly tasting food makes me more loyal to American Airlines.