Earlier this week, I wrote that American Airlines was winning me over with better food in its network of Admirals Club lounges. Now American has made clear this was not a lucky outlier, but part of a deliberate effort to improve dining across its Admirals Club and Flagship Lounge network.
American Airlines Confirms Admirals Club Food Upgrades Are Part Of A Larger Lounge Push
Recall that a few days ago I wrote about how American Airlines is winning me over with improved food offerings in Admirals Club lounges like BBQ pork and brisket. I had recently noticed better hot dishes, improved salads, a more attractive charcuterie spread, and better coffee in lounges like Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, and New York.
Apparently, that was not a fluke.
American has now announced a broader dining upgrade across its Admirals Club and Flagship Lounge network, with more complete meal offerings, more variety, and improved presentation. In Admirals Clubs, American says travelers can expect a frequently refreshed menu, two additional hot items, upgraded charcuterie, and improved premium wine options for purchase.
That lines up with what I have been seeing on the ground.
At Chicago O’Hare, I have consistently found hearty, protein-packed choices that are actually enjoyable: BBQ pork, beef brisket, Sicilian chicken, plus fresh salads, charcuterie, hummus, and Lavazza coffee. No, this is not the sort of lean poultry or fish and vegetables I eat at home, but it is a real improvement over the sad snack spread that characterized airline clubs for so many years.
And for my travel patterns, this matters. If I can eat a satisfying meal in the Admirals Club, I can skip the onboard meal and just work through the flight. Functional Wi-Fi, fewer distractions, and a decent meal before boarding make me more productive and, frankly, more loyal.
Flagship Lounges Add A La Carte Dining
The Flagship Lounge changes also sound encouraging. American says it is expanding à la carte dishes and small plates, adding more interactive dining experiences like action stations and a cheese-monger cart, and rolling out QR-code ordering across all Flagship Lounges after testing it in Philadelphia.
New Flagship Lounge items will include dishes like watermelon cucumber feta salad at DFW, ham and egg chive waffles at Chicago, Thai basil chili crispy shrimp at LAX, citrus-rum shrimp at Miami, pineapple carpaccio at DFW, and sour cherry cheesecake at Philadelphia.
Lounges matter. For frequent travelers, they are offices, restaurants, and sometimes the most pleasant part of the journey. If American wants people to pay more, sign up for co-branded credit cards, and view the airline as more premium, the ground experience has to support that.
More Choices In Admirals Clubs
The Admirals Club upgrades may be even more important because many more passengers use Admirals Clubs than Flagship Lounges.
American lists new Admirals Club dishes like lemon herb chicken and a mac and cheese bar in Denver, Chicago, St. Louis, and Toronto; chipotle lime chicken in Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, Houston, and Nashville; coconut turmeric chickpea and vegetable curry in Miami; build-your-own breakfast tostadas in Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, and Washington National; and rustic zucchini with flame-roasted corn in LAX, Phoenix, Santa Ana, and San Francisco.
I don’t know about you, but every one of those sounds good to me.
Two additional hot items and better presentation may sound incremental, but incremental improvements across a large lounge network matter. When the food is hearty enough to replace an airport restaurant meal (or the food AA still sells in some lounges), the lounge becomes more valuable. When the lounge becomes more valuable, the credit card becomes more compelling. And when the credit card becomes more compelling, American strengthens loyalty and eventually returns to greater profitability.
That is the game here…and I hope it works because I personally love the food upgrades.
CONCLUSION
American Airlines has formally announced broader food upgrades across Admirals Club and Flagship Lounges, confirming what I had already noticed: the food is getting better.
I am pleased to see it. American still has plenty of work to do if it wants to close the premium gap with Delta and United, but better lounge dining is a tangible step in the right direction. I have been consistently enjoying the hot dishes and salads in Admirals Clubs lately. If American can keep improving the food and presentation, its lounges become a much stronger reason to choose American.
Very, very nice. I wish UA would improve its clubs food offerings like this. I love my local Denver United Clubs but many times the dining options are just lacking.
Hand rolls and chopsticks… Why not?!
Feast on!
From my experience, Admirals Clubs usually lag behind Sky Clubs and United Clubs, in terms of food. Like, sure, if you’re lucky, maybe, you can find a plate of guac and chips, or chicken cacciatore, but otherwise, pay-up if you want a mere quesadilla… not the most welcoming feature.
If AA wants to be considered among the best, they should compare their lounges to those of leading Asian and Middle Eastern airlines. Many of those lounges offer real, freshly prepared food with far more variety.
The dessert selection could also use a serious upgrade. The blueberry cookies and cupcakes don’t feel like premium lounge offerings. They should consider adding better desserts, an ice cream bar, and a larger selection of fresh-cut fruit.
Improving the food experience would go a long way toward making the lounges feel more competitive and memorable.