Brady Byrnes, the Senior Vice President of Inflight and Premium Guest Services at American Airlines, may be in charge of catering and premium cabins at AA, but he believes “it really doesn’t matter what you serve” onboard. That view explains a lot…
American Airlines SVP: “It Really Doesn’t Matter What You Serve”
Byrnes made the remarks earlier this year in a CNBC interview on in-flight catering (talk about irony). I had missed these remarks, but NonstopDan noted them in a recent (very poor) review of American Airlines 777-200 business class (mirroring my own recent poor flight from Los Angeles to New York in “Flagship Business”) . I’ve queued the video to the clip from Byrnes:
“It really doesn’t matter what you serve, the number one outlier that is important to our customers is running an on-time operation.”
(Here’s the full CNBC clip)
But is Byrnes wrong? Isn’t the most important thing that a customer arrives safely and on time?
Yes, of course.
But’s it not a mutually-exclusive situation. Quite the contrary, safe and on-time performance strikes me as a given…the sort of thing that does not merit praise just like my son should not be praised for doing his chores. It is expected!
Maybe I’m just low-class and too easy to please, but I find the food on American Airlines just fine (perhaps because I fly United Airlines so often). But I hear complaints all the time about it.
My most recent flight from LAX-JFK may have had an acceptable breakfast, but it showed me that Byrnes truly does seem to think that the only thing that matters is on-time performance. Yes indeed, my flight was on-time. But my seat controls were broken, my seat itself was broken, my power port was broken, my screen was broken, and the flight attendants were surly and inattentive…what a joke.
I’m pretty savvy with miles and points and also rather flexible with my travel, meaning I rarely pay top dollar for an airline ticket. But pity the people who pay thousands or even tens of thousands for transcontinental or intercontinental business class tickets and receive the sort of service I did.
A little thoughtfulness and creativity go a long way…and I think many passengers on the margins–those passengers who do have discretion when buying tickets–absolutely would disagree with Byrnes…and AA’s flat profitability propped up only by its loyalty program seems to verify this.
CONCLUSION
I contend that while the overwhelming majority of people do not buy tickets based on the food and drink served onboard, it does play a role in helping travelers form qualitative assessments about an airline. The “fool me once…” idiom is true: you might fool a passenger once, but if the overall experience is bad, it doesn’t matter how early the flight arrives. So yes, it matters what you serve onboard.
image: American Airlines
On the other hand, AA has given up on premium flyers, so for their market, he is probably right. I can’t even imagine flying AA international. I just fly them on short domestic directs, where they are acceptable.
@Arthur … +1 .
I disagree. I don’t find them acceptable on domestic flights, either.
There are still many of us international flight attendants, especially the more senior ones who remember having the items to do a fine service. And we continue to do our best, even when we do not receive the best of the best ‘tools’ to work with
When you are paying for a premium class of service, the airline better deliver a premium class of service. American Airlines will leave without catering being delivered to push back on time. They either need to be competitive in premium-class service or give up on it. I am flying AA first class from DFW to LHR on Alaska Airlines miles. I have already decided to have dinner at the AA Flagship First Dining before boarding this flight.
My experience making suggestions at US restaurants on how to improve food quality and presentation is management have a script of pre-made excuses to avoid the increased costs of seasoning and staffing to make dishes a la minute. I’ve said it for decades. US carriers should just pass a bucket of buttermilk marinated fried chicken, biscuits,macaroni and cheese, cabbage slaw and blackened thick cut fries and call it a day.
Why does this guy even have a job in charge of premium inflict services if he says none of it matters?
In flight services. Not inflict…although maybe that works too.
Perhaps he is an honest person ?
Easy. The airline hires someone in this position to reflect the strategy at the top. So someone who truly cares about the premium experience and is willing to spend money to deliver it would run counter to corporate philosophy. This job is not to advocate for the premium passenger or experience, it’s to deliver the minimally viable premium product at the lowest cost. They probably think he’s doing a great job given his marching orders.
That is exactly what I was going to write. I’m flying AA internationally at Christmas and I know that I will regret it. In my humble opinion they are three bottom of the food chain.
He’s a company man, that’s why.
My problem with AA food is it’s TOO fancy. Why do eggs need spinach, artichoke, mushrooms or other stuff with them? Why does the sausage need to be apple turkey? Why sweet potatoes instead of regular ones?
Guaranteed 99% of eggs, sausage and potatoes served at breakfast on Americans tables contains none of these extras.
This isn’t a gourmet meal at an overpriced restaurant, it’s a quick meal on a flight. Wake up and read the room AA, or just have the FA’s take pics of the amount of uneaten food that gets sent back daily.
Now this is funny saying AA food is too fancy… guess this is customer AA is looking for! LMAO!
Exactly how do you order breakfast daddy?
I know, you are a fancy lad and don’t eat at the places regular Americans do.
Must agree with simplicity being a better approach to airline food. Every time I see ” executive chef ” for an airline menu I feel it never improves the meals. Extra spices are just another way to hide poor ingredients.
I agree as well – may cover such an occurence with Alaska Airlines tomorrow.
Matthew, bon appetite
Except we have seen other airlines, primarily outside the US, who do fancy meals and do them well. It can be done.
This is the same guy that spent so much of his time in his previous role antagonizing flight attendants during union negotiations. No wonder AA is cooked.
Well they don’t run an exceptionally on time operation either, so there does that leave them?
There’s no secret I’m the first to criticize American Airlines. I have often criticized Brady Byrnes in particular. And when I saw this it triggered for me exactly what I view as wrong with American
– that they see operational reliability as sufficient, not merely table stakes
– that the details of the product get short shrift, people working on them aren’t rewarded for delivering quality, and by underemphasizing experience at the top levels of management an ethos runs through the organization of checking boxes – delivering a product at low cost, rather than even getting the best product possible for that same low cost.
However I didn’t write about Brady’s statement because
– it was from a 10 month old interview
– that was all about… the catering product that they deliver
– how it varies, how they were investing in a new catering facility to deliver it
So Byrnes was simply caveating that investment with ‘but we first have to deliver that quality product’ (the video even takes voice from one part of the video juxtaposed with an image from another).
Byrnes is parroting a message that Isom says all the time, and that I think is wrong. They need to run on-time, but they also need to deliver a quality experience. And American has an above average need to do this. They have high costs and high debt so they need a revenue premium. They can’t mirror Spirit and Frontier and survive on Spirit and Frontier revenue. Their network alone is not the product.
Still, I thought it was a bit unfair to be using this video clip of Brady Byrnes as the vehicle to make that point. And it seemed unfair of Nonstop Dan as it’s not really a fair splicing; too out of context.
I love your “Fake Gary Leff” account on X. Your takes are the best!
You love the jealous prick that runs that paraody account?
Wait? It’s not Gary laughing at himself?
Is that an AB page?
It’s a trolling parody account. Gary doesn’t have time for that crap.
This is the same blockhead that thinks spinach & sweet potatoes are fancy so just consider the source. It’s no surprise – based on anything he says ever – that he couldn’t pick up on anything like a troll with a fake social media account.
Sam, I’ll ask again, what percentage of people do you think add spinach to their eggs daily? And what percentage of people eat sweet potatoes at breakfast instead of regular potatoes?
So why would they not serve the popular choice?
Yes! Gary is the real troll: so much clickbait of nonsense. It’s sad to see his devolution from someone on FlyerTalk with worthwile customer-centric tips and advocacy to sloppy self-serving rants and sensational posts that I regret the moment my Google feed shows them. The fake Gary Leff account is spot-on.
When is AA going to say out loud what is obvious — that they they lust after Marriotts transformation from operator to network management?
The mba dream of just outsource the money losing human parcel shipping business and focus on the financial games of selling and devaluing points.
In the case of AA, I’m a bit inclined to agree with him. Other than AF or TK, no European carriers serve food that is remarkably better than anyone else. On most of AA’s routes they’re not competing with the ME3, or really even Asian carriers. Perhaps on Japan routes, but discerning travelers can book JL, and AA is 100% fine with that. AA matches or exceeds US carriers on basically all routes.
I wish the food was better, but I follow his logic.
Not sure about that, as I have had some great meals on A3 and TAP. The likes of Lufthansa and KLM, however, are unlikely to be better than the US carriers.
Fine, I’ll let you have TAP, but I don’t think a few good meals on short hauls from ATH on A3 means AA needs to step their game up.
I’ve had excellent meals on TAP with good wine selections.
Also, BA’s Do&Co catering is very good. I’ve also had good Indonesian-inspired meals on KLM and some good meals on LH. All head and shoulders above the US big 3. Heck, even SN (well, that might be due to the Belgian beer selection).
Austrian has good food too. SAS isn’t too bad either.
Until the fools stop paying for first class seats do you expect anything is going to change?
PLEASE, no more NS Dan publicity. Yet another insufferable YTube reviewer. HARD PASS
As I have said before, he and Josh Cahill and Sam Chui are not YouTubers I enjoy…but they’ve done a tremednous job in building up an audience and a business.
This weekend, my wife asked me how many air miles I will have traveled in 2024, by year’s end. I calculated that it will likely be just under 154,000. After reading this article, I looked up how many of them are on American: 3497. I didn’t realize how much I had been avoiding American until that moment. But there is a reason, and it’s made evident by this article. As a former EP who used to go out of my way to fly “my” airline, it makes me sad.
My takeaway: BYOF (Bring your own food)
I watched the video, had never heard of this guy. So if you’re on a flight with him, do you have listen to him yammering on into his little microphone the whole time? Makes me glad I’m half deaf (but if I had my hearing aids on during the flight they would pick up all of his running commentary).
Related question – how can you be an experienced traveler and not have your own headphones + a bluetooth adapter and/or your own selection downloaded to a device? It’s best to just assume that peripheral stuff on the plane is not going to work.
I had my own stuff…but I think assuming the aircraft systems won’t work, especially the a/c power, is not a reasonable approach.
Have to agree with Mr. Klint here, presuming things won’t work in a premium cabin, kind of feels like you’ve accepted this based on your travel experiences. And you shouldn’t…nor should anyone else. Not sure if that’s a particular airline in particular- but I certainly have one in mind. This also reminds me of a colleague who is part of Admirals Club but insists on finding food in the terminal and sometimes sneaking it into the club since the Clubs offerings are usually dried out veg and orange cheese, pretzels. Not quite looking to compete globally, but assumedly catering to local demands.
I was thinking more of a Murphy’s Law-type way – even the best airlines can have things go wrong and while the follow-up may be better on top carriers, you could still be stuck with an inoperable screen, etc. it’s best to be prepared.
And Matthew, sorry, I was referring to the YouTubers video, not to your experience. He made a big production about his headphones not working which yes, that is unfortunate, but that could happen on a new plane or on a flight where everything else is perfect. And again, a great airline might excel at making things right, but getting one pax a working set of headphones in that moment is not going to be a priority when trying to dispatch a flight.
Having said all that, I think it’s a well known fact that AA is not maintaining the 321Ts since they are not long for this world in their current form, and I doubt any amount of passenger outcry will affect what AA sees as a practical decision. Just as you go to war with the army you have, at this point you go to LAX from JFK on the planes AA has, not the ones you wish they had. Ie, there’s no way I would book AA transcon right now, I’d rather change planes somewhere.
There were once road warriors. Now we are air warriors. Comfortable survival is in the hands of the passengers.
It’s funny to me that BoardingArea commenters love mock Delta for their “premium” stuff (I have partaken in a few shots tbf) but then AA exists with this mentality. I guess we just treat AA like a literal retard and pat in on the head when they drop the ball
If everything you mentioned about your seat and equipment for you at your seat? American clearly ignores these faults and only wants your money! What about passenger comfort and service? If American cant or wont offer these services consistently? why fly with them. Clearly they don’t care of the person who buys the ticket. Only there money. Fly United/Delta, or take your time getting where your going and fly regional, less passengers, stop at airports you have no intention of visiting, connect and stretch your legs, grab a beer an burger, then back on board to another airport lol. Great way to loose a day “ travelling” I’ve flown BUF-MCO-BNA, BNA-BWI-BUF on SW. g
Good fun if your not in a hurry.
This was what I experinced:
https://liveandletsfly.com/a321t-flagship-business-american-airlines/
I primarily fly domestic, and my feeling is that the recent changes in the diversity of menus and the the quality of the food have been a good thing – it goes a long way towards fixing the awful dreck they served when they brought back in-flight meals after the pandemic.
Now if only I could once again feel that AA really valued the loyal customers who actually put their butts in the seats and fly the miles. But it’s obvious that they’ve given up on that.
American is well, very much, American, but not coastal American, but very mid…American. Now, it’s been a minute since I’ve been in Delta One, but was overall pleased my F&B and service in Polaris. I have experienced American business and its partners somewhat frequently.
What I do notice is that they certainly have their fans of soft service who want generally simple things, Coke, Whiskey, really cold temps, and less um…exotic foods, Many of my work colleagues based in Texas, who are great people have “sensitive” pallets and and prefer sticking to things they know, even in premium cabins, e.g. a Cheeseburger, a pepperoni calzone, chicken enchiladas (current aboard American)…flights on other carriers (Air France, ANA) were not deemed worth revisiting. And that’s ok, they have their preferences and I have mine. I do think UA (at least in Polaris) and Delta tend to have more impressive/global fare and presentation among U.S. carriers, along with better clubs and service, but I think this is also why AA generally has a better grip and share of the center, while UA and DL outperform along the coasts and non-American travelers.
Just grab a subway at the airport and hop on Southwest, at least they’re on time more than AA..And I fly AA at least once a week, Executive Platinum, means nothing now.
Probably too late in the day for my comments, but I have to say I enjoy airline meals in general. But this NonstopDan, when I watch the whole video, the meals on the menu he show have no relation to what he actually eats. Did I miss that he ordered special meals or something?
He orders vegetarian special meals.
Well maybe they should focus on time because they are failing miserably at that and people are starving along the way.
BTW we gave up on safely during 9/11
SEAT IS WHAT YOU PAY FOR
Then why not save a boatload and fly Spirit, RyanAir, or take a Greyhound?
I ordered Asian Meals for my flights – their own website stated – Spicy meal with limited use of dairy. What I got was fruit, bagel, milk, butter and cheese. (Limited to what – 100%), I wondered what to do with milk? Dunk stale bagel in it – only to be delivered a small box of cereal that FA dropped somewhere along the way. 2nd flight did have Asian (if you count a couple of ginger shreds on a unrecognizable mash of something, but definitely could not be called a meal (for human consumption) . I wish I could post photo evidence but maybe better to try to forget it all together. To be called SVP of inflight service would imply they do provide service – what an overstatement in the title. Frankly I don’t know how anyone with a clear conscience can go on TV and be anything but ashamed of their role.
I fully agree. Just REAL simple food.
Just got off flight DFW to FRA in business and the food wasn’t eatable!
Terrible. Brisket—-boot leather. So sad. I have worked for AA twice in my life and we always fly AA but the food
Please just real American food. Enough of this ………please listen to us. Flag Ship lounge lacking this time too. HELP……..
I only fly revenue F domestically. Others may disagree, but I find the food on DL far better than that of AA on domestic F flights. I am EXP and live in a hub fortress but go out of my way to fly DL at every single opportunity for both the food and the service. I get PDBs at least 2-3 times more often, the FAs are mostly far more pleasant, and the food is much better. So it does indeed make a difference to revenue customers like me.
I blame all of this on the culture of USAirways, the cancer that metastasized in American Airlines.
I am convinced that the executives who run airlines that leave much to be desired not only are fully cognisant of the inferiority of their airline (and their hand in it), but also would only fly other, superior airlines whenever they can.
Agreed.
AA is a low cost carrier masquerading as a traditional airline.
Honestly…I really don’t care about the food airlines serve. I mean sure, the better the food the better the flight, and it’s always nice when food is included on the price in short-haul flights (which is a rarity these days, at least where I live), but I value a comfortable seat, well-kept cabin, good IFE (especially a good map), and a friendly crew more than the food, because those aspects stay with you throughout the flight, and I tend to remember those more.
If an airline excels with their food, great, and I’ll give them credit for it. But it’s just not what I look for on a flight.
One of the reasons we’re booked on an Asian airline in business class on our upcoming trip to Taiwan. Not only was the fare considerably CHEAPER (by several thousand dollars!) than AA or UA or DL, but service, food, and hard product are significantly better than any US airline. We make a couple of international trips a year and after horrendous service and debacles with US carriers in the past, we will only consider foreign airlines for our flights. US airlines are only for (horrible) domestic service and that’s only because theres no other choice.
it really doesn’t matter who you fly, thus, that is why this attitude is why I fly United…. “how creative” will always now be stuck in my mind……
There is a simple solution for passenger woees. Allow the foreign airlines fly domestic in the USA. Then watch the magic happen !
Would love this, but never going to happen.