With the stereotype of bad airplane food now largely put to rest, airlines will often turn toward their lounges to show off what they can do and how they can stand out from competitors on the menu front.
While gaining access to lounges requires either loyalty status or a high fare class, lounges such as Delta (DAL) ‘s SkyClub and United (UAL) ‘s Polaris in the U.S. as well as ones from luxury carriers like Singapore Airlines (SINGF) and Qatar Airways globally offer travelers a wide selection of fine foods and premium spirits — in many cases, the menus are crafted by celebrity chefs to highlight top ingredients from the home country.
Don’t miss the move: SIGN UP for TheStreet’s FREE Daily newsletter
American’s new lounge menu includes taco, slider and breakfast sandwich bars
At the start of March, American Airlines (AAL) slowly began rolling out such new regional offerings at its Admirals Club lounges across the country. These include a build-your-own taco bar in Miami, Southwest bean salad in Phoenix, edamame shrimp teriyaki in Nashville, fig and balsamic chicken with caponata brown rice with mozzarella in New York’s LaGuardia Airport and beef empanadas at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport.
Breakfast dishes offered before 10:30 a.m. include a breakfast slider bar with egg patty and cheddar cheese in New York in a nod to the city’s iconic bodega sandwiches and a salsa verde breakfast wrap in Nashville.
Related: Major airline reverses in-flight food change amid outcry
The new menus have been available in select locations since Mach 5 and will be rolled out at all Admirals Club lounges in the U.S. and Canada by March 17.
American Airlines has also struck new partnerships to make spirits such as Casamigos Añejo Tequila, Kahlua and St.-Germain Elderflower Liqueur available in the same lounges.
‘The spring season has people craving fresh fruits and vegetables’: American
“As spring travel heats up, our customers are eager to see new food and drinks across our menus,” American Airlines Chief Customer Officer Heather Garboden said in a statement. “Whereas warm comfort foods like soups rule the skies in the fall and winter, the spring season has people craving fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as tried-and-true summer dishes like our new sliders and fries.”
American Airlines is also adding new selection of breads and pastries to its AA lounges.
American Airlines
For those traveling in premium economy or higher fares on domestic flights, American Airlines is also launching five new breakfast items: a biscuit with scrambled eggs and chicken sausage gravy, three types of omelets and a smothered veggie and cheese frittata with tomato wedges.
More on travel:
Trump starts presidency with three executive orders affecting travelGovernment issues new travel advisory on popular beach destinationAnother country just issued a new visa requirement for visitors
The same travelers with premium food access can also instead order a slider and fries option on domestic flights of over 900 miles. This menu item was tested on some select flights out of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) earlier this year and was popular enough to roll out to more routes.
The new in-flight menu will be available starting from March 12 but is only accessible to those in higher fare classes; main cabin and basic economy travelers currently get a choice of pretzels or Biscoff cookies as their complimentary in-flight snack. For anything more substantial, there is the Buy On Board menu featuring cheese plates, dry snacks and a small selection of alcoholic beverages on the shorter flights.
Related: Veteran fund manager issues dire S&P 500 warning for 2025
