Huh?!

What's This? Food in First?


Updated February 2015
Well with the AA merger, warm nuts have returned to first class on US Airways flights. But strangely, the pillows in first have been removed.

File this one in the category of "Miracles in my Lifetime".

On my US Airways RT flight to SEA this week I was kinda shocked when my flight attendant on the return leg asked for my drink order and then went on to ask for my choice of a dinner selection.

My look of incredulity resulted in her laughing and saying "it is for real, we've begun serving meals in first class on this flight". 

Now, after 10 years of flying the PHX - SEA run on US Airways without anything but chips and/or a fig newton I am well trained to procure and wolf down a sandwich before boarding even when upgraded to first class.

This milestone follows my realization last week that the quality of my US Airways meal on a PHX to CLT flight was much improved. I ate the whole meal and so did almost everyone else in first.

Despite improvements lets be clear we have not returned to the days of warm nuts and silver trays filled with chilled jumbo shrimp served before dinner and a custom made Hagen Dazs ice cream sundae afterwards. 

To understand my shock you have to understand US Airways is the very same airline that used to fly me 5+ hours non-stop from Anchorage to Phoenix and even in First Class, despite arriving at 9:00 am, served us only a little bag of nuts. 

So what does this say about the airline industry run by bean counters? What it says is that (as feared by the US Attorney General) consolidation has indeed resulted in reducing competition to the point where we are witnessing steep spikes in airfares.

It also appears to be driving competition among major carriers to woo the industries best customers.

Will I live to see a day when every seat in first offers a dedicated electrical outlet and/or a USB port and (he shudders) free Wi-Fi?

I hear rumors that the discount carrier JetBlue is reconfiguring cabins to offer lay-flat bed seating pods on transcontinental flights in domestic first class. And, American is also offering similar pod seating in first class on select domestic long haul flights.......  

Now, if they'd just offer reasonable amount of frequent flier seats (US Airways ranked almost dead last in a FF redemption seat availability study last week) and quit devaluing their frequent flier miles, they might truly win the undying loyalty of us road warriors.....we are, after all, a cheap date.  ;-)

I'm not gonna hold my breath on the free Wi-Fi.

Anyone else noticing improvements to domestic first class service?

Roadboy's Travel © 2014