American Airlines Customers To Test New Food Conce

[Hatu]

FORT WORTH, Texas, Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Beginning in September, customers on select flights will help American Airlines choose a new on-board food option for its main cabin.
American will test new Buy on Board food options -- SnAAck Box and LSG Sky Chefs In-Flight Cafe -- that the airline may consider rolling out on domestic routes based on customer and flight attendant feedback.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040826/dath026_1.html

 

[LiveInAHotel]

A couple of friends of mine who fly for other carriers say that selling food onboard flights is a nightmare! :down: :down: :down:

 

[US1YFARE]

Hopefully AA will not make the same mistake that US has--the FFP is much better than the meal served in FC.

 

[s80dude]

I certainly hope they increase staffing. Two flight attendants trying to sell food and offer drinks to 170 people in the back of a 757? Yikes.

 

[hp_fa]

A couple of friends of mine who fly for other carriers say that selling food onboard flights is a nightmare! :down: :down: :down:

[post="173035"][/post]​

I have a couple of thoughts to share that may be of interest, since HP is doing what we call "Buy on Board" (BOB), also known as Inflight Cafe.

1. Some of the HP flight attendants hate BOB, but others don't mind it. It does help the time pass.

2. The passengers on HP have, on the whole, been very supportive of BOB. There have been few food quality or pricing complaints. Most of the passengers realize that it is an option that is being made available to them. It is their choice whether or not to take advantage of BOB.

3. Some of HP's most frequent passengers, who see the same meals multiple times in a given food cycle, opt to buy a BOB meal. They understand that HP does not own the food and therefore it cannot be comped as a replacement for their F/C meal. They are OK with that.

There will be some issues with whatever program you go with, but generally (at least based on the general HP experience) the program will be as good or as bad as the FA wants to make it. If you want to hate it, you will. If you want to like it, you will. The passengers will probably like it.

 

[Oneflyer]

A couple of friends of mine who fly for other carriers say that selling food onboard flights is a nightmare!

Sounds like anything that involves work is a nightmare to you!

 

[IORFA]

What is the staffing obstacles in selling food as opposed to giving it away for free? I mean, won't there have to be VM's on board if we sell food? If we have to pass out Bistro Bags onboard during flight we get understaffing pay. I would assume there would have to be an extra flight attendant onboard to accomplish this task in a timely fashion. Also, is this the end to double catered flights? From my understanding, trash is already an issue. Where are these carts with food going to go along with all the trash? Just some of my thoughts on the subject. If it works, great. If not we tried something else. Those Bistro Bags are getting tired.

 

[LiveInAHotel]

Sounds like anything that involves work is a nightmare to you!

[post="173078"][/post]​

No not at all. I'm just stating what a couple of friends have told me about buying food onboard.

Actually you're my nightmare! Please wake me up when you decide to leave!

 

[s80dude]

To date, I have not read anything from the company that states they planning on adding a VM position to the cabin for this BOB test....

 

[LiveInAHotel]

To date, I have not read anything from the company that states they planning on adding a VM position to the cabin for this BOB test....

[post="173373"][/post]​

I doubt they will. It's cheaper to pay understaffing to each flight attendant, then to add a VM to help with BOB or whatever they decide to call it.

 

[s80dude]

Confirmed with an OSM today in Dallas. We will not get VM positions to sell the food, nor will we get understaffing. Provisioning will be at 40% and according to the briefing in my mailbox, the #2 sell the food and then float back to the beverage cart with the #4.

 

[jimntx]

Oh great! And, since main cabin service has to be delayed until the #4 helps the #1 get the F/C service started (on a 3 f/a aircraft), I can see a lot of unhappy people in the back of main cabin (assuming forward-aft service) who will be waiting over an hour for their first beverage.

And, let's not even THINK about how long it will take to do the first service on a 757!

 

[FA Mikey]

Oh great! And, since main cabin service has to be delayed until the #4 helps the #1 get the F/C service started (on a 3 f/a aircraft), I can see a lot of unhappy people in the back of main cabin (assuming forward-aft service) who will be waiting over an hour for their first beverage.

And, let's not even THINK about how long it will take to do the first service on a 757!

[post="173819"][/post]​

The m/c service is not delayed. service standard is 15 mins after take off to first drink. Since over 14 is the cut off for the number 1 getting assistance. The time is for the number ones to step up and do there job and the number fours to stand up and say no, we have a service too. If we people who take over an hour to do a bererage service for 114 people we are in serious trouble.

 

[jimntx]

Mike, we are not talking about JUST a beverage service, we are talking about #2 being tied up with BOB sales job and the #4 being the only one serving beverages until #2 is done. When you add the fact that no one will have the right change--do they ever?--it's going to be a problem with no VM.

I never said that the service wouldn't get done, but for the people in the back of the plane who think we take too long to get to them as it is, this is just another delay. AND, if you run out of the BOB meals before you get to them (40% provisioning someone said), you have a really disgruntled customer.

 

[FA Mikey]

Mike, we are not talking about JUST a beverage service, we are talking about #2 being tied up with BOB sales job and the #4 being the only one serving beverages until #2 is done. When you add the fact that no one will have the right change--do they ever?--it's going to be a problem with no VM.

I never said that the service wouldn't get done, but for the people in the back of the plane who think we take too long to get to them as it is, this is just another delay. AND, if you run out of the BOB meals before you get to them (40% provisioning someone said), you have a really disgruntled customer.

[post="173856"][/post]​

Its my guess that there will be either an announcement of some kind of seat pocket literature about the BOB food.

Its boxed or bagged so you can put a few on the beverage cart in the bottom where the beer and white wine are. You really only need one insert of that anyway. The number 2 only needs to run for more supplies.

You should not be selling the meals first. Just like the flights where you still have meals. You should not have the meal cart more than 3 rows from the beverage cart.