What Comes Next... A Bit More Clarity

In my last article, I briefly touched on the changing tides we are starting to see with regard to onboard products- especially in the US. Since then, we have been in touch with more of our sources, and am happy to share what we are hearing.

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The “treat bag” airlines have been offering appears to be on it’s way out. Finally.

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Delta has reintroduced a streamlined, albeit more conventional product. While it’s safe to say the limited alcohol selection is a stop-gap, we are being told Delta intends to stick with the 7oz cans for good. There is little question the addition of Fever Tree is a HUGE step up from the old items on offer, and I’d happily take that in whatever form they want to offer it. But moving to 7oz cans broadly seems like a ton of unneeded headache. As any insider, they'll tell you that these are usually not cheaper to procure (than traditional 12oz cans), and are arguably harder to pack in galleys. If this was United we were talking about, I’d assume it was a concession to the Flight Attendants and their quest to further reduce customer contact. Aside from the beverage changes, Delta (and the other big US airlines) are currently busy reactivating kitchens all over the world to support more traditional meal offerings, and I'm told glassware is likely to return (at Delta) in June.

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Over at United, we’ve heard the end is near for the tasty, but nutritionally deficient sandwiches currently provided for First Class. While no exact date was provided, June was mentioned as a transitional month, with much of the work at getting back to normal really taking hold then. After what was apparently a lot of discussion about new concepts and “modernization” (some type of packaged gourmet item), United seems to have determined that customers want the familiar experience of the good ole’ tray setup. Kudos to them for (I think) getting it right. I hope AA is taking notes.

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No mention of glassware returning at UA (or AA), but if past is prologue, I’d expect that closely follow Delta’s moves… as usual.

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Our sources inside AA tell us they are a bit unclear what the future holds, as they are continuing to get some conflicting direction from the C-suite. Hopefully there is indeed a plan, and perhaps it’s just taking longer than usual to find its way to the working teams in their new (smaller) HQ org. If they indeed haven’t yet made decisions, which admittedly seems difficult to believe, it’s going to be a really long summer for the folks in Fort Worth.

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That’s it for now. We are starting to hear a lot more about the changing landscape with catering relationships and their customers around the world, which I look forward to diving into a bit in our next chat.

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Take care,

-Dan