I just completed my 8th segment in 3 weeks on American Airlines thanks to my AAdvantage in Atlanta experiment. A few days ago I noted my near miraculous first class upgrade percentage as an AAdvantage Gold member. I’ve noted something else miraculous in those 8 segments – I’ve been offered a full pre-departure beverage service when seated in first class almost every time.
You might ask what’s so special about that? Those of us who fly Delta routinely will know what I’m talking about. You notice when there is not a PDB service in the first class cabin because they are almost always so consistent at providing it. My memory of American is that you noticed the PDB service in first class when it was actually provided. It really didn’t hit me until I was on my last leg home this weekend, but I had been offered a full pre-departure beverage service on 6 of the 8 legs I’d flown most recently, and a juice/water choice on a 7th. There was only one segment where nothing was offered until after takeoff. (Image – Inflight Beverage Service)
For sure, there are other more important things to judge an airline by, but PDBs are one of those little things that tend to set the tone for a flight. This weekend I’ll have an opportunity to assess whether or not the infamous “beef” dish has evolved when I’m flying two full meal flights. Have you noticed an improvement in PDB consistency in American domestic first class?
-MJ, May 12, 2015
AA 76 LAX-IAD on May 5: Water, Orange juice, and Champagne were offered. I’m sure had I asked for something else, I’d have been accommodated.
Could be the market or time of departure that affected having pdb?
What flights?
DFW, MIA, RDU, and ATL. Incidentally, my flight out of DFW was the ones with no PDB. I flew Y to DFW.
Last weekend:
– AA 737-800 SJC-ORD: OJ or Water
– AA ERJ-175 ORD-BWI: Nothing
Pretty much par for the course for me
Were you on US Air metal or AA metal? Over the last three weeks I’ve had four flights in F on each, and was always offered a PDB on the US Air flights and never offered one on the AA flights. This has been the same pattern I’ve seen since the merger, so I think it may be a training thing, with the older AA FAs not offering it and the younger US FAs choosing to provide them.
All AA metal.
Definitely noticed an improvement in the past few weeks including brining a 2nd FA up to F to help sometimes. I’m 6 out of my last 8 too!