This morning, American Airlines announced details on plans to refresh its Admirals Club network of airport lounges. According to American, “In the future, when our customers see an Admirals Club sign anywhere in the world, they’ll know they’ll find a reliable, modern space where they can charge their devices, grab a bite to eat, get caught up on work or unplug from the world around them,” says Fernand Fernandez, American’s vice president – Global Marketing. “Our goal is to create spaces that are more in line with how people live and spend their time today.”
Image courtesy of American Airlines
Further, American is tweaking its food offerings beyond the recent changes that include Greek yogurt, oatmeal, and soups. However, all we have from the press release is that “more food enhancements are coming this summer.” That could mean a lot of different things – from real improvements to an enhanced pay menu. We’ll have to see.
I haven’t been flying American as much as I used to now that I live in Atlanta, but I’ve never really had a problem with the way the newish lounges looked. I even like our little Admirals Club here in Atlanta. Frankly, my biggest wish from a domestic airport lounge isn’t that they provide a 5-star restaurant experience or top shelf liquor for free. What I really want is power outlets…..everywhere, and agents that are truly empowered to help you when things go wrong. The Admirals Club AAngels have always seemed to be able to do that in spades for me. I would rank empowered agents in the club right up there with warm mixed nuts in First Class as a deal breaker for me when it comes to flying American, something I’m doing more of lately.
The bottom line – it’s never a bad thing to see an airline investing in its product. The fact that I live in a 101 year old home aside, I like the more modern look and feel of the refreshed Admirals Club look. I’ll look forward to test-flying one of the new clubs soon, but in the end, all that matters is the service provided by the Admirals Club AAngels. Mess with that, and all the fancy new chairs in the world won’t matter.
-MJ, April 27, 2015
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