30-04-2025
Major airline under fire for cutting plate sizes in its lounges so flyers eat less
American Airlines travelers are undergoing portion control when they visit one of its famous Admirals Clubs, customers are claiming.
Travel expert Gary Leff claimed the airline is offering small plates with all foods to save money at its lounges.
'They want to make sure that customers eat less, or at least take less, in order to control food costs. And they do this with very small plates,' he wrote on his blog View from the Wing - Thought Leader in Travel.
Already believing the Admirals Clubs 'lags the offerings of Delta and United,' Leff said the small plates also create a mess in lounges.
'They don't hold much food, and they don't do a great job of holding it in.
'If you pick up food using tongs and place it in the plates, some items like salad invariably fall onto the ground,' he wrote.
Leff also slammed the quality of the Club food, but noted it could be a reason why some locations aren't busy.
Admiral Club members are required to adhere to rules, including paying for certain foods and not taking items away from clubs.
Leff slammed American Airlines' Admirals Clubs and claims its features 'lags the offerings of Delta and United'
A reader provided an example of full-sized bratwurst in an Admirals Club at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) in North Carolina.
The smaller-sized dishes were the only plates at the Club, and the bratwurst didn't fit.
Leff used the 'awkward' moment to give a tongue-in-cheek explanation of the basic purposes of a plate.
The travel expert explained that dishes are used to help keep food off surfaces, spilling or dropping on the ground, prevent it from spreading food everywhere, and serve as a barrier between food and dirty tables.
They can also provide a 'flat, often decorative space to arrange food attractively,' he said.
Leff believes American mainly uses the small plates for portion control.
'I suppose if the lack of proper plates for Admirals Club food is a stopper, you could always just limit yourself to the Snack Tower of Sadness,' he joked, referring to a selection of snacks presented in tall plastic tubes.
'Or, American could take seriously the idea of their premium pivot and invest in dishware, not just food.'
Reddit users were just as frustrated, and a few travelers claimed they watched Admirals Club attendees often ' dropping food from tiny plates.'
Travelers interested in visiting a lounge must be Admirals Club members, Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard holders, purchasing a day pass, or traveling in premium cabins on qualifying flights
Admirals Club lounges are a hotspot for American Airlines fliers worldwide.
One of the airline's newer locations opened in 2023 at Denver International Airport in Colorado.
Travelers interested in visiting a lounge must be Admirals Club members, Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard holders, purchasing a day pass, or traveling in premium cabins on qualifying flights.
Besides American, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are known for offering high quality services through their lounges.
Delta Sky Clubs are hot commodities in the eyes of flyers - especially its new first class lounge inside JFK.
United offers three types of airport lounges, opened its newest United Club Fly location in February, reopened a Polaris lounge this week, and is scheduled to open a revamped club in June.
