American Airlines reverses unpopular policy, angers workers

Anyone who has been on a plane in the last decade or so knows that flying is not exactly the most pleasant experience — and that’s putting it mildly.

Between shrinking legroom, new fees constantly being added for basic services, and passengers being downright unpleasant and getting into brawls over seating assignments and window shades, the days when you looked forward to flying the friendly skies are long dead.

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While it comes as no surprise that low-budget airlines almost seem to delight in competing to see which can offer the worst customer service while finding the most fees to charge, even some of the more premium airlines have been getting in on the game of degrading the in-flight experience and making life worse for customers.

American Airlines (AAL) is one of them. In January of this year, the airline killed a popular service that most travelers really appreciated.

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The good news, however, is that the company has announced it will bring it back. While most travelers are going to be happy about the reversal, workers are actually up in arms about it.

American Airlines backtracks on this bad decision

While premium airlines like American previously stood apart from competitors by offering “luxuries” like non-alcoholic drinks on a flight, the company cut this service down in January.

Specifically, the airline stopped doing a second drink service that it used to offer as a standard on longer domestic flights, leaving flyers either to be thirsty or press the call button and ask for another soda, potentially risking the wrath of flight crew.

American Airlines changed course recently, though. Instead of nickel-and-diming passengers, the airline is now pivoting to premium and trying to improve the in-air experience. Giving customers back that second drink is one step the company is taking to do that.

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The change has gone into effect already, and the airline released a statement announcing the policy shift by stating, “American remains committed to further enhancing the customer experience throughout the travel journey. Starting May 14, American will reinstate a second beverage service on domestic long-haul flights (1,500+ miles) and including a pre-meal beverage service for select international flights departing before 9:01 p.m. local departure time.”

Airline crew called the move ‘a slap in the face’

While thirsty passengers will appreciate the added in-flight service, crew members who must now do the extra work aren’t too thrilled about it.

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Airline flight crews have been up in arms since American slashed staffing levels during the pandemic and did not bring numbers back up when the number of passengers on flights returned to normal. In fact, they even became involved in an arbitration over staffing cuts, with their union complaining that low crew numbers violated their 2014 contract.

Flight attendants lost that grievance, but now claim that airline officials lied in the arbitration when they said they did not plan to bring back this second service. They’re calling this “thinly veiled lie” a “slap in the face to not just every Flight Attendant but our passengers as well.”

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There’s little evidence for this, since American’s premium pivot is a recent development and likely prompted by a desire to compete with other airlines that are stepping up their service game. This includes carriers like Spirit and Frontier, which both recently added new seating options, including a “Big front seat” and “Go Comfy” option on Spirit and Upfront Plus seating on Frontier.

While workers and the airline fight out this issue, at least passengers now can have an extra drink as they cram into their small seats and hope the person in front of them doesn’t recline. 

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