Airplane coffee is crap, let’s not sugar coat it. So when an airline is removing the only acceptable coffee, (in my opinion), to save money, it’s not looking good. What do you think?
American Airlines is raising the ire of its first class passengers by removing espresso coffee machines from a number of aircraft types. With an eye on the bottom line, American Airlines is pulling some equipment from its planes to save weight and ongoing maintenance costs. High on the jettison list are the first class espresso coffee machines.
Espresso coffee axed to save fuel and end confusion
Nevertheless, it is a decision that only results a small percentage of American’s passengers. American Airlines had installed espresso coffee coffee machines across its Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A321T aircraft, making them available to first class passengers only. In a good year, American Airlines flies more than 200 million passengers annually. The vast majority of those passengers fly in the main cabin, where the chances of ever scoring a ristretto were next to nil.
Nevertheless even if only one or two percent of those 200 million passengers fly up the front, that’s a few million people flying American Airlines first class each year. And some of them are deeply underwhelmed at guzzling to ingest crafted coffee on their next American Airlines flight.
What’s behind the move? In a statement, American Airlines says they are removing the espresso coffee coffee machines “to help conserve fuel and prevent confusion about what services are currently offered.”
American Airlines only ever offered espresso coffee coffee in first class and only on two aircraft kinds (formerly, some of American’s Dreamliners likewise had espresso coffee coffee machines). Nevertheless American Airlines likewise has a first class product on several of its Boeing 737 and narrowbody Airbus aircraft. They never had espresso coffee coffee machines. So some first class cabins had half respectable espresso coffee coffee, and some didn’t. You could call that confusing, or perhaps actually an inconsistent first class product.
American Airlines likewise raises saving fuel as a reason behind the decision. You might think, what’s a few extra kilos on a Boeing 777-300ER? However every kilo counts, especially these days when airlines are experiencing revenue shortfalls and looking to save where they can. With services in the main cabin already fairly barebones, airlines looking to cut costs often turn to their premium cabins.
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Cost, weight, and maintenance issues dog American’s espresso machines
In the late 1980s, Northwest Airlines famously saved a motza by cutting limes into 16 pieces rather than 10. First class passengers found the lime wedges flavoring their drinks that bit smaller. Or did they even notice? Around the same time, American Airlines saved around US$40,000 annually by shrinking everyone’s salad by a single olive.
Granted, American’s espresso coffee coffee was better than the dreaded crafted coffee, but their espressos were never tip-top – pod-based coffee, not hot enough, and lacking a substantial oomph. What’s a coffee pod worth? 25 cents? Drilling down, it probably isn’t the cost of the coffee that is bothering the bean counters at American Airlines; it’s the machines’ weight and the cost of maintaining them.
American’s espresso coffee machines weren’t the light little numbers you have on your kitchen bench. To adhere to FAA regulations, these machines are modified and substantially heavier and more complicated than domestic espresso coffee coffee machines. They are also temperamental, costly, and labor-intensive to service and maintain. American Airlines may have just decided espresso coffee coffee machines were not worth the trouble they caused.
Regardless, American Airlines’ decision has upset quite a few of its average first class passengers. Now, like everyone else, it’s crafted coffee on their next American Airlines flight. Enjoy.
Is American Airlines doing the right thing by axing its espresso coffee machines from first class? Post a comment and let us learn.
This article was to start with published here, and it was adapted for our blog for our section about Espresso coffee.