American Airlines to Temporarily Cut More Inflight Services
The service changes are caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
American Airlines will be cutting some inflight services, according to The Points Guy. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants has pressured the airline to reduce inflight services to shorten the contact time between flight attendants and customers. It will also limit the time flight attendants serve passengers who have taken their masks down to eat.
To ensure the safety of both passengers and flight attendants, American Airlines will cut the second beverage service on longer flights.
"Together with APFA, we have decided to temporarily modify some onboard service to limit customer touch points," an American Airlines representative told The Points Guy. "As we have throughout the pandemic, we will continue to assess ways to thoughtfully return the onboard dining services customers are asking for while keeping safety front and center."
American Airlines hasn't given a timeframe on when the second beverage service will return. Since the pandemic began, American Airlines is not the only carrier that has changed its inflight service options over safety concerns. Last September, Southwest announced that the suspension of serving alcohol would continue, and Delta temporarily had a similar policy.
The latest service update comes after a spike in COVID cases during the holiday travel season. The Omicron variant spread rapidly and contributed to increased flight ticket prices, cancellations, and tighter entry restrictions. While cases are currently on the decline, health officials have warned that we aren't clear of the risk of another surge.
Inflight services aren't the only thing American Airlines is cutting. The airline recently announced route cuts from four major cities as well.
Opheli Garcia Lawler is a staff writer at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter @opheligarcia and Instagram @opheligarcia.