American Airlines Announced Tuesday Evening that they are implementing operational changes to their Admirals Club and Flagship Lounges in Response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The changes are due to reduced demand and government mandates.
Last evening (Tuesday, March 17, 2020), American Airlines announced that they will be making changes to Admirals Club Lounges and Flagship Lounges in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The changes are due to decreased demand, governmental mandates and health safety guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Food and beverage procedures have been modified to comply with state and city mandates in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Orlando, Pennsylvania and San Francisco. Additionally, the carrier has temporarily closed some U.S. Admirals Club locations due to decreased demand in airports with multiple lounges. International Admiral’s Club Lounges in Paris (CDG), Rio de Janeiro (GIG), São Paulo (GRU), and Buenos Aires (EZE) as well as the Flagship Lounge in London (LHR) have been temporarily closed. The Admirals Club at London-Heathrow will remain open with limited hours and Flagship guests will be offered a complimentary menu.
Breakfast and all-day options in Admirals clubs will be displayed on trays and items will either be prepackaged or individually wrapped. Prepackaged oatmeal and hot water will still be available, but soup will no longer be served. Milk carafes have also been replaced with chilled individual cartons and other beverage dispensers (water, tea, juice, etc.) have been moved behind the bar. Additionally, bulk condiments will be replaced with individual packets, snack dispensers have been replaced with individually wrapped or prepackaged snacks and cutlery and napkins will be prepackaged. Apples and snacks will also be individually wrapped, and beverage machine touchscreens will be cleaned more frequently. Food for purchase will still be available as well as Avocado toast and guacamole action stations in most locations, as portions are individually made by servers with gloves. However, due to government mandates, the stations will be suspended at BOS, LGA and JFK.
American Airlines operates 6,800 daily flights to over 365 destinations in 61 countries. Serving over 200 million customers annually, the airline has invested over $28 billion since 2013 in its people, products and services. The carrier currently operates the youngest fleet as compared to the other large U.S. network carriers. American Airlines is a founding member of the oneworld® global alliance, which serves over 1,100 destinations in more than 180 countries and territories worldwide.
Source: American Airlines