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Say Goodbye to Sipping an Espresso During American Airlines First-Class Flights

It goes without saying that a first-class flight shouldn’t necessarily excel in terms of luxury but at least come with the most basic amenities, such as a cup of good coffee.
AA gets rid of espresso machines 1 photo
Photo: AA
Until recently, this is what the executives at American Airlines thought as well, though the global health issue and the massive drop in the number of people still flying have caused a sudden change of mind.

That's because, as you could easily figure out, fewer customers mean reduced revenue, and reduced revenue requires cost-cutting measures since there’s no other way around for a business that must stay on profit.

And American Airlines has found a rather unexpected way to reduce costs, though the company claims it’s all in an attempt to “help conserve fuel and prevent confusion about what services are currently offered,” as per a recent report.

The airline has decided to pull all its espresso machines from Boeing 777, Boeing 787, and Airbus A321T aircraft, which means that first-class flyers would most likely have to stick with regular coffee or tea for the time being.

In other words, American Airlines claim the espresso machines are just disposable weight, so in theory, getting rid of them should help reduce fuel consumption, which at the end of the day is obviously an efficient cost-saving measure.

But on the other hand, it could be a decision that might eventually backfire because, you know, with more people getting the vaccine, things are slowly returning to normal, and the travel trends, too, are recovering. So American Airlines’ choice to give up on espresso machines may actually take some first-class flyers by surprise, especially when they ask for a coffee, and instead, they get just a glass of water.

Not to mention early-morning flights when instead of an espresso, you’d just have to stick with just a regular cup of coffee.

UPDATE: For additional clarification, AA is only removing espresso machines (mainly used on first-class flights), not all coffee machines from its aircraft. We've updated the article to better reflect this.
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Editor's note: The article was updated with additional clarification to state that only espresso machines are being removed from AA flights, not all coffee machines. Regular coffee would continue to be served. Special thanks to our readers who signaled the error.

About the author: Bogdan Popa
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Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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