In its new quest to become a more premium airline, American Airlines is taking inspiration from United Airlines with the announcement that it is introducing a new Grab & Go lounge concept at its Charlotte Douglas hub.
Dubbed Provisions by Admirals Hub, the new mini lounge is expected to open within the next couple of months next to gate A1 within Concourse A at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
American Airlines is describing its new space for premium travelers as an ‘innovative lounge solution,’ but let’s be clear, there’s very little difference to United’s Club Fly, which was first launched at Denver International Airport in 2022.
Since United became the first US airline to introduce a grab & go lounge concept, more than 300,000 travelers have visited the space, and United introduced a second Club Fly location in Houston earlier this year.
American Airlines is building on United’s success with a selection of grab & go sandwiches, salads, snacks, and fresh fruit, alongside a customer services desk to help premium passengers within the lounge space.
Although there will be some high-top standing tables to allow passengers to enjoy a bite to eat within the lounge, American Airlines is keen to emphasise that the environment in its Provisions lounge is all about keeping passengers moving and not lingering.
“As the airline’s second-largest hub, Charlotte plays a significant role in the connectivity of the airline, serving millions of customers every year as they travel to, from and through CLT to destinations across our global network,” commented Ralph Lopez Massas, American’s Senior Vice President of CLT Operations.
“Our unwavering commitment to our customers has remained at the center of exponential growth at CLT over the past several years, and this new concept is yet another example of our focus on improving their travel experience.”
The Provisions concept will have the exact same access requirements as AA’s larger Admirals Club.
Access options include an Admirals Club annual membership, a day pass, with elite frequent flyer status through the OneWorld alliance, or with a co-branded Citi AAdvantage Executive credit card.
Elite AAdvantage frequent flyers can also access Admirals Club locations if they are traveling on an international flight.
While the new Provisions concept isn’t quite as innovative as what American Airlines would like to have us believe, it does at least seem to be yet more evidence that the Fort Worth-based carrier realizes it has to do a lot more to keep up with Delta and United Airlines in the quest for premium passengers.
After years of swinging cutbacks, such as ripping out inflight entertainment screens from narrowbody aircraft, American Airlines certainly has its work cut out, but there has been a flurry of meaningful improvements in the works.
One of the obvious consequences of introducing a grab-and-go concept is that many passengers don’t necessarily just take the food and drink they need at that very moment and will, instead, load up on snacks, even if some will end up going to waste.
Let’s see whether American’s cost-cutting managers can hold their nerve when they see first hand just how much passengers are helping themselves to in its Provisions concept.
