Following on from my popular Qantas Business vs Qantas Club food article, and Qantas First vs Qantas Business food, I thought I would collate my experiences travelling through the USA with American Airlines and compare American Airlines Flagship Lounge vs Admirals Club food served in the morning for breakfast. I have also included the American Airlines Premium lounge in London Heathrow too as I found it a middle ground lounge – somewhere between the Flagship Lounges and the Admiral’s Clubs.
American Airlines Flagship Lounge vs Admirals Club
It is fairly easy to assume that the food in the Flagship lounges is going to be better than the Admirals Club lounges – not only does the name imply these lounges are the standout lounges, but they are few and far between being only found in the USA at American Airlines’ hubs and accessible by First Class and Oneworld Emerald (though you always need to check entry requirements as they can be tricky in the US). Whereas the Admirals Club lounges are plentiful and found throughout the American Airlines network. The Admirals Club lounges are generally for Oneworld Sapphire and considered more like business class lounges but again you really need to check lounge eligibility as travelling domestically in the USA does not necessarily get you lounge access. Admirals Club Lounges may also be accessed via paid lounge access in some areas.
But generally for the purposes of this article consider the American Airlines Flagship Lounges like their first class lounges, and the Admirals Club lounges like their business class lounges.
But what is the food like in each of these lounges? Is the food really that different in the American Airlines Flagship Lounge vs Admiral Club? And is there much of a difference when it comes to nutrition?
Menus at different class of American Airlines lounges for breakfast
Here are the menus for the breakfasts at the American Airlines Flagship Lounge Dallas (Terminal D) and American Airlines Premium Lounge London Heathrow. There was no menu in the American Airlines Admirals Club in Dallas (Terminal C), only signs on the buffet next to each dish.
What’s similar?
What’s similar between the American Airlines Flagship Lounge and Admirals Club lounges – not much to be honest. For breakfast the Admiral’s Club lounges offer a basic food service and to be honest there are some nutritious options too. But there is no flair, no innovation and some foods seem to be quite processed. These lounges get incredibly busy and just churn through the food. The foods in the Admirals Club were based around fruit, yogurt, boiled eggs, oatmeal, sausages/bacon, cereal, pastries. Not much else you can have for breakfast right? And yes these types of foods were available in the Dallas Flagship lounge which I visited for breakfast but these were not the main offering – there were lots of other dishes and foods available.
Visiting the Premium lounge in London Heathrow and it seemed to be a middle ground to the Flagship Lounge and the Admirals Club. There was a hot buffet with all the standard trimmings of a western hot breakfast such as scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, mushrooms and tomatoes, and the cold buffet had cereals, cheese, pastries etc. But the lounge had an A La Carte restaurant with seven dishes for breakfast such as avocado on toast which raised the bar for this lounge. Similarly, the Flagship Lounge in Dallas also had an A La Carte restaurant but it is only for international flights, not domestic flights within the USA.
What’s different?
What’s different? A whole lot for breakfast in my experience. The experience in the Flagship lounge was next level compared to the Admirals Club. And not just having slightly fancier brands, but a whole different food experience with flair and innovative breakfast options. The Flagship lounge in Dallas went over and above the standard western breakfast menu of eggs, bacon, cooked tomatoes, cereal, pastries and yogurt. They had all those and more, taking some inspiration from the Texan and southern USA cuisines. This breakfast buffet had a burrito bowl stand, sushi, smoked salmon, cheese and a charcuterie board, salads, biscuits and gravy, frittatas, noodle bowls and more. There was a beautiful plate of chopped up fruit in the Flagship lounge which was more than the standard melons and blueberry mix in the Admirals Club. And while there was more variety of foods on offer, there was still a balance of nutritious and more decadent food. The Admirals Club food on the other hand was basic – a basic cold buffet and small hot buffet range.
The Premium Lounge in T3 London Heathrow had a more extensive buffet than an Admirals Club in the USA but it was like a middle tier hotel buffet – not bad but lacking a wow factor. The A La Carte dining section helped lift the passenger food experience and made it feel more premium experience. But I didn’t feel like it was on the same level as the Flagship Lounge in Dallas (for breakfast anyway) and maybe it is not supposed to be since it is not named a Flagship Lounge. I also had not checked out the Admirals Club in T3 London Heathrow to see whether the food experience was on par with the US Admiral Club food experiences – that is next on my list and I will update this review when I am able to do this.
Final thoughts on American Airlines Flagship Lounge vs Admirals Club
There are some basic similarities in the foods served across the American Airlines lounges for breakfast but the overall food experiences between Airlines Flagship Lounge vs Admirals Club are vastly different. While you can get the basics in the Admirals Club lounges for breakfast, and in some cases a nutritious breakfast depending on your tastes, you aren’t going to be wowed. The Flagship Lounge was a breath of fresh air if you re used to the Admirals Club. I went in there without expecting anything great (having seen the low bar set by the clubs) but was happily surprised. I would now like to check out other Flagship Lounges in the USA to compare and also check out the All Day Dining options to get a better grasp on what the overall standard is.
So American Airlines Flagship Lounge vs Admirals Club… the answer is pretty obvious that the Flagship Lounge is the standout. But don’t throw aside the Admirals Club just yet. While basic you can still have a nutritious meal, however if you find yourself regularly in an Admirals Club you may get flavour fatigue as the foods across lounges seem fairly similar from my experience.
