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American Airlines Improvements
AA has slipped behind its competitors in recent years but now is on a mission to recover its customer experience. From once leading the pack with their all aisle access long haul seating, they are now introducing suites into business class and upgrading gtheir food and drink.
This year is their centennial, so they are celebrating with new amenity kits and some special menus. My friend sent me this menu from a transcontinental first flight, and it looked pretty impressive to me, with caviar as well. Sadly, my flight to Antigua with them very definitely does not have any worth celebrating on the menu!
Now they have announced both a new menu for its lounges and brand new amenity kits
Seasonal menu updates in Flagship® and Admirals Club® lounges
There are new spring dishes for Flagship® and Admirals Club® lounges, and these highlights represent just a sample of offerings, with additional dishes available across the lounge network.
Flagship® lounge menus will include:
- Braised short rib and roasted thyme tomato sauce — Los Angeles (LAX)
- Chilled carrot and coconut soup — Chicago (ORD)
- Tamagoyaki French toast with ginger maple syrup — Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW)
- Green lentil curry — DFW
- Beef kofta and saffron rice with mini pita — Philadelphia (PHL)
- Rundown shrimp with coconut milk curry — Miami (MIA)
Charcuterie offerings allow customers to create their perfect meal in the Flagship® lounge.
Admirals Club® lounges will feature:
- Cantonese sweet and sour meatballs — Denver (DEN), Phoenix (PHX)
- Parmesan pesto gnocchi — ORD, St. Louis (STL), Toronto (YYZ)
- Mediterranean feta chickpea salad — Austin, Texas (AUS); Nashville, Tennessee (BNA); DFW; Houston (IAH)
- New England clam chowder — Boston (BOS)
- Chicken Baja enchilada soup — Charlotte, North Carolina (CLT); Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina (RDU); Washington (DCA)
In addition to these new menu offerings across American’s lounges, there are new, premium beverages at Flagship® and Admirals Club® lounges throughout the network. In 2025, American partnered with Champagne Bollinger to give customers a premium experience both in lounges and in flight. Champagne Bollinger is served complimentary in Flagship® lounges and is available for purchase in Admirals Club® lounges.
New Centennial amenity kits
AA already announced new amenity kits last year in this article, but they are not adding any additional bags to celebrate their centennial.
The airline is introducing a collection of limited‑edition onboard products with new centennial amenity kits, premium pyjamas, and refreshed closed‑toe slippers, which will debut across premium cabins at the beginning of April.
Each of the three kits — Astrojet™, Silverbird™ and Forward — connects to a distinct chapter of American’s history.
- Astrojet™ era: A vibrant orange lightning bolt recalls the optimism of the early jet age.
- Silverbird™ era: An iconic silver finish and tribar stripe channel the refined glamour that shaped a golden era of air travel.
- Forward era: Angled stitching inspired by American’s flight symbol and newest seat designs embodies the airline’s momentum and future focus.
“As we celebrate a century of connecting customers to the world, we wanted this milestone to feel personal the moment someone settles into their seat,” said American’s Chief Customer Officer Heather Garboden. “Every detail in these centennial kits and pajamas pays homage to the eras that shaped us — from the bold optimism of Astrojet™ to the refined glamour of Silverbird™ and the forward momentum guiding our next century. They’re our way of saying thank you to the customers who make every journey possible. Whether they’re traveling for a long‑awaited vacation, a meaningful milestone or an important business trip, we hope these touches bring comfort and reflect how honored we are to welcome them on board.”
Astrojet™ era amenity kits
Forward era amenity kits
First Class Forward era amenity kit contents
New amenities include:
- Flagship® First/Flagship Suite® Preferred seats
- Upgraded centennial eye mask and crew socks
- Joanna Vargas cosmetic sheet mask
- Joanna Vargas cosmetic under eye patches
- Foldable hair comb
- Mouthwash
- Colgate 10g toothpaste and bamboo toothbrush
- Flagship® Business/Flagship Suite® seats
- Upgraded Centennial eye mask and crew socks
- Joanna Vargas cosmetic under eye patches
- Colgate 10g toothpaste and bamboo toothbrush
- Premium Economy
- Upgraded Centennial eye mask and Centennial tube socks
- Colgate 5g toothpaste
American is also introducing limited‑edition centennial pyjamas in April that extend the same three‑era logos. The pyjamas maintain the usual AA silhouette but now feature a refreshed deep‑blue colour and subtle logos representing the Astrojet™, Silverbird™ and Forward eras. American is also updating its inflight slippers this spring to a closed‑toe design based on customer feedback. Customers flying in Flagship® First and Flagship Suite® Preferred seats will enjoy the pyjamas and refreshed slippers, which will also be provided in Flagship® Business on our ultra‑long‑haul flights to and from the Middle East, Asia, India, Australia and New Zealand.
American is in negotiations with Starlink for high-speed, reliable in-flight Wi-Fi. The airline is also reconsidering the removal of seat-back screens, a previous strategy, in favour of re-instating them to compete with Delta and United on narrow-body, domestic flights. Currently, they offer free entertainment streaming to your own device, which I actually don’t mind. The company is also in talks with Amazon for content, potentially allowing for Amazon Prime and other streaming services in-flight.
Uber to buy Blacklane – will you be able to earn Avios on chauffeur cars?
Uber has been testing a new chauffeur service in the US called Uber Elite, but now it has announced that it will purchase Blacklane, one of the most well-known global chauffeur brands.
Founded in Berlin, Germany, in 2011 to bring quality and consistency to travel, Blacklane connects customers worldwide with independent local chauffeur services via an app and web booking platform. Today, Blacklane operates in over 500 cities across more than 60 countries
Uber wants to focus more on executive travel as there is a strong demand for planned, high-quality transport. Pre-booked Uber Reserve trips in particular have become one of the fastest-growing parts of Uber’s business. Personally, I would use Uber more if you could pre-book local trips without paying a 300% premium to do so.
The acquisition is subject to the usual customary regulatory approvals and is expected to close by the end of 2026. After the transaction is complete, the acquisition of Blacklane will further accelerate Uber’s recently-announced move into the chauffeur sector with Uber Elite.
“Premium travel is one of the most exciting growth areas of Uber’s business. We want to offer the widest selection of options to meet our riders where they are: from the everyday commute to luxury rides. We’re incredibly impressed by what Blacklane has built and we’re eager to work with them to amplify how we deliver truly exceptional service to more people in cities around the world,” said Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.
“Blacklane’s growth to date has been founded on consistently excellent service, wherever in the world our guests move. Fifteen years after our vision to make premium travel frictionless, we are bringing luxury hospitality expertise to Uber as a leading player in mobility. This partnership marks a significant milestone in Blacklane’s next chapter and is a powerful step-change in introducing our service to new markets globally,” said Dr. Jens Wohltorf, founder and CEO of Blacklane.
Given that you can earn Avios on Uber almost instantly, this could be a very welcome addition to the Uber family once it is integrated into the Uber app, especially since it is worldwide. It will also overcome the airport locations where Uber is not allowed, but Blacklane is.
New IHG Buy Points 80-100% bonus
IHG has launched a new targeted buy offer for points with 80-100% bonuses. I had 80%, as do most other people. To get the bonus, you need to buy at least 5000 points by 30 April 2026.
You can purchase a maximum of up to 200,000 points during a calendar year, so the number of points you can purchase during the Offer Period will depend on how many points you have already purchased this calendar year. To buy the full 200,000 points plus 160,000 bonus points would cost $2000. If you are paying cash for an expensive IHG hotel, it is always worth comparing the cost of buying or topping up your points instead.
Similar limits apply to gifting points and receiving points as a gift: members may gift up to a maximum of 200,000 points, or receive as gifts from other members a combined maximum of up to 200,000 points, during the Offer Period, subject to reduction by the number of points that have been already gifted, or received as a gift, in the same calendar year.
You can check your points bonus here.
