American Airlines launches 1920s-inspired food menus as travelers react

American Airlines is celebrating its upcoming 100th anniversary with a nostalgic nod to its past.

Capitalizing on today’s popular retro dining trend, the airline offers upscale menu offerings inspired by the Roaring Twenties. Starting Feb. 9, passengers will be able to pre-order special meals, and menus will appear on select flights starting in March, the airline said in a press release.

The addition of decadent dishes like beef wellington and shrimp cocktail isn’t just a step back in time. The move also appears to address growing frustration among passengers that in-flight dining has been unsatisfying in recent years.

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“Pan Am and similar airlines offered spacious seating arrangements, decent cutlery, and quality food,” a Reddit user recently wrote on the “r/aviation” forum. “Not to mention [that] be an airline crew [member] It was prestigious.”

“These facilities and conditions are extremely costly… Today this it was once a luxury, [given that] The Reddit user added that cost cutting and corporate culture prevailed.

American Airlines passengers may soon feel differently.

Entrees will include shrimp cocktail and Waldorf salad with caviar, blinis and a creamy deviled egg added in April.

Boursin cream cheese sauce will also be offered in domestic First Class on select long-haul routes, the airline said.

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Main menu selections continue the throwback theme, led by beef Wellington served with roasted vegetables and asparagus topped with béarnaise sauce.

Sweet treats will also include walnut tart.

Florentine roulade with chicken paired with mashed potatoes and mushroom sauce would be another starter option. In the airline’s statement, it was stated that walnut tart will also be included in the dessert offerings.

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The menus will be available on select international and transcontinental flights in American’s Flagship First and Flagship Business cabins, with the addition of domestic First Class service in April.

The airline stated that the offers are for a limited time only.

The airline said the limited-time menus will be offered on select international and intercontinental flights in the company’s flagship first and business classes, and will expand to domestic first class in April. (iStock)

“Our centennial is a chance to reflect on how far we’ve come,” Rhonda Crawford, America’s Senior Vice President of Customer Experience Design and Strategy, said in the release.

“These menus celebrate the flavors that defined the early days of American Airlines in a way that feels special and unforgettable for today’s travelers.”

“Different days indeed,” said one social media user on Reddit.

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“The old man is here,” he continued in a post a few years ago.

“I took my first flight when I was 6 years old, from Chicago to Florida in 1970. Each ticket cost $500 (maybe the equivalent of $2,500 now). We went out and bought special ‘airplane suits.’ church clothes. “I remember eating steak on the plane.”

Appetizers on the new menu include shrimp cocktail and Waldorf salad (not pictured), with caviar to be added in April. (iStock)

Commentators reacting to American Airlines’ news took a variety of stances.

“Caviar? I’ll believe it when I see it,” one person wrote on Instagram. he said.

Another wrote: “How about they bring back the good service?”

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Fox News Digital has reached out to American Airlines for further comment on its new menu offerings.

Throughout 2026, “customers will continue to see additional centennial touches, from limited-edition amenity kits and pajamas to other celebratory moments, with more initiatives to be announced throughout the year,” the airline said in its statement.

Fox News Digital’s Ashley J. DiMella contributed reporting.