Airport clubs are looking at offering food for sale By Barbara De Lollis, USA TODAY Some airlines suspect the best way to frequent fliers' hearts is through=20 their stomachs. American Airlines for the first time is offering food for=20 sale in six of its airport Admirals Clubs, where only snacks have been=20 served in the past. Other airlines are considering selling food in their=20 airport clubs, too. The US Airways Club, already selling food at its=20 Pittsburgh airport clubs, will expand its test next month. United Airlines= =20 is studying the idea of selling food in its Red Carpet Clubs. (Related=20 story: Airlines experiment with selling fancy fixings) Frequent flier=20 Suzanne Hoffman, a Chicago sales executive, recently bought sandwiches at=20 American's Chicago and New York JFK clubs. Although she found the food=20 "less than fresh," she praises American for offering reasonably priced,=20 gourmet-style sandwiches that she can eat with one hand while continuing to= =20 work. The food can also be packed to go. The venture has the potential to be a moneymaker, she says, because many=20 people arrive at the airport with enough time to eat; some don't like=20 food-court offerings; and many would rather not leave the clubs' quiet=20 environment to hunt down food. "There is an opportunity for the Admirals=20 Clubs to make some money off the people waiting there," Hoffman says.=20 American, the nation's largest airline, is selling food in Admirals Clubs=20 at its six biggest airports as part of a 90-day test. The clubs at its=20 three hubs =97 Dallas/Fort Worth, St. Louis and Chicago =97 are selling=20 breakfast and lunch/dinner meals, while the clubs at New York JFK, Boston=20 and Los Angeles are offering sandwiches for $7 or $8, spokeswoman Laura=20 Mayo says. Fliers have the most choices in Dallas, St. Louis and Chicago. For=20 breakfast, they can buy a bagel and fruit or a ham-and-cheese croissant and= =20 fruit for $5.99. For lunch or dinner, there's a chicken Caesar salad,=20 Oriental chicken salad, fruit plate with cheese, ham-and-cheese hoagie or=20 smoked turkey on focaccia bread for $7.99. Soft drinks and juice are still= =20 available at no charge. "So far, customers like it because they may not=20 have time to go down to the concourse level to purchase food," Mayo says.=20 Gate Gourmet, the caterer that prepares the food, says the dishes have been= =20 selling well. On July 1, US Airways' clubs in Philadelphia and Charlotte=20 will begin selling items like breakfast muffins, salads and sandwiches to=20 go. Complimentary snacks and drinks will still be available. While US=20 Airways last week announced it would sell meals on flights longer than=20 about two hours, frequent flier Michael Loguercio says he'd rather buy food= =20 in the club, where he can relax. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Mas Site: www.tntisland.com/tntrecords/mas2003/ Site of the Week: http://www.natalielaughlin.com/ TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************