Point.me dropped a new survey. They crowned Delta the king of airline coffee and the Amex Centurion as the premier lounge. I disagree with both. Hard.
Here’s the problem. When you walk into an unknown restaurant without doing research, you ask the waiter. How you ask matters. Most waiters will give you what is popular, not what is good. They don’t know your taste buds. The safest answer is always the one that satisfies the herd.
And the herd doesn’t have great taste.
“The safe answer is to tell you what other People like.”
I prefer asking two specific questions. One: What is actually the best dish here? Two: What would the chef make if their grandmother visited tonight? That’s where the quality lives.
The Coffee Wars
Point.me says Delta has the best coffee. It serves Starbucks. Millions of Americans love Starbucks. There are over 40,001 outlets globally. It’s a mass market phenomenon. That does not mean it is better in a fundamental, qualitative sense. It means it is familiar. Delta wins the “Most Popular” award. Fair enough.
Alaska serves Stumptown. United serves Illy. Both are objectively superior to the Starbucks brew.
Consider United’s history. They fired Jeff Smisek. He was known for Project Quality—a brilliantly Orwellian name for a budget-slash initiative that made coffee taste like burnt rubber and despair. Oscar Munoz took over and did something radical. He replaced the dreaded “Fresh Brew” (universally hated) with Illy. He introduced Stroopwafels. Freshly made ones.
It was symbolic. A break from austerity. And those stroopwafels? Game changers when not packaged in sterile foil.
American Airlines recently partnered with Lavazza. A decent step. Still, they lingered on Fresh Brew for a decade longer than their competitors.
At altitude, brewing coffee is hard. Humidity kills aroma. Water quality matters. Alaska and United are at the top. American is middle-of-the-road. Delta and Southwest are drinking mud.
Wine On Airplanes
Does Air France have the best business class wine? Point.me thinks so. I respect it. It is respectable. But “best” in first class? That goes to Emirates. Singapore Airlines is excellent too.
But Air France in business class is just drinkable. Which is a low bar.
Putting British Airways in the top five for wine is a mistake. Sacrée bleu, indeed. Some carriers simply underfund the program. SriLankan tender docs show costs of $6-$10 per 75ml bottle. You get what you pay for.
However, price isn’t everything. The environment kills taste. Low cabin pressure and humidity dull the senses. You have to pick wines that punch through.
Sparkling wine works. Acidity cuts the dry air.
Aromatic whites survive. Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc hold up. Delicate Pinots vanish.
Big tannins taste like leather and harshness.
Fruit-forward reds shine. Rioja, Rhône blends.
A touch of residual sugar helps.
Singapore Airlines claims to taste 1,001 wines annually. They use a pressurized room on the ground to mimic flight conditions. Smart.
I prefer Qantas. If you are flying to or from Australia, serve Australian wine. It’s simple logic.
United has surprised me. They’ve improved dramatically in business class wine. Even American is becoming passable now, though Delta still lags behind both.
The Snack Debate
Point.me named Southwest as having the worst snacks. Stellar Pretzel Braids? Remy’s Grahams? Oreo cookies?
Honestly. No.
American Airlines serves generic Biscoff and pretzel bags labeled with hub airport codes. Boring. Soulless. Southwest actually tries. Their Mexican wedding cookies in extra legroom? Kind of good.
I wouldn’t say they’re bad. Just standard.
Who Really Cooks The Best?
This is where the survey gets boring. Everyone knows Emirates, Singapore Airlines, and Air France serve amazing business class meals. Singapore’s “book the cook” service isn’t just marketing. The pre-order selection is deep. The food is exceptional.
I remember eating Singapore Airlines laksa in business class on a short hop to Bali. One of the finest meals ever served at 30,000 feet.
Qatar Airways deserves mention too. Japan Airlines beats British Airways in catering any day of the week.
Reputation matters. Mass travelers repeat what they are told. They have strong opinions on what they like. Liking something isn’t the same as identifying excellence.
Air France should win best snack award. Always has been.
The Lounge Illusion
Amex Centurion Lounges aren’t the best. They are just the most crowded.
History matters. American Express was the first major bank to build lounges. Then airlines merged. United bought Continental. Chase got exclusivity to United’s clubs. Amex lost access. Then American merged with US Airways. Citi got the exclusivity deal there. Amex had partners. Now it has nothing.
So they built their own. Starting in Vegas. Then Dallas. They filled the gaps.
The result? Flooding.
The single most important feature of a lounge is space. Quiet. Room to breathe. Amex has too many members. Capital One in Denver or Dallas has brutal waitlists to even get inside. But inside? Amex is rarely nicer than the competition. Chase has better design. Capital One has vastly superior food. Dallas might be weak for Cap1, but generally their “Landings” beat Amex every time.
Amex has a trough model. Endless passengers lining up.
Here’s the breakdown from the survey data:
- Men prefer Centurion (41%)
- Women split between Centurion and Chase Sapphire (~31%)
- Affluent travelers ($151k+ income) name Amex top pick at 40% versus 31% for Chase
Data suggests people choose brand over quality.
Capital One’s Landings serve better food than most airline business class clubs. Yes. Better than United Polaris. Better than American Flagship.
Amex has more locations. More foot traffic. More complaints.
You can argue they are “best” based on availability. You can argue they are the biggest. But you cannot argue they provide the best experience.
Not when you can sit quietly in a Polaris lounge eating decent food instead of standing in a line at LaGuardia.
I stand by this. Am I wrong?
