Dallas, Texas – December 8, 2018: American Airlines passenger planes parked at their gates on a rainy morning at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, which serves the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, metroplex area. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images)
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American Airlines has announced new fall menus for its lounges, featuring pumpkin spice dishes, which has become a major fall flavor trend with a passionate fan base. Facebook pages with tens of thousands of members are all about the aromatic blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and (sometimes) allspice.
First introduced by Thompson & Taylor Spice Co. and McCormick & Company in the 1930s as a quick ingredient mix for pumpkin pie, the spicy mix remained quietly tucked away on kitchen shelves and generally reserved for the holidays until Starbucks introduced its Pumpkin Spice Latte in 2003.
A reporter’s Pumpkin Spice Latte, purchased at a Starbucks in Baltimore. Researchers say the appeal of pumpkin spice items has less to do with the taste than with the smell and its associations. (Christina Tkacik/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
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The hot drink proved remarkably popular. Starbucks has sold more than 424 million Pumpkin Spice Lattes in the US since its launch. Dunkin’ Donuts has also introduced its own Pumpkin Spice Latte, as well as a pumpkin bread with ice cream, pumpkin donuts and Munchkins.
Pumpkin spice products are now worth $500 millioncomprehensive everything from coffee to cream cheese to SPAM.
American Airlines introduces pumpkin spice dishes to its fall lounge menu
American has gone all out for fall by jumping on the pumpkin spice bandwagon with its new fall lounge menu.
Visitors to the American Airlines Flagship Lounge in Philadelphia will find Pumpkin Bread French Toast served with honey maple syrup. The airline describes it as “decadent slices of pumpkin spice bread, soaked and grilled, drizzled with sweet honey maple syrup.”
American Airlines Fall Lounge Menu Pumpkin Bread French Toast.
US airlines
Travelers stopping by the American Airlines Flagship Lounge in Miami can enjoy Pumpkin Spice Banana Cafecito Cake, described as “a rich, moist banana cake infused with cafe-style espresso and warming pumpkin spice.”
American Airlines is not the first airline to use pumpkin spice. In its Fall 2023 menu, Delta Air Lines has added pumpkin-spiced chia pudding with apples, figs and roasted pumpkin seeds to its First Class breakfast menu. The airline also got creative, putting together a “Pumpkin Spice” sound mix on Spotify’s curated in-flight entertainment music selection that year.
Not everyone is crazy about pumpkin spice
Variety of autumn harvest vegetables carrot, parsnip, chard, pepper, hokkaido pumpkin, porcini mushrooms and chanterelles in wooden tray. (Photo by: Natasha Breen/REDA/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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While pumpkin spice has fervent supporters, it also has detractors who feel its ubiquity diminishes the fall nostalgia that made it popular in the first place. For those less enamored with pumpkin spice, American Airlines’ fall lounge menu offers a cozy selection of other seasonal ingredients.
The Flagship Lounge in Dallas/Fort Worth serves cider mustard chicken, described as “tender chicken paired with cipollini onions, sautéed kale and apples, all draped in a spicy apple cider and whole grain mustard sauce.”
The Chicago Flagship Lounge serves Braised Beef Tips with Wild Mushrooms, described as “slow-braised beef, tender on the palate, served with earthy wild mushrooms and crispy fried leeks for a crispy crunch.”
Philadelphia’s Flagship Lounge offers a savory Roasted Acorn Squash Bisque, described as “a silky smooth soup with the natural sweetness of roasted acorn squash, finished with warming spices and a drizzle of cream.”
Another hearty alternative that American serves in Philadelphia is Roasted Amish Chicken Soup, which the airline describes as “hearty and rustic, this creamy stew features tender chicken, sweet garden peas and roasted carrots in a velvety sauce.”
As a sweet alternative to Philadelphia’s pumpkin spice French toast, guests can enjoy a warm gala apple crisp with whipped cream, which the airline describes as “baked apples with a cinnamon and oat topping, served warm with whipped cream on the side.”
American Airlines’ Admirals Club lounges also offer a diverse selection of seasonal dishes, although none with pumpkin spice.
Yet the airline is capitalizing on another popular trend by serving Magnolia Bakery vanilla cupcakes. American serves the sweets that sparked a global cupcake craze at Admirals Club lounges in Austin, Nashville, Denver, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Phoenix, San Francisco, John Wayne Airport, St. Louis Lambert International and Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Those who want to sample the pumpkin spice treats will have to fly to Miami or Philadelphia soon. The airline will replace all of its fall dishes with a new winter selection of flavors, starting in November in the Admirals Clubs and in December in the Flagship Lounges.
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