Airlines are still operating during the pandemic, however, alcohol is banned in many cabins to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
This action resulted in lots of leftover wines in planes. And now, American Airlines is hoping to sell and ship some of its excess booze directly to customer’s homes.
On Thursday, American Airlines said that a new program — called American Airlines Flagship Cellars — will give customers a chance to buy wine by the bottle, in custom “curated” cases, or thru a monthly subscription plan that costs $99 per month.
The company’s single-bottle wine offerings are priced from about $13 to $40, and the most expensive offer is a $300 three-pack of Champagne.
The $99 monthly wine subscription gives customers access to discounted prices, a monthly shipment of three bottles of wines, and they will rack up two AAdvantage Miles for every dollar spent.
The wines are among those that would have been offered and served to customers with American Airlines’ “Flagship” tickets, a luxury seating option on international and transcontinental flights.
The coronavirus pandemic has greatly battered the travel industry, leaving dozens of planes grounded and international travel greatly reduced.
American Airlines are only of the many that suspended in-flight alcohol sales to minimize the amount of time flight attendants have to interact with passengers in the Covid-19 pandemic.
The company posted a net loss of $3.6 billion in its latest earnings report, and wine sales aren’t expected to make much of a dent in its losses.
In an email to CNN, a spokesperson from American Airlines said that the company hopes its new at-home wine program will bring in about $40,000 to $50,000 in sales during the first three months of the year.
“Though revenue is important, Flagship Cellars is a way of engaging with customers, even when they are not traveling with us,” a spokesperson wrote in the email. “It also gives them a taste of what you can enjoy in Flagship First or Flagship Business.”