Airline wine, part 2
Jack’s comment on the earlier airline wine post raises an interesting question.
My understanding is that airlines like American aren’t paying at all for the wine on their flights, including in first class. It’s all free/promo stuff to them, so they couldn’t care how bad the wine is.
It turns out this isn’t the case — at least not for wine. Some products onboard might be provided gratis to the airlines, but major carriers are actually major wine buyers. Large buyers can lead to significant discounts, of course: American Airlines’ (aptly-named) wine buyer, Richard Vine
…doesn’t just pick the wines featured in flight. He bargains for price and quantity. And unlike some airlines, he also negotiates on how a wine will be promoted during a flight.
For some wineries, “we’ve become part of their business plan,” he said. “That gives me one more bargaining chip, because they don’t have to spend as much on marketing.”
Other airlines go even further and contract out their wine buys for what amounts to private-labeling. Some even have “creative input” when it comes to winemaking:
In tourist class, US Airways serves Casa Mayor cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay from Chile, which don’t have a retail price because they’re made specifically for US Airways and not sold in U.S. stores.
The advantage of buying as many as 650,000 little bottles a year, Stubbins says, is that when US Airways tasters decided they would like Casa Mayor’s chardonnay a little sweeter, the winery was glad to add a few sugar-rich semillon grapes to the blend.
Don’t like the Casa Mayor? Blame US Airways! But if you do or don’t like the wine on your flight, don’t just brush it off. Provide feedback. Consider it a public service.
tags: wine | food and drink | wine and travel | wine and airlines
On January 24th, 2006 at 4:50 pm ,Terence Hughes wrote:
In my centuries of flying, it seems pretty clear to me that the quality of the wines is not what it used to be; wine quality has suffered the same cost-cutting measures as food and all sorts of little comforts (the overseas pouches with the slippers and all that–progressively cheaper by the year!)
The quality of wines on American Airlines on the Paris flight (biz class), for example–awful vegetal Bordeaux AOC, not the higher level Medocs and so on of years gone by. I don’t think too many people complain, however, because not that many people care all that much about what they’re drinking with their microwaved steak.
On June 30th, 2006 at 11:24 pm ,Moyey wrote:
The best wine in the air can be had from Cathay Pacific in its first class.
I am beginning to analyze this and you may be interested in seeing the scores I have given to airlines.
My method is described on my blog:
http://moyey.blogspot.com/2006/06/scoring-airlines-for-their-wines-in.html
On October 21st, 2006 at 5:22 am ,Anonymous wrote:
“The best wine in the air can be had from Cathay Pacific in its first class”.
Have you flown Qantas recently? They took out both Best First and Business Class wine lists in the 2005 ‘Cellars in the sky awards’ (UK Business Traveller magazine/Wine International) – the first time an airline has one bith categories.