U.S. airlines to upgrade their wine offerings in premium classes

U.S. carriers have over the past few years upgraded their first class and business class cabins. The upgrades include transforming reclining seats to plush beds and offering restaurant-quality meals. These changes apart, the U.S. carriers are now bracing to go all out to pamper their premium customers more than before by vastly improving the quality of the wine.

Major U.S. airlines such as Virgin America, JetBlue Airways, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have until recently been serving reds and whites to the respective customers traveling in first class or booking business class flights. All this is going to change now with the quality of wine being vastly improved.

JetBlue Airways is now serving five California wines, which also include a counoise, a rare varietal made from a grape native to the south of France. The wines are being served to the business class travelers in the airline’s premium Mint cabin which was launched in 2014. Delta Air Lines has also been recently serving an Elouan pinot noir from Oregon, a state renowned for its luxuriantly silky, and increasingly pricey, pinot noir.

American Airlines has also decided to replace its existing, inexpensive wines being currently offered to its customers in first class in July 2015. The airline has been offering Bogle Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, which can be purchased for less than $10 a bottle in many U.S. cities.

U.S. carriers are lagging far behind in their wine offerings when compared to those being provided by leading international carriers such as Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways or Singapore Airlines. The customers traveling in first class in Emirates Airline or Singapore Airlines are being offered Dom Perignon Champagne, which is available on a retail price of $150 to $160.